Welcome

The Digital Inclusion Start-Up Manual is intended to provide guidance to organizations looking to increase access and use of technology in disadvantaged communities through digital literacy training, affordable home broadband, affordable devices and tech support. These efforts might take place within a community-based organization, a library, a housing authority, a local government or other community locations.

We focus the detailed guidance on creation of a community digital inclusion program which is a local nonprofit, public or private initiative aimed at making at least one of the “five elements”—affordable broadband, internet-enabled devices, digital literacy training, technical support or empowering applications or content—more accessible to community members, especially the “most disadvantaged.”

Public and nonprofit leaders have created practical, hands-on digital inclusion programs in communities throughout the U.S., such as digital skills training centers, public computer labs, nonprofit computer refurbishing, community wireless broadband and others. Some of these programs have served their neighbors since the 1990s. Others have just started up recently.

Learning from NDIA’s affiliates, this guidebook shares strategies and recommendations from digital inclusion programs around the United States.

The Startup Manual Version Two was made in collaboration with Chicago Connected, a partnership program between the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and community organizations.

A previous version of this manual was made with support from Google Fiber.