Community Technology Action Plan Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio: July 2017
Prepared as part of the Connected Community Engagement Program Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
The following organizations contributed their time and expertise as part of the Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Team:
The Western Reserve Port Authority The Oak Hill Collaborative Eastgate Regional Council of Governments ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation in Our Neighborhoods) Better Business Bureau of Mahoning Valley City of Youngstown Friends of the Mahoning River Intelligent Community Forum KO Consulting Mahoning County Educational Service Center Mahoning County Public Library Oak Hill MakerSpace OCCHA (Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana)
Rocky Ridge Neighborhood Association The Business Journal United Returning Citizens WFMJ TV WKBN TV Youngstown City School District Youngstown FreeNet Youngstown Vindicator Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...... 4 Project Background ...... 4 Current Community Technology Developments ...... 4 Project Focus Areas ...... 5 Assessment Summary ...... 5 Challenges ...... 5 Priority Projects ...... 6 Digital Equity ...... 6 Connected Program Overview ...... 9 Why Access, Adoption, and Use? ...... 9 The Connected Community Engagement Program...... 10 Process ...... 11 Connected Certification...... 11 Community Assessment ...... 12 Community-Wide Infrastructure ...... 13 Households...... 24 Business and Economic Development ...... 34 K-12 Education ...... 39 Libraries and Community Organizations ...... 43 Talent/Workforce Development ...... 49 Challenges and Recommendations ...... 53 Current Projects ...... 53 Priority Projects ...... 53 Challenges ...... 53 Recommendations ...... 53
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Executive Summary
Today, technology plays a pivotal role in how businesses operate, how institutions provide services, and where consumers choose to live, work, and play. The success of a community has become dependent on how broadly and deeply the community adopts technology resources, which includes access to reliable, high-speed networks, the digital literacy of residents, and the use of online resources locally for business, government, and growth, job creation, global competitiveness, The purpose of this document is to summarize the results of a community technology assessment for Youngstown-Mahoning County and to provide the next steps for addressing any deficiencies or opportunities for improving the local technology ecosystem in order to advance economic, social, and educational opportunities for families, businesses, and institutions in the community. This Community Technology Action Plan was developed following a comprehensive community assessment performed by the Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Team as part of Connected Community Engagement Program. Using the Connectedsm assessment toolkit, the community team was able to examine the access, adoption, and use of broadband and related technologies in the community. One key output from this process is the Connected Community Scorecard, which is used to summarize the results of the community broadband assessment and relative standing of communities participating in this process. Through the work of the Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Team and information reflected in this document, Youngstown-Mahoning County achieved a score of 60.03 points out of 100 for overall broadband and technology readiness. While the results indicate that the community has made tremendous strides and investments in technology, priority projects were identified to help catapult the community to a new level of technology access, adoption, and use. This plan is a blueprint for leveraging technology to improve quality of life and advanced community and economic development. Below are the detailed results and recommended strategies for Youngstown-Mahoning County. Project Background The Western Reserve Port Authority applied for a broadband assessment for Mahoning County, Ohio. The County has a population of 238,823 with roughly equal portions in urban, suburban, and rural communities. It is part of Appalachia where much of the basic infrastructure to support broadband internet does not exist. It has urban areas experiencing severe distress, with Youngstown being primary among them. The urban areas have infrastructure to support broadband, but lack adequate internet access. A survey conducted by the public library of Youngstown and Mahoning County found that 55% of users said they lacked broadband access at that the problem for Mahoning County remains two-fold socioeconomic factors that affect broadband access at home and lack of access to the necessary infrastructure to expand much needed broadband resources. In conjunction with core partners, Oak Hill Collaborative and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments as well as other collaborators, the goal is to acquire significant data on Internet use and preferences as a basis for further, informed action and to organize interested and necessary entities in support of a common purpose, one that cannot be accomplished without a cooperative use of community resources. Current Community Technology Developments As part of our overall effort to improve the access, adoption and use of broadband in Youngstown and across Mahoning County for our residents and businesses, a number of technology-related projects and strategies have been developed and are currently underway in the community: in seven after- school programs. Mahoning Cou -Fi hot spots to patrons. -time information on bus and paratransit arrivals. Development of various apps by students with YWCA, Oak Hill Collaborative, and others. -to-business software focus. America Makes and a plethora of companies and organizations that utilize 3D printing. Code Youngstown, a group that meets for coders to socialize and brainstorm applications.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Project Focus Areas The Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Team chose to examine four areas including: Business and Economic Development, K-12 Education, Libraries, and Talent/Workforce Development. Assessment Summary The following table provides highlights from the community broadband and technology assessment conducted as part of this plan and detailed in the remainder of the document. Challenges
The following table summarizes the broadband technology gaps and challenges in Youngstown-Mahoning County identified during the assessment.
Broadband and Technology Assessment Summary Community-Wide Infrastructure 97% Households with access to 25 Mbps Internet 36% Households with only one choice for fixed Internet service provider Areas of the community where service gaps persist: Newton, Weathershield, Poland, Jackson, Mesopotamia, Farmington, Greene, Gustavus, Kinsman, Johnston, and Hubbard Townships 34% Households with access to only one type of Internet connection 11 Residential fixed Internet service providers Households 68,308 Households without a fixed broadband connection 30.4% Households with Internet access dissatisfied with current service Groups struggling the most with home broadband adoption: 1) Households earning <$35k, 2) Adults w/High School Diploma or Less, 3) Adults Aged 18-34, 4) Households with school-age children, and 5) Residents of Youngstown 5.5 Average number of Internet-enabled devices in the home 64% Residents who digitally interact with local businesses at least weekly 30% Residents who regularly telework Business and Economic Development 89% Businesses with a fixed broadband connection 89.8% Businesses with a website 46.7% Businesses using or planning to use advanced technology applications 2/3rds Businesses using social media at least weekly 5 Organizations supporting economic development in the community K-12 Education 55.6% K-12 curriculum delivered with web-enabled technology 8 K-12 schools with connections of 500 Mbps or faster 1.33 Internet-enabled devices per student 1/2 Schools with a social media presence Libraries and Community Organizations 30% Adults without home Internet accessing the web at libraries 230 Internet-enabled public computers 4 Average number of tech. training programs offered at libraries 83% Libraries and organizations using or planning to implement more advanced technologies Talent/Workforce 48.9% Employers who feel employee tech. skills match business needs 84.6% Percent of businesses who require or encourage continuing education for employees 28.1% Percent of community employees with advanced technology skills 11 Community organizations offering STEM+C opportunities for youth
