2nd round of broadband mapping village meetings

One Economy, in cooperation with the CNMI Department of Commerce, BroadMap LLC, and the New America Foundation will be conducting a second round of village/town hall meetings to present and discuss the recent completion of the CNMI Broadband Mapping Community Survey.

CNMI residents reported significant barriers to broadband adoption, especially cost and availability. According to residents, there are significant areas that are completely unserved by broadband. There are residents who would like to subscribe to the Internet that are not being served. One Economy wants to share these findings with community members and receive feedback on the results.

“We would really like residents’ help to fill in the gaps in the data, because we know that a survey and numbers are only going to tell part of the story,” said Daniel Calarco, director of International Programs for One Economy. Calarco and Colin Richardson, program manager, One Economy Corp., will be on island to conduct and present the community survey findings.

The following confirmed scheduled village/town hall meetings will be held in February:

æ Tuesday, Feb. 28, 6pm, at the Tinian Elementary School cafeteria, San Jose, Tinian.

æ Wednesday, Feb. 29, 6pm at the conference room, Office of the Mayor, Songsong Village, Rota.

The Saipan village/town hall meetings will be announced at a later date.

Your attendance and participation in this community engagement will help map Internet access, usage and attitudes. Refreshments will be served.

The program is part of an initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop and maintain a comprehensive, interactive, and searchable nationwide map of existing broadband capability and availability throughout each state or territory. In addition, One Economy aims to improve broadband adoption in CNMI by better understanding the barriers to adopting broadband that residents may face.

One Economy is a global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people. More than 17 million people have used One Economy’s online tools and resources, including The Beehive (www.thebeehive.org) and the Public Internet Channel (www.pic.tv), to build better lives. In 2005, One Economy expanded its mission to include global programs. One Economy works with local partners to provide individuals and communities with the tools they need to maximize the potential of technology in their world. (One Economy)