ORCA Media

The Open Media Globe
Submitted by orca_nair on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 09:56
Contact Information
Individual Applicant Name: 
Kenric Kite
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?: 
The goal will be to enable community members to use software, i.e. Microsoft Office Suite, and have available internet tools that assist them in reaching education, career, and personal goals; that offers them the opportunity to engage in public dialogue through access to social media, and to perform research and self education on topics of interest. Software and computer literacy workshops may be offered, if there is interest, for a small fee or by scholarship. We don not plan to charge for basic time. At this time of economic downturn we are sensitive to people needing access to personal development tools, and we hope our computer center will help in this endeavor.
3. What percentage of content submitted to your station is posted online?: 
20
4. Will your organization's public computer center be available to all members of the general public or a specific population?: 
The computer center will be available to all members of the general public on a first come, first served basis, or by appointment with certain restrictions for usage time, based on how many users there are at a given time. We expect that some peer-policing will naturally occur.
5. Do you charge membership dues or other fees to the population you are proposing to serve?: 
Yes
6. What is the disabilities status for members in your area? Check all that apply.: 
Blindness, Deafness or a severe vision or hearing impairment.
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.: 
ORCA Community Technical Resource Center, non-profit organization
How many broadband-related equipment units (e.g. computers, wireless devices) have you/do you intend to purchase overall?: 
6
Center's Broadband Connection Speed (MBps): 
16
Number of Persons served per 120-hour business week?: 
360
Number of Persons served per 48-hour weekend?: 
48
Center Demographic Information
8. What is the estimated population size of your service area?: 
66000
9. What is your service area identifier?: 
Congressional district: Vermont; Washington and Orange Counties therein.
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?: 
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic American Indian
Non-Hispanic Asian
12. What gender(s) will your center serve?: 
Male
Female
13. What is the median household income for the population your center will serve?: 
$25,000 - $34,999
14. What education levels will your center serve?: 
Middle - Grade 6 to Grade 8
Secondary - Grade 8 to Grade 12
College
Masters
Doctorate/Post-Doctorate
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. : 
News stories in local publications, communications with schools, school technology coordinators, youth groups, libraries, public figures, and at town meetings, etc. Radio and print advertising, post card mailings. We plan to have, specific workshops aimed this population. In addition to the above, our ongoing current communications with the area's non-profit sector (50+ organizations) and our public access user groups and viewers will ensure that the public is aware of, and can use the computer center. Those towns that already have telecommunications committees will also be included in all correspondence addressing the existence of the ORCA Community Technical Resource Center.
18. If you provide a computer checkout or giveaway program, how many users do you expect to provide equipment or computers?: 
MacIntosh and IBM workstations connected to a network that will also enable those members of the public with their own portable computer gear to have wireless access ORCA's network. Printer, Scanner, video editing, audio recording gear, cameras. A central server will ensure that all work is saved, backed up and available, regardless of which computer to which a person returns. We will also make available laptops that can be lent out in much the same manner we currently lend out video equipment.
19. How will you measure the program's impact in reaching disconnected communities and increase broadband adoption?: 
It is our intention to conduct pre- and post-participation tests with sample groups in underserved communities, with the aim of encouraging municipalities to adopt broadband policy, and petition private enterprise to serve these areas.
20. Please describe your primary training and educational programs, including curricula, student certification programs, etc.: 
Our experience has taught us that there must be flexible curricula that respond to the skills that community residents present. Therefore, we roughly break out three levels of skill: Level 1. Very basic; no skill in operation of computer hardware and software. This group will require one-on-one or small group training. Level 2: Rudimentary skills in operating computers and making use of software. In addressing this group of users, we will provide technical support as well as video support in bringing them to Level 3, which is defined as having the capacity to use computers to generate basic documents in word processing, accounting and graphics programs. Level 3: Those who have used and employed software applications to generate documents, making use of spreadsheets in detail and having the capacity to generate graphic media on their own. To these community members we will make available senior staff for training and consulting. The outcome for Level 3 "graduates" is that they will possess the skills with which they can compete for, or improve, employment. All groups will receive certification as to the specific outcomes they can demonstrate.
20a. How many hours of training do you/expect to provide per person on average through training programs(s)?: 
3
20b. How many full-time instructors/facilitators do you/will you employ for broadband and digital literacy training purposes?: 
1 FT with training/experience in IBM and Mac OS computer software and applications, instruction. Patience and ability to work constructively with a large variety of people a plus.
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?: 
We will use existing moneys in our Reserve Development fund.
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?: 
We plan to use interns, i.e. Americorps/Vista, and staff. Community volunteers will be welcome to assist with instruction and certain other tasks.
25. How do you plan maintain a website for your station or for the public computer center?: 
We plan to use ORCA staff, contractors and interns to develop and maintain the components of both websites.
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?: 
We expect to increase by 150 the number of people that use computers to stream content. As for generating subscribers, it should be noted that in Vermont the ability to provide broadband service sits entirely with private and municipal enterprise, with authority to do so granted by the Vermont Department of Public Service. ORCA does not have this authority. We hope, however, that people will see first hand the viability of broadband and will petition providers to make it available to them.
29. How many total new business and/or institutional subscribers to broadband do you expect to generate?: 
We expect that our interactive website will be used to introduce and instruct non-profits and others in how Web 2.0 technology can work to increase their usability and value. The same rule above applies in regards to generating customers.