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Area Challenge Broadband Competition Community-Wide Infrastructure High Speed Broadband Availability Platform Dependency Digital Literacy Households Frequency of Internet Use Home Broadband Adoption K-12 Education Electronic Content Delivery Libraries/Community Organizations Digital Literacy Training Support for Continuing Education Talent/Workforce STEM+C Activities for Youth
Priority Projects The following is a list of the recommended projects the community team aims to prioritize to ensure robust broadband and technology access, adoption, and use. Digital Equity Develop a Community-Based Technology Awareness Group Digital Equity - Promote Low-Cost Broadband Service Offerings for Vulnerable Populations Digital Equity Facilitate Digital Literacy Training in Partnership With Communication Organizations for Vulnerable Populations Digital Equity The data gathered during the Connected assessment allows an analysis of digital equity in the community. Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services (National Digital Inclusion Alliance). Data gathered through this process can help determine which groups in the community may be struggling with technology access, adoption, and use and thus which groups need assistance to create a truly digitally equitable community. The table below contains a summary of ten different metrics that aim to identify which groups are struggling with technology and the intersection between the challenges related to accessing broadband infrastructure and actually adopting broadband in a meaningful way. Twenty different demographic groups are included in the table and are divided by income, educational attainment, age, employment status, households with children, and military households. These metrics are designed to provide a high-level summary of issues facing specific groups in the community, and each metric is discussed in greater detail throughout this plan. These metrics are also critical in generating solutions and/or interventions that will be targeted to the appropriate group to ensure success. The dimensions include: Access Households with dial-up, satellite, or mobile-only connections: These households may have service, but these are not ideal connections for a number of reasons include speed, data caps, latency, reliability, etc. Households reporting a connection speed less than 3 Mbps: These households subscribe to Internet service at speeds that limit the usefulness of that connection for those in the home. Households dissatisfied with the cost of service: These households subscribe to Internet service, but indicate they are dissatisfied with that service because of the cost. They desire to be connected, but the cost of service is likely a burden. Adoption Home broadband adoption: This is the percent of households in each group that have subscribed to an Internet connection at home. Non-adopting households citing cost as primary barrier: These are households that do not have a home Internet connection that report not having one because service is too expensive. Devices in the home: This is the average number of Internet-enabled devices in the home. A lack of a device can prevent full online participation by all members of the household. ~ 6 ~
Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital literacy: This is the average digital literacy score on a scale from 1-4 across 38 different hardware, software, and online applications, with 1 indicating the respondent has no experience and 4 indicating they have advanced technology skills. Digital literacy is key to using technology to improve quality of life. Use Daily Internet access: This is the percent of respondents reporting that they access the Internet multiple times per day. Internet use is a personal choice, but limited access and adoption can prevent more robust use of technology. Teleworking: This is the percent of respondents indicating they telework in any capacity for their job. Technology is used more and more on the job and teleworking can provide new opportunities for residents to participate in a digital economy. Section interaction: This is the average frequency at which residents in each group report digitally interacting with various sectors of the community on a scale of 1-7, with 1 indicating daily interaction and 7 indicating no digital interaction. This metric may be used to encourage organizations to increase efforts to promote their electronic resources. While all in the community struggle with some aspect of technology access, adoption, and use, some groups struggle more than others. Cells in the table are highlighted in red where the indicator for that particular group is negatively related to the community average. For example, home broadband adoption for households earning less than $35,000 is highlighted in red as home broadband adoption for this group is far below the average home broadband adoption rate for the community. Also included in the table, is a column indicating the percent of the community falling into each of the demographic groups. For example, 43.2% of households in the community earn less than $35,000 annually. This information is intended to provide even greater context for the technology issues facing each group. When implementing programs and projects that are designed to improve broadband and technology access, adoption, and use (such as those recommended at the end of this plan), the community should keep these groups in mind and examine the desired outcome of the project or program relative to the struggles faced by the various demographic groups.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Youngstown-Mahoning County Digital Equity Analysis Access Adoption Use Dial-Up, Dis- Less Home Cost as Devices Use Sector Group Population Satellite, satisfied Digital Tele Than 3 Broadband Barrier to in the Internet Inter- Estimate or Mobile With Literacy work Mbps Adoption Adoption Home Daily action Only Cost Community Average 5.1% 3.7% 71.9% 63.0% 45.9% 5.4 2.41 93% 30% 2.09 Youngstown 27.3% 6.2% 6.4% 68.6% 53.2% 40.3% 3.7 2.00 81% 25% 1.87 Mahoning County (excluding 72.7% 5.7% 2.8% 71.4% 65.9% 44.0% 6.0 2.53 97% 31% 2.16 Youngstown) Household Income $75K or Greater 24.6% 4.1% 0.0% 79.5% 82.7% 10.0% 8.0 2.84 99% 51% 2.43 Household Income $35K - $74K 32.2% 6.8% 5.4% 63.8% 65.7% 38.7% 5.7 2.50 95% 30% 2.35 Household Income <$35K 43.2% 4.7% 3.9% 85.4% 38.1% 54.9% 3.8 2.16 84% 21% 1.78 Non-Military 90.1% 5.4% 2.8% 76.7% 57.3% 51.1% 5.6 2.47 91% 30% 2.09 Active or Retired Military 9.9% 5.0% 4.9% 62.5% 64.2% 42.9% 5.1 2.29 95% 37% 2.24 No School-Age Children 81.2% 5.1% 3.7% 66.7% 62.6% 37.2% 4.6 2.26 89% 29% 1.80 School-Age Children 18.8% 6.0% 2.7% 86.2% 52.0% 61.0% 6.8 2.73 96% 37% 2.59 Other Employment Status 13.6% 10.0% 13.1% 79.2% 56.8% 31.8% 5.6 2.43 90% 17% 1.86 Retired 12.7% 6.5% 5.3% 39.3% 62.9% 39.1% 2.9 1.56 82% 0% 1.34 Employed (Full-Time, Part-Time, or 57.1% 3.6% 2.4% 74.3% 71.5% 48.1% 6.0 2.61 96% 42% 2.33 Self-Employed) Adults Age 18-34 25.0% 5.8% 2.5% 69.0% 61.7% 43.3% 6.6 2.82 97% 32% 2.11 Adults Age 35-49 22.6% 4.0% 4.1% 82.9% 65.1% 50.0% 6.5 2.76 95% 47% 2.62 Adults Age 50-64 28.8% 5.5% 3.4% 75.6% 72.8% 35.0% 4.9 2.33 95% 34% 2.10 Adults Age 65+ 23.6% 4.9% 7.4% 51.2% 69.4% 43.5% 3.3 1.63 82% 8% 1.45 High School Diploma or Less 48.7% 7.1% 14.5% 75.0% 50.0% 29.7% 4.3 1.99 81% 20% 1.39 Undergraduate Studies or Degree 43.3% 3.8% 1.9% 69.2% 68.5% 43.5% 5.6 2.45 93% 30% 2.01 Graduate Studies or Advanced 7.9% 3.9% 2.0% 68.6% 83.4% 40.0% 5.7 2.65 99% 40% 2.57 Degree
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Connected Program Overview
