LEF - Broadband Service Learning Project

How has my understanding of the digital divide changed during my service learning?

Before commencing this project, I was completely unaware of the existence of a digital divide in Canada. Living in Toronto, which is a major urban center, I assumed that most Canadians are aware of some of the many broadband Internet technologies available and also have easy access to these services as well. As I conducted research for the project, I learned that this is far from the truth. When we think about broadband access in Canada, we tend to focus only on urban areas, where large populations drive the development of broadband technologies in order to support personal and business activities. That is how I used to view broadband access. We forget that urban cities make up a very small geographical portion of Canada and the needs of their residents, with regards to high speed Internet access, are the same as those of residents in rural areas.
Currently, only 26.6 our nation’s population has access to broadband Internet. The rest must rely on outdated dial-up access or satellite services. Both methods have their own significant limitations. Dial-up technologies offer data transfer speeds of up to 56 kbps. This is much to slow to support the vast assortment of high bandwidth Internet applications available today. Satellite technologies suffer from signal latency when a roaming satellite travels out of the range of receivers located on the ground. Users of this technology, usually within rural areas, may have to wait for a certain times during day in which to receive optimal performance from their Internet Service. Most, if not all Internet activities must be conducted within these peak-performance windows and significantly reduces the amount of E-business that can be performed.
I believe the unavailability of broadband access in rural areas, within Canada, is largely due to the actions of ISPs. ISP’s intend to expand their broadband services within heavily populated areas, in order to bring in more revenue, as opposed to establishing services in small towns. While they actually increase their services, they neglect a large portion of the nation’s population. According to a report by the OECD (1), Canada has fallen behind other nations in the past few years with regards to the development and penetration of broadband technologies. Within five years, Canada has fallen from 2nd place to its current position of 8 amoung other developed countries with broadband services.


What is the importance of the project? Why is it necessary? How will it make an appreciable difference to Canadians?

Our group task is to create a glossary-like manual for Canadians that contains basic information about terms related to Internet access. The focus of this manual is on various broadband technologies. Users, who want to know facts, regarding DSL Internet access or the importance of bandwidth capabilities, can gather useful information form the manual. Whether the manual makes an appreciable difference to a community depends on who views it, since users must already have access to the internet in order to view it. I think this will have a more profound impact on the expansion of broadband services in Canada.
In a letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement from Gareth Shearman, the president of Telecommunities Canada, Gareth writes that in order for Canada to reclaim its high position amoung other developed countries with regards to broadband access, federal projects must focus on three key areas. Of the three areas mentioned, Gareth includes “Strengthening and expanding the network of community access sites that enable effective use of new technologies.” (2)
Even if broadband access is expanded technologically to rural areas within Canada, factors such as income, education levels and literacy rates will directly impact the effective use of these new technologies. Telecommunities Canada may be responsible for a majority of the broadband expansion, so Canadians will recognize the organization and will likely turn to Telecommunities as a source for answer to questions regarding the Internet. By providing Canadians with this manual, we can offer a wide range of information to those who are considering purchasing broadband services, as opposed to getting information from an ISP.
The manual may also aid in the direct expansion of broadband technologies. Readers can learn of the availability of various broadband services within Canada and their comparisons to other nations, specifically the Unites States. Countries such as the US, Japan, UK, France and all have a wider selection of available broadband technologies, which are usually much faster and more affordable than those that exist in Canada (1). By allowing Canadians quick access to these comparisons, they will be better informed about our nation’s weaknesses regarding Internet technologies. As a result, we could witness an increase in pressure on municipal and federal government, to further develop broadband services in Canada.


How well does my team work together?

Since the beginning of this project, our group has suffered from communication problems, for which I am partly responsible. Although the research for the manual was divided between the group members, we were unable to meet altogether in order to effectively group and edit the material into a solid document. Each group member has a different writing style, which is apparent in our respective research notes. This resulted in some confusion when putting information together. However, this is also largely due to way in which the research was divided.
The group members who were able to meet, including myself, decided to divide the research according to Internet technology. After gathering research on various technologies, we would develop a “20-Question” format for the manual that includes frequently asked questions regarding Internet access. Due to the differences in writing style, I found it difficult to reiterate and combine my information with that of the other members for each question. I had already gone through the trouble of editing my information, only to take it apart and re-edit it along with someone else’s information. For this reason I decided that we should have a secondary manual, one that follows a “by technology” format which includes some non-technological questions as well. I believe this approach is much better because each member is already follows a similar format for individual research. It is therefore to easier to combine information because there is less rearranging and editing of material.
A lack of communication still hinders the progress of our group, however despite this setback we were still able to develop a reasonable draft for the manual. Although missing some information at the time, it displays adequate amount information regarding some broadband technologies, within a format that is easy to navigate.



(1)http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/22/15/39574806.xls
(2)http://www.tc.ca/Letter-clement-htm.html