About the project - an Introduction
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Rationale
This research investigates issues related to Internet Communication Technology (ICT) development projects such as proposed by the Provincial and Federal governments for First Nations communities in British Columbia - specfically, the extension of last mile broadband connectivity to 118 unserved communities in remote areas of the province. The implications of broadband access in formerly underserved or unserved communities promises many potential social benefits, but needs to be carried out carefully, in collaborative fashion, and in accordance with each community's social and technological requirements and goals.
One of our core competencies at CPROST is technology impact assessments for communities of all shapes and sizes. To this end we are proposing a project whereby we will facilitate group discussions in 10-15 pilot communities to sketch out each community's needs and goals, with a keen eye to identifying potential unanticipated consequences of the implementation of broadband connectivity. Using Techno-Experiential Design Assessment (TEDA), our proven methodological tool for social impact studies, the data obtained serves two purposes for First Nations communities: (1) it provides a holistic perspective of each pilot community's potential - a detailed roadmap toward the best implementation plan possible, and (2) it can provide, in published form, a baseline or resource for other communities with similar needs. We are selecting communities based on several criteria, to cover as best as possible a representative sample of the 118 underserved First Nations communities in BC.
Methodology
The project is proposed to unfold in several iterations, with each community consultation building on information learned in preceding consultations. The first phase of the research will involve three pilot communities, based on the following criteria: access (whether the community already has access to broadband) and internet/network usage (how extensive is the usage, and what is it being used for?).
- A community with high use/low access - we will document current usage and access (using government data and a community-centered TEDA consultation). Subsequently, we will document changes that occur after broadband has been introduced (also using TEDA).
- A community with high access/low use - using lessons learned in our first pilot community, here we pose the question of what form should a public ICT consultation/awareness program take to encourage socially beneficial uses of ICT? We will build in consultation with the target community a technology plan based on the outcome of a TEDA session with community leader, technology champions, and other the community sees fit to include in the discussion.
- A community with no access - using lessons learned in our first two pilot communities, we will build a consultation format that suits a community with no broadband access and very little/no internet use.
Future Research and Improving the Methodology
The pilots should yield some definitive insights into the nature of these encounters - between technology, communities and researchers - that will provide us and underserved First Nations communities with a technology impact assessment kit, using the experience of consultations in three different scenarios.
There will be opportunity to extend this research beyond the three preliminary pilots. Whether CPROST plays a role in this, or whether the kit will be distributed to more communities to manage themselves will depend on how successfully the three pilot studies capture allthe issues affecting ICT deployment in wideranging circumstances. If there are gaps in our knowledge, we would like to continue on from this point, and use the methods in several more underserved communities until we are confident that we have generated a baseline of knowledge that is reasonably generalizable for the remaining population of underserved communities. Once we have achieved that level of confidence, the kit will be ready to distribute.
For more information about this research, please see our Contact Information page.