Despite the growing dependence on technology, the United States Census reports that 27% of Americans do not have a high-speed connection at home. Connected Nation's studies also indicate that 19.1 million children do not have broadband at home, and 6.1 million of those children live in low-income households. In 2014, Connected Nation also surveyed 4,206 businesses in 7 states. Based on these data, Connected Nation estimates that at least 1.5 million businesses (20%) in the United States do not use broadband technology today. In this environment, deploying broadband infrastructure, services, and applications, as well as supporting the universal adoption and meaningful use of broadband, are challenging but required to advance twenty-first century technologically empowered communities. From healthcare, agriculture, public safety, and tourism, to government, education, libraries, talent, and economic activity, every sector of a community requires the power of broadband and related applications to function at the highest capacity. One thing is clear, broadband and related technologies have transformed nearly every facet of society. While many of these technology changes can be discussed at a global scale, local community technology advancements depend on community leadership and action. A critical first step in advancing broadband technology is identifying and understanding local assets along with opportunities and barriers to technology advancement. This plan is a roadmap to advancing technology in the Youngstown-Mahoning County. Why Access, Adoption, and Use? Connected Nation is dedicated to improving lives through the expansion of broadband and technology access, adoption, and use. It is often asked why we look beyond infrastructure when addressing broadband issues when many other community broadband assessments and studies are focused on the wires in the ground and the technology to improve quality of life and community and economic development. Connected Nation, through its Connected program, recognizes that in order to fully participate in a digital economy, communities need to address not only the access to broadband (supply), but also the ways in which it is adopted and used (demand). Access Broadband access refers to the infrastructure that enables a high-speed Internet connection. Broadband is delivered to a user via several technology platforms including cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) through a phone line), fiber optics, fixed wireless, mobile wireless, and satellite. While these are currently the primary methods of delivery, new innovations and technologies are being developed that continue to improve the efficiency and speed of connectivity. Broadband availability is essential infrastructure for twenty-first century communities. Broadband empowers a community to access applications ranging from healthcare and education to business and government services. Unfortunately, many communities suffer from inequities of access on several fronts: between income levels; between urban and rural areas; between traditional business areas and nontraditional ones; and differing levels of service due to geography or infrastructure limitations. Adoption Broadband adoption is a different issue from broadband access. While acce connection to the Internet, broadband adoption is the choice made by a resident, business, or institution to embrace and use broadband and its related technologies. Broadband adoption cannot occur without having access to high-speed infrastructure; however, even with access to the Internet, broadband adoption may not follow. Several studies have shown that even with access to broadband, residents, businesses, and institutions may not adopt. Barriers to adoption can often include cost (of either a device used to connect or the cost of the connection itself), lack of relevance to the user, or lack of digital literacy (knowledge and skills associated with the use of digital hardware or software). Lack of broadband infrastructure availability is also cited as a barrier. The broadband adoption gap (the difference between the number of entities with access to broadband and the number of those same entities that use it), can increase or decrease depending on the demographics of a community. For example, low-income populations have lower adoption rates than those with higher incomes. This same disparity can be found between age cohorts, physical locations, employment status, educational levels, etc. However, regardless of socioeconomic status, demographic composition, or geographic location, every person should have the opportunity to participate in the digital economy.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Use The access and adoption of broadband and Internet technologies leads to the use of that connection and applications to improve the quality of life of a community. Technology impacts every sector of our economy, and opportunities abound for residents, businesses, and institutions to leverage technology to make improvements in their day-to-day lives and operations. The well-being of a community involves the complex interaction of several sectors including healthcare, K-12 and higher education, public safety, government, libraries, residents, private-sector businesses, and others. These distinct, yet entwined, sectors (and their many individual parts and entities) contribute to that . As broadband and related technology have developed over time, applications pertinent to each of these sectors have been developed that allow them to function, provide services, generate revenue, and generally operate more efficiently, which impacts their contribution to the community. The use of broadband and technology is critical to the impact these sectors have on the overall quality of life in a community. While access, adoption, and use form a spectrum of sorts, (i.e. one cannot adopt broadband without having access to it, and one cannot use broadband without adopting it), all three components are equally important for every member of a community to fully realize a digitally inclusive and digitally connected community. The Connected program is designed, and this report is framed, to examine the access, adoption, and use of broadband and technology across every sector of a community. The Connected Community Engagement Program For more than a decade, Connected Nation has been assisting communities in the development of Community Technology Action Plans through various internal programs that have ultimately progressed into the Connected program. The Connected Community Engagement Program is a facilitated broadband and technology planning program designed to address the most pressing technology challenges facing communities today. Connected engages of technology access, adoption, and use. Connected offers communities the opportunity to measure the supply, demand, and use of technology in the community assessment provides insight into the local technology ecosystem, identifies gaps and opportunities, and economy. Connected communities benefit in many ways: Benchmarking and planning: Determine where the community stands in relation to similar places and national benchmarks. Inform a technology planning effort with unprecedented data on infrastructure, adoption, and use. Connected helps communities gather and analyze data on technology use across sectors, from agriculture to education and healthcare to public safety. Recognition: Leverage Connected certification status and plan as a recruitment tool for residents and industry. Communities need a competitive advantage they can promote in order to thrive. Network with other communities: Collaborate with other communities and partners share best practices, spread policy insights, disseminate solutions, gather information, and adapt to evolving opportunities. Create an empowered and informed community team: The Connected process educates, empowers, and unifies community leaders and cross-sectorial stakeholders to address broadband issues, develop a vision, and manage their action plan.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Process In order to determine the state of technology in Youngstown-Mahoning County, the community team participated in a 4-step community engagement process that consisted of: Community Team Creation Empowering a community team leader (local champion) and creation of a community team composed of a diverse group of local residents Connected Assessment Scorecard from various sectors of Total Weighted the economy including Category Total Raw Points Weight education, government, Points healthcare, the private Community-Wide 50 (60 w/ middle sector, and libraries, 33.33% 33.33 among many others. Infrastructure mile) Technology Assessment Households 120 33.33% 33.33 The community team 40 x # of Sectors Sectors 33.33% 33.33 uses a series of Assessed instruments to gather Total Possible Points 250 (plus Sectors) 100% 100 community technology data. These instruments Points Needed for Connected Certification 75 include a sophisticated set of surveys distributed throughout the community to gather hyperlocal data on the access, adoption, and use of broadband and technology that is not available anywhere else. The Connected assessment framework is broken into three categories: Community- Wide Infrastructure, Households, and Community Sectors. The assessment first examines community-wide infrastructure by gathering information from various sources, including the Federal Communications connectivity in the community. The assessment then examines the current access, adoption, and use of broadband and technology among h identify members of the community that have been excluded from fully participating in the digital economy. Accompanying the access, adoption, and use analysis of households is a similar analysis for a wide-variety of community sectors. This