Content, not access, the major barrier to getting more Canadians online, says PIAC

The federal government should invest as much as $50 million to help create cultural and community content that is relevant to peoples’ lives if it wants to see a greater number of Canadians hook up to the Internet, according to the author of a new report released by one of Canada’s main social advocacy groups. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) says current policies that encourage people to get connected do not recognize that the growing divide between the on- and off-line communities is more the result of the type of content on the Internet rather than physical access to it. Current funding programs, such as Telefilm Canada’s $30-million multimedia fund or the $200-million Canadian Television Fund, tend to focus on commercial content applications. PIAC consultant and one of the study’s co-authors Andy Reddick says it’s time to shift public support to relevant content that serves community needs such as jobs, housing and other essentials, including government services. He says policy makers may be surprised by how long it will take to move Canadians fully online, and that the main barrier to connectivity isn’t price, but a dearth of content that most people want or need. "We need probably as much support in the near-term towards citizenship and community information and cultural information at that community and regional group level as we’re already putting into commercial television production and industry development support," Reddick told Canadian NEW MEDIA. "We have these massive production funds on the cable side, on the broadcast television side – hundreds of millions of dollars. What we really need is significant funding of $30-50 million for a few years to make sure that a substantial amount of the culture and citizenship content is supported so that it can be put up on the web – that which is relevant to the web." Released last week, the report, The Dual Digital Divide: The Information Highway in Canada was funded by Industry Canada and Human Resources Development Canada. It analyzed Canadian households that don’t currently go online on a regular basis. While the digital divide has been widely reported on, the study reveals that the problem is more complex than a simple have- and have-not dichotomy. It categorizes non-users into three main sub-groups. On the edges are Canadians that have indicated a desire to go online, but who face economic and social barriers such as poverty or social illiteracy. Another large group of households has the means to afford and exploit new technologies, but perceives the current Internet as having little value. There is also a small group of Canadians who are unlikely to ever go online, and for whom the Internet probably has little real value. The second group, which has little interest in the types of content and services currently offered on the ‘Net, constitute an important concern for policy makers. Reddick says the government should consider what’s needed to lure these people online in the near term. The alternative, he warns, is that as Internet content becomes more relevant to daily life, this group will lack the access and technical skills needed to take advantage of the ‘Net down the road. Connecting people to the Internet doesn’t seem to be the problem, and PIAC commends the federal government for its success with the Connecting Canadians agenda. Reddick says community access sites and learning networks are examples of recent initiatives that help ensure more universal access to the Net. It’s now time, he says, to fund and create more relevant content. As examples of the types of content PIAC envisions, Reddick mentions job sites, housing sites, government services and community events. Even with this content available online, he notes that it will still take some time to lure more Canadians to the Internet. "Instead of a short-term hit where every one is going to be online within a couple of years, we’re looking at a long period of continued public access and training, and the role of the government as partners with the community level and industry through this transition is going to take time. It’s not going to happen overnight…. The first 50 per cent online happened faster than radio or TV. The next 50 per cent are going to take as long as radio and TV. That’s the reality." If Canada is to narrow the digital divide, says Reddick, the private sector must also take a more active role. He praises companies like Rogers Communications which have been active in connecting schools to its high-speed service, but overall, he says the private sector in Canada "should be embarrassed", particularly when compared to the U.S. "Last year, with the number of initiatives that the private sector is doing in the States to address the digital divide both independently and as government partners, we’re way behind," he says. "It’s almost embarrassing to say, ‘come on guys, you can do better than this.’ They’ve got a role here. It’s a benefit to them in the long term. The more people get on, A, it makes them look good and B, it creates more customers. "From a broader point of view – just from a responsibility to the community or good citizenship, whether they do it in partnership with communities or government or just on their own, I think they can do a lot more. The Americans are showing us the way to some degree." The Dual Digital Divide can be found at http://olt-bta.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/download/oltdualdivideen.pdf

Content, not access, the major barrier to getting more Canadians online, says PIAC

Broadcast | August 23, 2000

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