June 14, 2009 in City

For some groups, Web isn’t so worldwide

Shawn Vestal shawnv@spokesman.com, (509) 459-5431

At the Colville Public Library, Craig Riley and Heather Mooneyham, who do not have Internet access at home, use the library’s high-speed wireless connection to search for jobs on their laptop. In Stevens County, almost a quarter of all households have no Internet access.
(Full-size photo) (All photos)

When Angela Tafoya and her boyfriend were laid off a couple months ago, they quickly found out that the job market is mostly digital these days.

“We’ve gone into a lot of stores, and they just refer us to the computer online” to apply for work, Tafoya said.

The problem is, the couple don’t have a computer at home – putting them in the company of about 38 percent of all Americans, according to new census statistics. So they spent part of last Tuesday scanning online job listings at computer terminals provided by SNAP at the Northeast Community Center.

Across from them was Martha Newman, who’d been laid off that morning and wanted to look into filing for unemployment insurance. She doesn’t have a computer, either – with two children and another on the way, she can’t afford to buy one or pay for Internet service, she said.

“I have kids; I’ve got to pay bills,” she said. “It would be very expensive for me as a single parent.”

Tafoya and Newman are part of the unconnected world, a shrinking but sizable group that doesn’t constantly check e-mail, do their banking and buying online, read blogs or goof off on Facebook.

But as more and more elements of everyday life move online, the lack of Web access also puts certain populations – the poor, rural residents, those with less education – at risk of being marginalized and left without an important tool for connecting to education and health and social services, advocates say.

“That group of people – they just become disenfranchised,” said Kristy Falco, director of the Community Voice Mail program, which provides phone numbers for the homeless to receive messages. “If we do not ensure everyone has equal access to technology, that gap between poverty and self-reliance is just going to keep getting bigger, to the point where people in poverty won’t be able to get out.”

New census figures show, unsurprisingly, that the number of Americans going online has boomed in the past decade – some 62 percent reported going online at home or elsewhere in 2007, more than triple the rate of 1997. Still, that means more than a third of people say they can’t or don’t go online. In Washington, that figure is just about a quarter of all residents, while in Idaho it’s about 42 percent – partly reflecting the fact that rural areas lag behind cities.

The so-called digital divide runs directly through the valley between the haves and the have-nots: Three-quarters of the richest fifth of the population have home Internet access; just 25 percent of the poorest fifth do. College-educated people are much more likely to go online or have Web access at home, and there is a racial divide, as well: Whites are much more likely to have the Internet at home than both blacks and Hispanics.

Recent years have opened another gap: between those who have high-speed service and those with much slower dial-up. Many government agencies and programs are trying to address the gap, and the federal stimulus bill includes $8 billion targeted at expanding broadband service.

Washington State University and the University of Washington, among scores of other public entities, are collaborating on the Communities Connect Network, an effort to make Washington a leader in “digital inclusion.” The project works to support sites that offer Internet access to underserved populations – such as agencies offering free computer time to low-income residents – as well as improving technological literacy and content.

“It’s becoming so much a part of how we live, work and play that it is a critical infrastructure in our lives,” said Monica Babine, who coordinates efforts to improve access in rural areas through the Washington State University Extension’s Center to Bridge the Digital Divide.

‘No cookie cutter’

Access in rural areas presents particular challenges. Stevens County illustrates many of the obstacles, from its population – 80 percent of its roughly 42,000 residents are rural – to its mountainous terrain.

It’s expensive for service providers to lay cable or build towers to serve so few customers, and not all of those customers want or can afford the service. The mountains present obstacles to satellite service and wireless signals.

“The majority of people, if they have anything, have dial-up,” said Amanda McKeraghan, director of Stevens County libraries.

Broadband service is dramatically faster than dial-up and is a virtual necessity for downloading and other online activities. A recent state-sponsored study of five rural Washington counties found that 72 percent of residents had access to Internet service, but just 32 percent had broadband access.

“I think we have seen growing investment and adoption of broadband services in rural areas, but we’re still lagging behind,” Babine said.

In Stevens County, 34 percent of residents had dial-up access; 23 percent had no Internet service at all. Thirty-four percent had access to high-speed cable, DSL or satellite service.

McKeraghan said several agencies and community leaders have met regularly in recent years to discuss how to improve service to residents. Now she, along with representatives for a regional economic development agency, social services hub, and WSU extension program, are examining ways they might centralize services and Web access – creating a kind of one-stop shopping where a Stevens County resident might use the library, apply for the WIC nutrition program or look into taking an online college course, all in one location.

The library system in Stevens County has nine branches; eight have high-speed Internet access, and each uses different technology to get it, from cable in Colville to satellites in another branch. McKeraghan said that illustrates one of the difficulties of expanding rural Internet access: The existing infrastructure, service providers, geography and other factors are so varied, there isn’t a single solution.

The state report that analyzed rural access recommends more state funding and support for private expansion of broadband service, including offering funding that would bolster the returns service providers would get in low-population areas.

“There’s no cookie cutter,” she said. “You can’t say, ‘Here’s what we’ll do in small towns.’ ”

Training needed

Falco, the head of the Community Voice Mail program, is looking to bring grant money and other funding to Spokane to help improve access to technology on several fronts: creating mobile computer labs with laptops, to expand the number of places that might serve people without computers; developing a network for case managers at nonprofit organizations; providing laptops to people who are coming out of homelessness; and other projects.