analysis allows a community to tailor its assessment to the sectors of that community that Organizations assessment is required of all participating communities, but communities can then choose additional sectors for assessment from among Agriculture, Business/Economic Development, Talent/Workforce, Government, Healthcare, Higher Education, K-12 Education, Public Safety, and Tourism. Each part of the assessment has a specific number of points available for the community to earn toward Connected certification. Each of the three portions of the assessment is equally important for a community. The table provides the total points available in each part of the assessment before weighting. Each sector assessment is worth 40 points. Following the tabulation of the total raw score and subsequent weighting, the community is provided its final Connected Assessment score. Action Planning and Project Prioritization This process entails the compilation of the results of the assessment, identification of best practices, and priority technology projects by the community team in collaboration with Connected Nation facilitators. Completion of the Community Technology Action Plan marks ing its broadband landscape. Connected Certification Beyond the development of the Community Technology Action Plan, Connected certification recognizes that a community has measurably demonstrated proficiency for effective access, adoption, and use of broadband and broadband supported technologies. This national platform recognizes communities that are excelling in their pursuit of accelerated access, adoption, and use of broadband. While an exciting accomplishment for any community, it is critical to stress that Connected certification is not the end of the Connected program. In fact, Connected certification, while recognizing work completed to date, marks the launch of the Community Technology Action Plan. Maintaining community collaboration and progress during plan implementation is a difficult task, but one that will result in an improved standing in the digital economy. Additionally, Connected certified communities, and all communities engaged in the Connected program, are part of a nationwide network of stakeholders all working toward the same goal: improved broadband access, adoption, and use. While every community is different, many share common issues, and Connected works to identify the best practices for solving these issues and shares them with this network. Together, we can work to bring affordable,
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
reliable, and high-capacity infrastructure to underserved areas; promote adoption via skills training and education; and facilitate the advanced use of technology among all sectors to create more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous communities. Community Assessment
The following sections provide detailed findings from the Connected Assessment for Youngstown-Mahoning County. Following the development of a broadband team, the community worked to gather data in three critical areas. The Community-Wide Infrastructure section checks to see whether the broadband and technology foundation exists for a community. The criteria within this section endeavors to identify gaps that could affect a local community broadband ecosystem including issues related to last-mile connections, cost, and competition. Household access, adoption, and use are important for consumers, institutions, and communities alike to take the next step in fully utilizing broadband appropriately. The Households component of the Connected Assessment seeks to ensure the ability of all individuals to access and use broadband and to recognize the value of a connection and its impact on quality of life. Robust use of technology among the intertwined Sectors of a community is a critical component of the broadband landscape because it is where the value of broadband can finally be realized. However, without supporting infrastructure and households that can afford, adopt, and use broadband, meaningful use of technology among various sectors is not possible. Meaningful use of broadband occurs when value to individuals, businesses, organizations, and institutions can be realized across the many sectors of a community. Each section incorporates a series of metrics upon which the community is scored in order to quickly identify gaps and leverage opportunities. The table below contains Youngstown-Mahoning County Assessment scorecard. The following pages dive into each of the underlying metrics for these sections to strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Connected Community Scorecard
Possible Raw Weighted Category Weight Points Score Score Community-Wide Infrastructure 50 26 33.33% 17.33 Households 120 60 33.33% 16.66 Sectors 160 125 33.33% 26.04 Business/Economic Development 40 30 K-12 Education 40 33
Libraries and Community Organizations 40 33 Talent/Workforce Development 40 29 60.03/100
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Community-Wide Infrastructure Broadband access refers to the infrastructure that enables a high-speed Internet connection. Broadband is delivered to a user via several technology platforms including cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) through a Community-Wide phone line, fiber optics, fixed wireless, mobile wireless, and satellite. While Infrastructure Highlights these are currently the primary methods of delivery, new innovations Households with access to and technologies are being developed 97% 25 Mbps Internet that continue to improve the efficiency and speed of connectivity. Households with only one Broadband availability is essential choice for fixed Internet infrastructure for twenty-first century 36% service provider communities. Broadband empowers a community to access applications Newton, Weathershield, Poland, ranging from healthcare and education Jackson, Mesopotamia, Areas of the community to business and government services. Farmington, Greene, Gustavus, Kinsman, Johnston, and Hubbard where service gaps persist Unfortunately, many communities Townships suffer from inequities of access on several fronts: between income levels; Households with access to between urban and rural areas; only one type of Internet between traditional business areas and 34% connection nontraditional ones; and differing levels of service due to geography or infrastructure limitations. Fixed residential Internet 11 service providers Access to broadband is not simply a yes/no scenario. There are several aspects of broadband infrastructure that comprise the quality of the network in a community. For this reason, the Community-Wide Infrastructure section is composed of six interrelated metrics that examine the quantity and quality of broadband in a community. These six areas are residential broadband availability, high-speed availability, competition, platform dependency, mobile broadband, and middle mile.
Community-Wide Infrastructure Assessment Score Summary Community Possible Metric Points Points Basic Availability 10 10 High Speed Availability 2 10 Competition 2 10 Platform Dependency 2 10 Mobile Broadband 10 10 Total 26 50
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Basic Availability A high-speed Internet connection is critical for families, students, businesses, and institutions to participate in the digital economy. Without broadband access, conversations of technology adoption and use are fruitless. connection of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 megabits per second (Mbps) upload. While broadband connections do exist at speeds slower than this benchmark, 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload represents the current aspirational goal for connecting every home in the United States. Residential broadband availability is measured by analyzing the percentage of homes in the community that have access to fixed broadband speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. In 2015, the Youngstown- Mahoning County area had 184,618 households. As of June 2016, approximately 97.7% have access to broadband at the target speed. Broadband availability often follows patterns of household density, so geographic disparities in availability do exist. The map of Residential Broadband Availability, provided, shows areas with and without broadband service at this speed (white areas are those without such service). Seven providers on nine technology platforms in the community offer speeds that match this benchmark: Charter- Spectrum (previously Time Warner Cable), FairPoint Communications, CenturyLink, Windstream, Comcast, Armstrong Cable Services, and Suddenlink Communications, (a full list of carriers in the community can be found in the Competition section).
