Mission
The mission of Digital Impact Group was to enable low-income families and small business owners to gain access to the technology necessary for full civic participation and full access to economic, educational, health, and other life opportunities.
History
Originally created out of the internationally significant Wireless Philadelphia Initiative, DIG is a non-profit organization that developed an innovative model for digital inclusion that successfully enabled nearly 2000 low-income households to cross the digital divide. This effort was supported by more than 30 public, foundation and corporate funding sources, including the PA Department of Labor and Industry, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Motorola Foundation and The William Penn Foundation. More than 40 community-based organizations across Philadelphia joined with DIG to create and implement customized digital inclusion programs for their clients. DIG was originally called "Wireless Philadelphia," and served an important, independent coordination function between the City of Philadelphia, EarthLink, and community groups during the implementation of the entire Wireless Philadelphia initiative.
Innovative Model
DIG's comprehensive model centered around enabling participants to earn, via sweat equity, a complete "TechPack" including a new netbook computer, home broadband service, customized training, relevant content and ongoing digital coaching. Participants met benchmarks that were determined by community-based partners in a way that simultaneously supported these organizations' program goals.
A comprehensive, independent, two-year program evaluation conducted by the nationally recognized research firm OMG Center for Collaborative Learning found DIG's efforts to promote sustainable broadband adoption among low-income populations to be highly effective. The evaluation found that participants learned significant technical skills through the program, passed skills along to other adults and children in their households, and used the tools on an ongoing basis for a wide variety of activities including job search and education.
Policy and Research
DIG was actively involved in the National Broadband Plan proceeding, and was formally cited in the FCC's 2010 National Broadband Plan. DIG was asked by the FCC to lead a working group to identify metrics for determining the effectiveness of broadband adoption programs. As a result, DIG developed a formal Framework for Understanding and Evaluating the Broadband Adoption Process. DIG also participated in several Plan workshops, contributed formal comments in response to Public Notices, and was one of only six organizations nationally to be showcased at the FCC/Knight Foundation-sponsored America's Summit on Digital Inclusion in March, 2010. Working with guidance from high-level FCC policy making, research, and economic staff, DIG led the effort, in partnership with Econsult Corporation, and with funding from the Ford Foundation, to quantify for the first time the cost of digital exclusion to the nation. Intended to be the beginning of a more detailed analysis of the issue, the DIG/Econsult study conservatively estimated the cost to be at least $55 billion annually.
While the DIG organization ceased formal operations in 2010, the organization's model continued to make a positive impact on broadband technology initiatives nationwide. As proof, DIG's former Executive Director, Greg Goldman, was called on to serve on the staff of the US Commerce Department's Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP), as a chance to leverage the knowledge and experience. As a Federal Program Officer for BTOP, Goldman was part of the team that was responsible for distributing $4.7B to commercial, academic, public and non-profit entities to support the expansion of broadband technology to un- and under-served communities across the United States, with a particular focus on promoting sustainable broadband adoption among a wide range of populations and groups that lack digital literacy and access.