There are places in Spokane where people can get online for free, such as libraries or community centers, and a recent SNAP survey showed that about 70 percent of the agency’s clients had some kind of access to a computer.

But even with free terminals here and there, Falco said, there are other barriers. People who work may not be able to get to the free terminals when they’re open, and not everyone has transportation to the sites.

Marianne DeMarco, coordinator of the Northeast SNAP office, said that even when people have occasional access to a computer, it’s a big disadvantage for their kids, whose fellow students can use a computer easily and at all hours.

And then there’s something more basic: Plenty of people are simply unschooled in the ways of the Web.

“I think many of us do take for granted that everyone knows how, on a real basic level, to navigate the Internet, and that’s not really the case,” Falco said. “We see clients all day long – all day long” – who can’t.

Five comments on this story so far. Add yours!

A Hyatt on June 14 at 9:27 a.m.
Sorry, but no sympathy here. We have worked very hard to have the things we have. Everybody makes choices with how they're going to live their lives and the things they're going to spend their money on, whether it be a college education, toys and/or children. Internet service is a luxury, not a right. Libraries are free, and most of the libraries where I live offer free use of their computers. Get up each day, get dressed, and head to your local library to do your job search (I believe kids are welcome there, too!)

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Autumn Halliwell on June 14 at 3:41 p.m.
These individuals and families do get compassion and respect from me for all they must endure to secure employment in an increasingly all-digital world, especially in this economy. As a social worker, I’ve had the opportunity to work with disenfranchised individuals seeking employment. I have also observed the barriers with which they have collided in this process.

The previous poster said “We have worked very hard to have the things we have. Everybody makes choices with how they're going to live their lives and the things they're going to spend their money on, whether it be a college education, toys and/or children.” Are you indicating that those without internet access or those seeking employment in the entry-level service industry have not worked hard? What about those who are emerging from the poverty cycle or those with previous histories, such as criminal records, substance abuse, and homelessness? Those aren’t choices made by well-informed and empowered individuals in all cases, and I assure you the process of recovery and of re-empowerment requires more work and energy than many of us from the outside realize.

The previous poster also brought up the computer and internet access provided by our local libraries. Yes, this is a valuable resource but it’s limited. I believe the Spokane County Library District restricts patrons to 90 minutes per day of computer access and the Spokane County district has similar limits. Many online job applications require more time than this to gather information and complete the forms. In addition, using web-based job applications requires a familiarity with computers and web usage which many in this position probably lack.
Libraries also require proof of residency which is usually impossible for the homeless to obtain. It’s also extremely difficult for those who are “couch-surfing” or roommates: they usually do not pay utilities and may not have their name on a lease/rental agreement. Finally, photo ID is usually required. A State ID card costs $15 and comes with its own ID verification requirements.

I’ve long held that our society has become too dependent on technology. Look to ourselves as an example: we’re using the internet to read our basic daily news. Internet access may be a privilege and not a right, but as more and more resources shift to online-only or mostly online we must ensure fair access to this resource.

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IHike4Fun on June 14 at 4:48 p.m.
Hotmail and Yahoo email accounts are free.
The local library has computers you can use for free.
My brother has done it this way for years because he can't afford a PC or internet access.

Also I just don't believe that the only way to apply for a job is online. You can still mail a resume to any business or hand deliver it to their HR department.

If someone really wants to do something there is always a way to do it.

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A Hyatt on June 14 at 5:40 p.m.
Identification is required to be employed as well, so an inability to get an i.d. card for internet access at the libraries would be the least of their problems. The problem with this article is that the people identified early in the article are not the homeless or disenfranchised people to whom you refer in your response to me. And don't assume that I have not been there, or faced hardships, to where I would not understand the difficulties faced by a lot of people. I have, but I did work my rear off to get where I am without much sympathy from the “haves.” If people are eager enough to find employment, and the employment they seek requires the use of the internet, they will find a way to access it…even if it means they are “limited” to 90 minutes a day. If I spent that much time online each day, I'd be looking for work, too!

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nslopeofw on June 14 at 10:35 p.m.
I have to agree with the idea that internet/computer use is not a right. I also agree with the concept that having free resources like the library, and SNAP are good enough for those (for what ever reason) don't have access to the internet at home.

>”But as more and more elements of everyday life move online, the lack of Web access also puts certain populations – the poor, rural residents, those with less education – at risk of being marginalized and left without an important tool for connecting to education and health and social services, advocates say.”<

I'd call this a crock of poo. The poor get it free at the library, the rural can get dial up, or satellite, and less education means nothing in this equation. I have cable internet, and a computer, all with only a high school diploma.

I feel for these folks that were laid off, but I don't see where they need anything more than the free access they already get. The lady who is a single parent with 2 kids and a third on the way has way bigger problems than internet access. Birth control education being the main one.

With all the entitlements out there, (food stamps, low cost housing, utility help, etc.) the taxpayers have enough on their plate. In these tough economic times, asking taxpayers to foot the bill for internet access and computers is going just a bit too far.

Oh, and just what in the heck is a disenfranchised individual? Is that a social worker buzz word, or does it really mean anything?

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