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
High-Speed Availability While the Internet connection speed of 25 Mbps download and 3 broadband connection was 768 Kilobits per second download and 200 Kilobits per second upload. Four years later, in 2013, the FCC revised its definition again to 4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. This moving target will continue upward as residents, businesses, and institutions continue to demand more of their Internet connections and new bandwidth-intensive applications are developed. Trying to future-proof the definition of broadband is impossible, but by examining the availability of higher connection speeds, areas in need of intervention can be identified early. High-speed broadband availability is measured by analyzing the percentage of homes in the community that have access to fixed broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps download. In 2015, the Youngstown-Mahoning County area had 184,618 households. As of June 2016, approximately 37.3% had access to broadband of at least 100 Mbps download. The map of High Speed Broadband Availability provided shows areas with and without broadband service at this speed (areas in white are those without such service). Five providers on six technology platforms can offer Internet service that can reach 100 Mbps download: CenturyLink, Windstream, Comcast, Armstrong Cable Services, and Suddenlink Communications, but availability is found mostly outside the central urbanized area.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Competition In the majority of communities, broadband service is a private-sector industry. Internet connectivity can be delivered via several technology platforms including cable, DSL, fixed wireless, mobile wireless, fiber, and satellite. Companies offering service via these platforms often compete with each other in areas with high household density, but that competition can wane as household density decreases in rural areas. Because broadband service typically responds to market forces, competition impacts the cost of broadband service. Therefore, in theory, the more ISPs available to a consumer the lower the cost of service is. More information on broadband cost can be found in the Adoption/Affordability section of this plan. Broadband competition is measured by analyzing the percentage of homes in the community that have access to two or more fixed, terrestrial broadband providers with service of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload (non-mobile and non-satellite). In 2015, the Youngstown-Mahoning County are had 184,618 households. As of June 2016, approximately 36.0% had access to an Internet connection from two or more providers. ompetition between broadband services enables consumer alternatives, helps to lower costs, improves services, and induces broadband providers to upgrade their networks. By encouraging competition in communities, communities will benefit directly through the expanded services and competitive immediate past chair of the Federal Communications Commission. The map of Broadband Competition provided shows areas with and without access to multiple carriers (areas in white are those without access to two or more providers). Youngstown- Mahoning County is served by eleven fixed technology carriers that provide service to residents and four mobile wireless companies. The list of carriers, their technology platform, and maximum advertised download speed is included on the next page. Some carriers offer more than one technology type.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Providers
Youngstown-Mahoning County Broadband Providers Maximum Advertised Provider Name Platform Download Speed (Mbps) Armstrong Cable Services Cable 200 Comcast Cable 150 FairPoint Communications Cable 50 Suddenlink Communications Cable 1000 Charter Spectrum (Time Warner Cable) Cable 50 AT&T Ohio DSL 24 CenturyLink DSL 80 FairPoint Communications DSL 20 Frontier North, Inc. DSL 6 Windstream Western Reserve, Inc. DSL 100 Armstrong Cable Services Fiber 400 CenturyLink Fiber 100 AT&T Mobility LLC Mobile 10 Sprint Mobile 15 T-Mobile Mobile 10 Verizon Wireless Mobile 10 RAA Services Fixed Wireless 20 Watch Communications Fixed Wireless 5
Platform Dependency The Broadband Competition metric examines how many households have access to two or more ISPs, while the Platform Dependency metric looks at how many households have access to two or more technology types to which they can subscribe. It is important to ensure that households not only have access to multiple ISPs, but also have access to different technology types to meet their needs. Technology choice allows greater flexibility for households looking to find the right company, but also the right speed and connection reliability that meets their needs. Broadband platform (or type) dependency is measured by analyzing the percentage of homes in the community that have access to two or more fixed broadband technology types with service of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. In 2015, Youngstown-Mahoning County had 184,618 households. As of June 2016, approximately 34.4% had access to an Internet connection from two or more technology platform types. The map of Platform Dependency provided shows areas with and without access to multiple technologies (areas in white are those without access to two or more technologies). The examination of broadband technology platform dependency is similar to that of the analysis of broadband provider competition. Technology platforms included in this analysis include cable, DSL, fixed wireless, and fiber optic (all of which are fixed, terrestrial platforms). Differing technology platforms offer different features and speeds that appeal to the various needs of households. Youngstown-Mahoning County has five cable providers, five DSL providers, two fiber providers, and two fixed wireless providers that offer residential service. Often times, DSL and cable service areas do not overlap others of the same time, but do overlap one another. Fixed wireless service is often found in more rural areas where the deployment of wired options is cost prohibitive, but does overlap wired coverage in some areas.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Mobile Broadband Mobile broadband is the technology that connects mobile, or cellular, phones to the Internet. Mobile technology is designed to operate seamlessly as one moves about either in a car or otherwise. Mobile broadband is not considered in any of the previous Access metrics as those metrics are concerned with stationary broadband connections for homes, while mobile is just that-mobile, flexible, and dynamic. For this reason, mobile broadband availability is measured not by percent of households with availability, but by geographic area of the community. There are several factors that can impact the quality and availability of a mobile broadband signal including terrain, elevation, vegetation, man-made structures, weather, and large bodies of water. While some of these features have been considered when mapping and analyzing mobile access, local conditions in the community can greatly impact on-the-ground results. Mobile broadband is critical for not only consumers, but for public safety as well. Mobile broadband is becoming increasingly important to local economies, government services, public safety and utility organizations, as well as local residents. Robust mobile broadband service is key to the development of infrastructural upgrades, such as smart grid and other utility efficiencies, unlocks unlimited opportunities for business development, and provides support for educational, healthcare, and government services. Mobile broadband availability is measured by examining the percent of geographic area of the community with access to mobile broadband from at least two mobile providers at speeds of at least 10 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload. The Youngstown- Mahoning County area has a total land area of 1,062 square miles. As of June 2015, approximately 99.8% of this land area had access to two or more mobile broadband providers at 10 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload. Youngstown-Mahoning County has four mobile broadband providers that serve at least some area of the community. The map of Mobile Broadband provided shows areas with and without access to mobile broadband, (areas in white are those without access to such services). Data for this metric is from June 2015 as more current information is unavailable from the Federal Communications Commission or other source.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Middle Mile The ter communities as it provides the necessary data transport from local users to the broader Internet. Middle mile infrastructure is typically made up of fiber optic cable, although microwave technology can also be used to support middle mile connectivity. A lack of middle mile infrastructure in a community can impact the availability and cost of last mile connections to residents, businesses, and institutions. The following maps provide a glimpse into the long-haul and metro fiber-optic infrastructure in the Youngstown-Mahoning County area.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Households While the Community-Wide Infrastructure section examines broadband access available to residents, businesses, and Households Highlights institutions throughout the community, the Households section examines the Households without a fixed ways in which a access, adopt, and use broadband and 68,308 broadband connection related technology in their everyday lives. Households with Internet While infrastructure information is access dissatisfied with available and consistent from one 30.4% community to the next, the detailed current service assessment of household access, adoption, and use is not. In order to Adults aged 18-34 gather this information, the Youngstown- Adults w/ High School Mahoning County Broadband Team Diploma or Less Groups struggling with deployed the Connected Residential Households Earning Less digital equity in the Technology Survey throughout the than $35k community. The survey is designed to Households w/school-age community gather detailed information on the children access, adoption, and use of broadband Residents of Youngstown and technology among residents of the community. The survey, distributed Average number of between February and April of 2017, Internet-enabled devices in gathered 701 responses. 5.5 the home The Households section of the Connected assessment examines several areas in Residents who digitally order to form a comprehensive view of interact with local the technology access, adoption, and use 64% businesses at least weekly among residents. While each metric has a single identifying variable for scoring, the following pages provide deep insight into Residents who regularly each metric to help identify underlying 30% telework issues that can be remedied through strategic project implementation. The following areas related to broadband adoption are measured and reported: home adoption, affordability, digital literacy, digital interaction, frequency of Internet use, and frequency of telework.
Household Assessment Score Summary
Community Possible Metric Points Points Home Broadband Adoption 4 10 Affordability 8 10 Digital Literacy 6 30 Digital Interaction 30 50 Frequency of Internet Use 4 10 Frequency of Telework 8 10 Total 60 120
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Household Access Household Connections by Speed and Platform Download Speed The metrics contained in the Community-Wide Infrastructure section examine the broad availability of broadband in the community across several Dial-Up aspects. However, just because broadband is available 50 to 100 100 Mbps 0.7% at certain speeds, does not mean that households and Mbps or More residents are adopting or subscribing to Internet 29.7% 17.0% service at the maximum speed available. The chart Less than shows the distribution of connection speeds as 3 Mbps reported by households in the community. 3.7% 3 to 10 The average reported download speed among Mbps surveyed residents who are aware of their connection 15.0% 25 to 50 speed is 89.4 Mbps. This is higher than the FCC Mbps 10 to 25 16.7% Mbps Community-Wide Infrastructure section. This is likely 17.2% to the many responding households indicating they connect to a cable network. Additionally, 46.7% of residents report subscribing to speeds faster than 50 Mbps. However, 29% of households are unsure of the speed at which they connect. While the reported average connection speed is high, there are many households that have slower connections. Just under one-fifth of households (18.7%) subscribe to speeds less than 10 Mbps. Some households (4.1%) report using a satellite connection or a mobile or cellular service for their Household Connections by Type Internet connection.
