CCTV Center for Media & Democracy

The Open Media Globe
Submitted by cctv on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 13:22
Contact Information
Individual Applicant Name: 
Lauren-Glenn Davitian
About the Center
1. Does your organization currently have a public computer center?: 
No
2. What is the goal of your public computer center? If it currently is not set up do you have organizational capacity for one?: 
CCTV operates a public computer center as part of its work with the regional government access channel: Channel 17/ Town Meeting TV. The goal of the public computer and media center is to expand access to digital tools and media production for community members who lack other forms of access (i.e., at their homes) and to cultivate a community of diverse producers who are able to exercise free speech regardless of income or other barriers that prevent access to these vital tools of democracy. CCTV ‘s concern for the “digital divide” dates to the early 1990’s and the founding of the Old North End Community/ Technology Center and CyberSkills/ Vermont. CCTV has been involved in several broadband adoption projects over the past 15 years, including “The Public Broadband Tool Kit and Road Show”, co-developed and delivered with the Center for Rural Studies and the Vermont Broadband Council to more than 300 local town officials across Vermont. CCTV is a model “center for democratic communications” in Vermont and trusted hub for communications capacity building. CCTV expands the reach and impact of vital community organizations by: - Advancing the case for public access, community media and public broadband service through public events, special TV programs, web content, status updates and cause related organizing. This is accomplished through collaboration with Vermont and national community media and media reformers. - Assessing community needs for communications security and planning for future media production and distribution services and protection of civil rights. - Delivering multi-media training that covers communications strategy, literacy, production, distribution, security, organizational development and leadership--produced as live and online events, recorded, and archived for future reference and use. - Circulating free production equipment, including video cameras and laptops. - Producing affordable media content including event coverage and customized video stories, databases, web hubs and social networks. - Providing reliable technical support to keep community technology and networks running smoothly and securely, able to interface with a variety of in-house and on-line databases. - Securing public access to multi-media distribution networks such as cable TV (Comcast and Burlington Telecom), live and archived internet delivery (www.cctv.org), duplication services, peer-to-peer statewide file sharing network (Vermont Media Exchange--VMX) and a robust web server for the tagging and aggregating of relevant and trusted content, including an archive of 15,000 hours of cataloged community programming.
3. What percentage of content submitted to your station is posted online?: 
100
4. Will your organization's public computer center be available to all members of the general public or a specific population?: 
As a government access channel that puts an emphasis on citizen speech, all community members can produce or recommend programs that are public affairs in nature. The BTOP funds will be used to provide outreach, training and equipment access to the underserved members of our population who will benefit from stronger ties to the community at large, in particular youth and refugees with stories to tell that remain missing from the mainstream media and public conversation.
5. Do you charge membership dues or other fees to the population you are proposing to serve?: 
No
6. What is the disabilities status for members in your area? Check all that apply.: 
A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.
A physical, mental or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more.
Center Capacity
7. For the following questions regarding your center's capacity, are the values current or proposed?: 
Proposed
Public computer center name and type.: 
Center for Media & Democracy Computer Lab
How many broadband-related equipment units (e.g. computers, wireless devices) have you/do you intend to purchase overall?: 
10
Center's Broadband Connection Speed (MBps): 
1
Number of Persons served per 120-hour business week?: 
75
Number of Persons served per 48-hour weekend?: 
5
Center Demographic Information
8. What is the estimated population size of your service area?: 
250000
9. What is your service area identifier?: 
Chittenden County, Vermont
10. What age distribution(s) will your center serve?: 
5 to 19 years
20 to 29 years
29 to 39 years
40 to 49 years
50 to 59 years
60 to 69 years
70 and above
11. What ethnicity(s) will your center serve?: 
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic American Indian
Non-Hispanic Asian
Non-Hispanic Other
12. What gender(s) will your center serve?: 
Male
Female
13. What is the median household income for the population your center will serve?: 
Less than $9,000
$10,000 - $14,999
$15,000 - $24,999
$25,000 - $34,999
$35,000 - $44,999
14. What education levels will your center serve?: 
Middle - Grade 6 to Grade 8
Secondary - Grade 8 to Grade 12
College
15. What is the unemployment rate for your service area?: 
7
16. What describes the language preference of your service area?: 
English - Primary
17. Please describe your center's outreach strategy and how can you reach communities lacking broadband access. : 
In Chittenden County Vermont pockets of low income communities cannot afford broadband access, this critical connection to the economic and cultural life of our community. CCTV will focus its outreach strategy to public schools, youth service agencies and mutual aid societies and community organizers who work with the variety of low income youth and "new Americans" settling in our region. CCTV outreach is grass roots in nature. Activities include: mapping the network of key organizations and updating database of organizations/ projects, contacting lead organizers (20), one-on-one meetings as necessary, on-site and off-site presentations (10), studio tours/ training sessions (6), video programs with targeted messages on broadband opportunities and how to take advantage of them (3-6), fliers/ public releases, public training sessions (vacation camps, regular sessions).
