I found this website about an ongoing project for delivering high-speed internet to all 203 First Nations communities in BC.
What I really liked about this project was its domain and what they called the project lifecycle, which included:
The following infographic provides more information about the project’s scope:
According to Wikipedia:
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. The medium can be coaxial cable, optical fiber, wireless Internet (radio), twisted pair or satellite.
In the context of Internet access, broadband is used to mean any high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than dial-up access over traditional analog or ISDN PSTN services
The following link has an interactive map in which you can check the broadband Internet coverage and its type. I suggest you would check it out since it easily allows you to check the Internet coverage in your region and compare it to other areas.
Here is another website which you can use to gain more information about your Internet speed.
In this link, you can find a video from Denise Willimas, the Executive Director of the First Nations Technology Council.
She is inviting everyone to participate in a challenge by comparing their internet speed to the national average and sharing one fact about Digital Equity and Digital Divide in Canada using #NEXT150
One example of the shared facts is that “76% of Indigenous communities in BC do not have the broadband connectivity needed to access government services.”
I’ve searched the given hashtag on my own social media account and found some interesting posts and comments.
The following pictures made by Indigenous artists (twitter names: @auraLast and @chiefladybird), for example, were posted as part of a commitment to include #IndigenousArtInPublic spaces we share.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FeYpWgPWAAIb-j_?format=jpg&name=medium
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FeYpWgRWYAA_ytT?format=jpg&name=medium
One of the fundamental requirements to achive digital equity is the access to reliable internet connection. According to this article, many Indigenous communities in remote areas do not have that connection and therefore their access to online services and resources is limited.
“Recent events, including the pandemic, fires and severe flooding in B.C., have highlighted the inequalities for Indigenous communities that don’t have access to these online services. Without connectivity and the ability to travel, relationships were challenged. Youth were unable to attend online academic and cultural teachings. Communities lost the ability to maintain their social and mental wellness and safety.”
“This lack of connectivity exacerbates socio-economic inequities, including business opportunities, employment, education, and physical and mental health.”
The current policy is for major telecommunications companies to participate in an auction and the job of providing internet with the proper licensing would go to the highest bidder. These companies are mostly focused on improving the internet services in urban areas rather than rural or remote areas. That results in disadvantaging Indigenous communities by leaving them digitally disconnected.
Indigenous leaders in Canada requested a change in the policy for providing internet to remote communities and demanding a seat at a table where decisions are made by sending a letter to François-Philippe Champagnein, theMinister of Innovation, Science and Industry in December 2021.
“At an Assembly of First Nations meeting in December 2020, 98.5 per cent of First Nations Chiefs in attendance from across Canada passed a resolution requesting access to high-speed internet for remote Indigenous communities. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs also passed a resolution in February 2022 in support of a spectrum policy change to urge Indigenous digital equity. The federal government has an opportunity to not only close the digital divide, but to take another meaningful step towards truth and reconciliation by updating its spectrum policy.”
I finally got to start to do a bit of research on my topic: digital equity for Indigenous people. This actually needs more time than I anticipated at the beginning since you can find many similar terms are used to express the issues around digital equity. For example, digital inclusion and the digital divide.
So, I decided that the first step for me was to understand all the different terms and their meanings.
Using the definitions in this link, I created the following concept map for myself.
In the nutshell:
Digital Divide is the issue.
Digital Equity is the goal.
Digital Inclusion is the work.
A better version can be found here.
What does digital equity mean? A condition in which there is no digital barrier for any individual or community.
The Quest for Digital Equity (Article, 2018)
What needs to be considered in digital equity? Anything from hardware to digital skills, most importantly infrastructure, connectivity, and literacy.
Exploring the Digital Lives of Youth: Creating Conditions for Digital Equity in Ontario
What does digital equity look like for youth from students’ and teachers’ perspectives?
Indigenous Digital Equity Strategy
An ongoing project to minimize the digital inequity among Indigenous communities.
I found the following article on how indigenous communities can use technology to share their knowledge, wisdom, and stories with others:
Indigenous peoples teach the world First Nations wisdom through technology
According to this article and UN numbers, more than 476 million Indigenous people live in 90 countries worldwide and account for 6.2% of the global population. The lack of access to technology and digital literacy education, many of them are being left out of the conversation in developing future technologies. To have equitable digital futures, Indigenous people must have a seat at the table in developing these technologies.
“What if you held a device up to a cultural place or an object or an artwork and our elders appeared in holographic format to tell you the story and explain the meaning of that place or object?”
Since the idea was interesting to me, I searched for more information:
Project to use virtual reality technology to teach Nisga’a culture and language (2021)
Anishinaabe artist’s new VR experience takes an Indigenous futurist look at Toronto (2018)
Research team from B.C.’s Camosun College turns The Witness Blanket into virtual reality (2020)
“Our work is grounded in the belief that reconciliation and innovation go hand-in-hand, and that a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and world views participating and leading in technology fields will lead to a more prosperous future for all Canadians.”
What do they do?
Interests:
One of the readings in Module 1 is a discussion between a Coyote and a Raven. The following paragraph caught my attention
“an excellent example of this work on the ground is the CAT (Centre for Appropriate Technologies) project with Australian Aboriginal communities in the Alice Springs area of the Northern Territory exploring synergies between Indigenous
technological ecoliteracies and digital technologies to support the communities in their cultural renewal and educational economic and ecological initiatives”
I looked at some of the websites for Appropriate Technology.
The Center for Appropriate Technology– Australia
The National Center for Appropriate Technology– USA
David Suzuki Foundation (One Nature.)- Canada
Reference
Cole, P., & O’Riley, P. (2012). Coyote and Raven Put the ‘Digital’In Technology—Hands-up and Down to Earth. TCI (Transnational Curriculum Inquiry), 9(2), 18-34.