Satisfaction Dial-Up Competition provides residents and businesses with 1.2% choices for service, allowing them the ability to switch Cable Other or 65.5% providers if their current service does not meet their Unsure needs. According to the Residential Survey, 30.4% of 3.8% households with a broadband connection state that their current Internet service does not meet their Fiber needs. Among residents who state that their 0.7% Fixed Wireless connection does not meet their needs, 57% state that 10.2% the speed is too slow, 42% report the connection is unreliable, 75% report the cost is too high, 20% have issues with data limits, and 17% state that poor Satellite DSL customer service is the reason for dissatisfaction, 2.4% 14.5% (respondents could choose more than one reason for their dissatisfaction). Mobile only 1.7% Additionally, many households are interested in having additional Internet service choices at their location. More than four-fifths (84%) of responding households indicate that they are interested in having improved or additional Internet service options. Household Adoption The adoption of home Internet service is the single most critical step for families to experience the benefits of being connected to the digital economy. Adoption represents the choice families make to be connected or not. There are several factors that influence broadband adoption. Sometimes these factors are internal and influenced by behavior patterns and knowledge (e.g., digital literacy skill, awareness of benefits, etc.); other times these factors are external and the adopter has little or no control over them (e.g., cost and infrastructure availability). Adoption often follows broadband availability, but not always. With more and more services being conducted in an online environment and an increased desire to digitally communicate, those without a home broadband connection most often seek connections elsewhere, breaking the access-first-adoption-second pattern.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Internet service. In 2015, Youngstown-Mahoning County had 184,618 households. According to the Fixed Broadband Adoption by Residential Technology Survey, 63% of households in the community subscribed to Internet service with a Demographic fixed broadband connection at home, (households indicating Internet connections via dial-up, satellite, or All Residents 63% 37% mobile-wireless only are not included in this Graduate Studies or Advanced 83% 17% calculation). For comparison, the United States Degree American Community Survey estimates that 72% of Undergraduate Studies or 69% 31% households across the country subscribe to the Degree internet with a fixed broadband connection. Across High School Diploma or Less 50% 50% Ohio, this figure is slightly lower at 70.9% of households. Adoption in the Youngstown-Mahoning Age 65+ 69% 31% County is lower than the national average, as well as that of Ohio. This is likely due to a number of issues Age 50-64 73% 27% (including a lack of infrastructure access) that will be analyzed in the following pages. Age 35-49 65% 35% While this data point provides a macro-level look at adoption in the community, additional survey Age 18-34 62% 38% questions allow for a deeper analysis of adoption in Employed (Full-Time, Part- order to find the demographic or socioeconomic Time, or Self-Employed) 71% 29% groups struggling with digital inclusion. Retired 63% 37%
Digital Divide Other Employment Status 57% 43% The chart below provides insight into Home School-Age Children 52% 48% Broadband Adoption for various demographic groups in the community. From this data, the following No School-Age Children 63% 37% observations can be made regarding those on the wrong side of the digital divide in Youngstown- Active or Retired Military 64% 36% Mahoning County: Households earning less than $35,000, annually, Non-Military 57% 43% are significantly less likely to adopt an Internet connection at home compared to households Household Income <$35K 38% 62% earning more. This is consistent with national and state trends. Household Income $35K - $74K 66% 34% Adults with a high school diploma or less are Household Income $75K or 83% 17% also less likely to adopt broadband at home. Greater Adults aged 18 to 34 are slightly less likely to Mahoning County (excluding 69% 31% have a home broadband connection than other Youngstown) age groups. Youngstown 56% 44% Households with school-age children are less likely to adopt a fixed broadband connection. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Residents of the City of Youngstown are less likely to have a fixed broadband connection than those living in Mahoning County, but outside the Broadband No Broadband city limit. Barriers to Adoption Once the broadband adoption rates for various socioeconomic and demographic groups have been identified, the next important step is to examine the barriers to broadband adoption among them. This analysis examines groups of current non-adopters and the barriers they face: 1) households earning less than $35,000 annually; 2) adults aged 18 to 34; 3) adults with a high school diploma or less, and 4) households with school-aged children, and households within the City of Youngstown. The table shows the percent of households in each group that indicated their primary barrier to having a home Internet connection.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Barriers to Broadband Adoption Among Various Groups
Households Adults With a All Adults Households Earning High School Residents of Barrier to Adoption House- Aged 18 With K-12 Less Than Diploma or Youngstown holds to 34 Children $35K Less Not Available 11% 5% 13% 8% 8% 6% Too Expensive 49% 55% 43% 61% 30% 43% No Computer 15% 18% 23% 6% 30% 24% Access the Internet Elsewhere 10% 12% 7% 9% 8% 11% Dissatisfied with Current Options 6% - 7% 12% 5% - Do Not Need the Internet 6% 7% 7% - 19% 12% Other 3% 4% - 4% - 4%
Across Youngstown-Mahoning County, the primary barrier preventing home broadband Reported Monthly Price Paid for adoption is cost of service. Among all Residential Broadband Service households without a home Internet connection, 49% cite cost as the primary barrier. This is also reflected among all groups $25.00 - featured in the table. $24.99 or $49.99 41.3% The second most common barrier to adoption is Less 5.1% a lack of a computer. Among all households, 15% cite a lack of a computer as the primary barrier. Some groups cite this more than others include households in the City of Youngstown, $100 or adults with a high school diploma or less, and More adults aged 18 to 34. 7.5%
Some non-adopting respondents indicate that $75.00 - they have no need for the internet and $50.00 - $99.99 $74.99 therefore do not have a home connection. 9.3% 36.8% Among all households, 6% state this as the primary barrier, but among adults with a high school diploma or less and residents of Youngstown, this barrier rises to 19% and 12% of respondents, respectively. By comparison, among all non-adopting households to respond to the Residential Technology Survey across the Average Internet Service Cost by 34 communities in five states to participate in Download Speed Tier the Connected Community Engagement program, only 1.9% state that they do not need $85.08 the internet. 100 Mbps or Faster $120.62 $116.83 Finally, while a lack of infrastructure availability $44.99 is a barrier to adoption for some households, it 50 to 100 Mbps $95.19 is far less an issue than cost or lack of a $86.46 computer. $47.49 25 to 50 Mbps $72.61 Affordability $74.67 $41.23 The Affordability metric examines one of the 10 to 25 Mbps $56.65 primary barriers to broadband and technology $59.10 adoption. The cost of having an Internet $31.65 connection c*an stem from several sources, 3 to 10 Mbps $42.13 including the monthly cost of service, $44.70 installation and equipment costs in order to No Data Available obtain service, and the cost of an Internet- Less than 3 Mbps $15.68 enabled device (e.g., computer, tablet, smart $28.92 phone, etc.). These costs can be a burden for $0 $25 $50 $75 $100 $125 families with lower incomes and thus the choice to connect is controlled by the external cost of Youngstown-Mahoning Ohio US
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Average Reported Digital Average Reported Digital service forLiteracy these households. by Demographic This disconnection can leave families onLiteracy the wrong sideby ofApplication the digital divide. or The affordability metric compares the average cost of residential Internet service inDevice the community to the average cost in the state and nation as a whole. In 2016, the national average monthly subscription cost for Internet service wasAverage $67.12. Across Ohio,2.41 the average price is Browsing$56.52 perthe Internetmonth. In Youngstown-Mahoning County, this cost was $57.31, approximately 85% of the national average. Subscription price information was gathered from seven residential providers that offer a total of 24 subscriptionE-Mail packages and the national and stateGraduate average Studiess a orre Advanced from data gathered by the FCC. Degree 2.65 Mouse/Keyboard As shown, the cost of Internet service in Youngstown-Mahoning CountyText Messaging is lower than state and national averages.Undergraduate It should Studies be noted or that no price information could be found for carriers offering service less than 3 Mbps. Degree 2.45 Desktop Computers While the costs of Internet service are generally less than the nationalInternet average, Browsers cost is still a significant barrier to the adoption of technology by many in the community. Of the current non-adopting households in the High School Diploma or Less 1.99 Touchscreens community, half (49%) cite the price of service as the primary barrier to subscribing at home. Laptop Computers Additionally, most residents (83.2%) report paying less than $75 per month for Internet service. Adults Age 65+ 1.63 Smartphones
Digital Literacy Online Research Adults Age 50-64 2.33 Facebook the American Library Association succinctly describes the goals ofWord measuring Processing and improving the digital literacy Adults Age 35-49 2.76 in a community. Technology skills are critical for competing in theTablet global, Computers digital economy.