18. If you provide a computer checkout or giveaway program, how many users do you expect to provide equipment or computers?: 
We anticipate that we will expand the use of our facilities to provide equipment to 60-100 new users over the course of 12 months.
19. How will you measure the program's impact in reaching disconnected communities and increase broadband adoption?: 
Output measures will be established by tracking number of contacts, users, intake surveys, equipment use, training hours utilized, programs produced, change in network of contacts. Outcome measurements answer the question “what changed?” These are gathered over time and may not be able to be measured over a one year cycle but can be answered through follow up to initial intake surveys.
20. Please describe your primary training and educational programs, including curricula, student certification programs, etc.: 
CCTV training and education programs include: - Off-site hands-on digital training with key organizations and circles of interest (i.e. the target populations and the staff that support them) including long-time partners such as the Burlington Boys and Girls Club, Winooski Family Center/ YMCA, YWCA, King Street Youth Center, Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, ReStart Program for Juvenile Offenders, Public Schools, local Parks and Recreation Programs. - Awareness Raising sessions Media Maven Lunches for community leaders and nonprofits on pertinent subjects including: The Perils and Promise of Digital Community Building, Broadband Opportunities, Leadership in the Connected Age, State of the Independent Sector, Media Literacy, Social Media Tools, Internet Security. - Workshops/ Camps - On-site at CCTV/ Channel 17 hands-on TV production workshops and Vacation Camps for young people, nonprofits and citizens-at-large to plan to teach them how to use the internet, media literacy, digital production and distribution. - Volunteer Opportunities at Channel 17 for engaged youth and new recruits including short and long term apprenticeships.
20a. How many hours of training do you/expect to provide per person on average through training programs(s)?: 
6
20b. How many full-time instructors/facilitators do you/will you employ for broadband and digital literacy training purposes?: 
1.5
Other Information
21. Is there evidence that less than 40% of your service population has broadband web access?: 
Yes
22. How will your center provide a $10,000 match of funds?: 
The CCTV Board of Directors have made major investment of dollars and strategic development to support this work. We work with both the CCTV Board and the Channel 17 Trustees to make this vision materialize. The organizations have already invested $50-70K in building the digital platform and training infrastructure. CCTV will maintain and build upon this infrastructure as we move forward. CCTV will provide $10,000 match toward training staff, technical support and $10,000 toward facilities (server and internet connection).
23. Does your center currently have an online component or plans for an online component?: 
Yes
24. How do you plan to maintain a public computer center?: 
The current public computer center employs 4 digital production/ editing/ distribution lap tops. This will be expanded to 10. The equipment is available to be used on site or checked out by qualified (trained) community members. The public computer center is located at Channel 17 in Burlington's Old North End and is accessible to neighborhood members and via public transportation.
25. How do you plan maintain a website for your station or for the public computer center?: 
www.cctv.org is currently operational and available for distribution of information and video programs. With the support of BTOP funds, the site will be expanded to facilitate public equipment check out, program uploading and social networking.
26. Are you interested in enabling your community to directly schedule any portion of your programming schedule?: 
Yes
27. Are you interested in sharing content with other public access TV stations?: 
Yes
28. How many total new home subscribers (households) to broadband do you expect to generate over the entirety of the program?: 
It is hard to anticipate but we expect that the project may generate 250 or more new subscribers.
29. How many total new business and/or institutional subscribers to broadband do you expect to generate?: 
We do not expect that new subscribers will be added since most of the program partners are currently connected.