The digital literacy metric examines three areas of technology skills: thosePrinters associated with hardware, software, and online activityAdults Age and 18-34 communications.2.82 The Digital Literacy metric is examined in the Household Adoption section, (instead of the Household Use section) because, for someOperating, a lack Systems of digital skills can be a barrier to adopting a home broadband connection. Employed (Full-Time, Part- 2.61 RespondentsTime, or Self-Employed) to the Residential Technology Survey were asked to assessMobile their Apps own technology skills among several devices, applications, and activities within each of the three digital literacy areas on the following scale: Music Listening Apps 1 = No Experience ("IRetired need to learn.")1.56 Other Social Media 2 Average Other Employment Status 2.43 3 Spreadsheets
4 Video Apps School-Age Children 2.73 N/I = Not Inter Online Job Searches
Among all residents in the community, the average score for PresentationHardware SoftwareDigital Literacy was 2.42, the average score forNo SoftwareSchool-Age wasChildren 2.24 and for Online2.26 Activity, 2.41. External Storage Devices The charts explores the average overall digital literacy skill for each of the hardware, software, and online activities, as well as the average digital literacy by demographic.Buying and Selling Active or Retired Military 2.29 Below are a few notes of interest regarding digital literacy in theInternet community: TV Devices Cybersecurity More than 43.5Non-Military% of residents stated2.47 th online. Knowledge of cybersecurity drops significantly with age. VoIP Overall, residents are quite comfortable with the three basicAnalog types Mobile of computers Phones (i.e., desktop, laptop, and tablet),Household with Incomean average <$35K skill rating2.16 of 2.85 across all three devices. Knowledge of both smart mobile phones and analog mobileTaking phones Online tends Classes to decline with age. Residents are significantly more comfortable with Facebook than they are with Twitter or other social media Household Income $35K - platforms, (avg.$74K rating of 2.8, 1.7, and2.50 2.4 , respectively). Even though a large portion of residents are not proficient with cybersecurity,Wearable Tech they are proficient with conducting online banking and bill payment, an activity typicallyGame fraught Consoles with opportunities for identity exposureHousehold or Income fraud. $75K More or than two-thirds2.84 (65.3 %) of residents say they are comfortable with e-banking or Greater Twitter
could teach it to others.
Mahoning County (excluding
Youngstown) 2.53
Offline Gaming
Skill
Online Gaming
Youngstown 2.00
Intermediate Intermediate Skill Advanced Skill 3D Modeling Basic 0 1 2 3 4
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Average Number of Internet- Devices in the Home Connected Devices In the early days of the Internet, a desktop in the Home computer was the primary, and virtually the only, way of connecting to the Internet. However, with the rise of Wi-Fi, mobile All Households 5.5 broadband, Bluetooth, and many other revolutionary technologies, residents have Graduate Studies or Advanced 5.7 several ways in which they can access the Degree Internet. However, as seen in the barriers to broadband adoption chart, lack of an Internet-enabled device is sometimes cited Undergraduate Studies or Degree 5.6 as a barrier to home broadband adoption.
The Residential Survey asks residents to High School Diploma or Less 4.3 report the total number of Internet-enabled devices they have in the home. Households earning less than $35,000 Age 65+ 3.3 annually, typically have fewer Internet connected devices than those earning Age 50-64 4.9 more. Adults aged 18-49 report the highest number of devices in the home by age. Additionally, households with school-aged Age 35-49 6.5 children tend to have more devices that households without K-12 aged children. Age 18-34 6.6
Employed (Full-Time, Part-Time, 6.0 or Self-Employed)
Retired 2.9
Other Employment Status 5.6
School-Age Children 6.8
No School-Age Children 4.6
Active or Retired Military 5.1
Non-Military 5.6
Household Income <$35K 3.8
Household Income $35K - $74K 5.7
Household Income $75K or 8.0 Greater
Mahoning County (excluding 6.3 Youngstown)
Youngstown 3.7
0 2 4 6 8
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Household Use Population Accessing the Internet Households with access to the Internet that Several Times per Day go on to then adopt a high-speed connection, are ready to then use and by Demographic leverage that connection to improve their quality of life in any way they see fit. From All Residents 93% teleworking or operating a small business from home, to accessing e-government Without Fixed Broadband at services and accessing educational 82% opportunities, there are a myriad of ways in Home which residents can use their Internet connections to enrich their lives. The With Fixed Broadband at Home 98% following examines a few of those ways to provide insight into how Youngstown- Graduate Studies or Advanced Frequency of Digital99% Interaction Mahoning County residents are leveraging Degree their connections. Between Residents and Undergraduate Studies or DegreeCommunity Sectors93% Frequency of Internet Use Travel and 7% 28% 39% 26% The Internet has moved from an occasional High SchoolTourism Diploma Industry or Less 81% tool to one of the principal ways we communicate, perform research, work, or Public SafetyAge 65+ 82% participate in leisure activities. Measuring 7% 16% 23% 55% the frequency of Internet use among Organizations community residents allows a glimpse into Age 50-64 95% the importance of the Internet in their lives. More importantly, this analysis can identify Libraries 7% 21% 26% 46% the common traits among those who use Age 35-49 95% the Internet less frequently and develop solutions for including them in the digital K-12 SchoolsAge 18-34 36% 28%97% 20% 16% ecosystem. The Frequency of Internet Use metric is Employed (Full-Time, Part-Time, Higher or 96% calculated by finding the average or Self-Employed)Continuing 18% 18% 21% 43% frequency with which survey respondents Education state they access the Internet. For Retired 82% Youngstown-Mahoning County the majority of residents access the Internet Healthcare 10% 32% 35% 24% either constantly throughout the day or at Other Employment Status 90% least several times each day. Community 19% 27% 29% 24% While it appears that the community as a School-AgeOrganizations Children 96% whole uses the Internet on a daily basis, further examination of certain groups No School-Age Children 89% within the community reveals disparities. Agriculture 6% 11% 19% 63% There is significant difference in the frequency with which residents with and Active or Retired Military 95% Non-Local without a home broadband connection 26% 31% 24% 19% Businesses access the Internet. Those without a home Non-Military 91% Internet connection that state they access mobile device. HouseholdLocal Businesses Income <$35K27% 37%84% 20% 15% Those earning less than $35,000 annually tend to access the Internet less frequently. Household IncomeFederal $35K - $74K 95% 9% 18% 34% 38% This is likely due to the lower overall Government broadband adoption rate among low Household Income $75K or 99% income households. Additionally, residents Greater State of the City of Youngstown are less likely to 8% 20% 33% 39% Mahoning CountyGovernment (excluding access the internet several times each day 97% than those living in the greater Mahoning Youngstown) County area. County 9% 21% 27% 42% GovernmentYoungstown 81% While frequency of Internet use is a personal choice, for those completely 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% without or with restricted access to the Local 19% 23% 28% 30% Internet, those who cannot afford a Government
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% ~ 30 ~ Daily Weekly Monthly Never Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
connection, those without the skills to use the Internet, and those with limited awareness of the opportunities afforded by the Internet, their Teleworking by Demographic opportunity to make such a personal choice is severely limited. All Residents 30% 48% 22% Digital Interaction Graduate Studies or 40% 41% 19% The Digital Interaction metric measures the Advanced Degree frequency with which residents state they digitally Undergraduate Studies or interact with various sectors of the community. 30% 51% 19% Respondents of the Residential Technology Survey Degree were asked to indicate the regularity with which they access online information from or interact High School Diploma or Less 20% 52% 28% electronically with the following sectors/entities: Agriculture, Community Organizations, Healthcare, Higher Education, K-12 Education, Libraries, Local Age 65+ 8% 33% 59% and Non-Local Businesses, Local, County, State, and Federal Government, Public Safety, and Tourism. Age 50-64 34% 55% 11% While the Frequency of Internet Use metric looks at the overall use of the Internet by residents, this metric explores how residents are (or are not) Age 35-49 47% 44% 9% digitally interacting with various community institutions. This information is helpful for guiding Age 18-34 and developing the digital strategy and online 32% 56% 12% presence of these entities in the community. Employed (Full-Time, Part- 42% 56% 2% The chart provides a summary of the frequency with Time, or Self-Employed) which residents digitally interact with the various sectors of their community. Retired 25% 75% Local government enjoys more frequent digital interaction than other levels of government with Other Employment Status 17% 38% 45% 42% of residents reporting they interact with local government online at least weekly. Local businesses slightly more digital interaction from residents on a School-Age Children 37% 52% 11% weekly basis. The K-12 schools distribution includes only households with K-12 aged children. Nearly No School-Age Children two-thirds (63%) of these households digitally 29% 49% 22% interact with K-12 schools at least weekly, and 36% do so daily. The agriculture sector has the lowest Active or Retired Military 37% 34% 29% frequency of digital interaction with 63% of residents reporting that they never interact with this sector. Non-Military 30% 54% 16%
Telework Household Income <$35K 21% 52% 26% Teleworking, or telecommuting, refers to working Household Income $35K - outside of the conventional workplace and 30% 56% 15% communicating with it by way of $74K telecommunications or computer-based technology. Household Income $75K or 51% 42% 8% Further, telework is a form of organizing and/or Greater performing work, where work, which could also be Mahoning County (excluding 31% 49% 20% away from those premises. Teleworking is a spatially Youngstown) flexible work style that typically also involves greater fle Youngstown 25% 46% 29% typically have higher incomes and higher rates of advanced degree attainment. While traditional 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% teleworkers are often thought of as those in management occupations or professional service Telework Do Not Telework Not Employed industries, recently, technology has enabled new opportunities for teleworkers across the occupational and industry sector spectrum. Teleworkers often do not register on typical measures of economic or workforce activity. Traditional economic development strategies typically involve the attraction or retention of employers. While this is a critical part of growing a local economy, telework represents
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an opportunity to attract or retain employees even though their employer may not be located within the community itself, as long as those employees have access to advanced broadband infrastructure. Nationally, approximately 20-25% of the workforce teleworks with some frequency. The Frequency of Telework metric examines the regularity with which residents in the community telework or
According to survey results, 30% of residents in the community are teleworkers, a rate slightly higher than the national average. Approximately half (47%) of adults aged 35 to 49 report that they telework with some frequency. Among those with undergraduate studies or degrees, 30% telework, and 39% with a graduate degree or graduate study report that they telework. Only 20% of those with a high school diploma or less report that they telework in some capacity. Frequency of telework also follows a pattern of household income. Only 21% of households earning less than $35,000 annually report that they telework, compared to 51% of those with household incomes greater than $75,000. More than half (63%) of teleworkers report teleworking at least several days per week. Two-thirds (66%) of current teleworkers would telework more frequently if allowed by their employer. Shared or co-working office spaces can be an attractive use in city centers, small towns, and other similar environments. Oftentimes, teleworkers need to get out of their home office and socialize with other telecommuters or access office equipment too large or expensive for a home office (e.g., printers, plotters, mailing machines, etc.). A shared office space facility can provide these functions while bringing workers into a commercial setting to patronize restaurants or other service establishments.
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The vast majority (81%) of teleworkers work from a home office, while another 27% work from a restaurant or coffee shop, 18% from a shared or co-working office space, and 8% from the library, (respondents could choose more than one option). More than one-quarter (27%) of teleworkers who do not currently use a shared office space say they would if it were available (43% said they would not, and 11% were unsure). Additionally, there is a desire among non-teleworkers to take advantage of a telecommuting workstyle if allowed by their employer. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of non-teleworkers said they would telework if enabled as part of their job. Among those wishing to telework by age, 29% are aged 18 to 34 and 25% age 35 to 49. Examining the group of hopeful teleworkers by income, 38% currently earn less than $35,000 annually.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Business and Economic Development Positive economic activity in a community depends on the success of its private sector business establishments to develop new and innovative products, provide services, attract investment, and create jobs. Small Business and Economic business establishment and growth, entrepreneurship, and innovation Development Highlights are hallmarks of the American economic system, and Internet Businesses with a fixed connectivity, coupled with new 89% broadband connection technology, devices, and applications, is perpetuating these ideals in new and exciting ways. 89.8% Businesses with a website The Business/Economic Development Section has seven Businesses using or planning metrics that measure the access, adoption, and use of broadband and to use advanced technology related technologies in the 46.7% applications community among two groups: 1) private-sector business rds Businesses using social establishments across all sectors media at least weekly (except agriculture and healthcare), 2/3 Organizations supporting development organizations and associations. This structure ensures economic development in that technology use is not only 5 the community promoted for use by businesses, but also among the organizations that work to attract, retain, and grow the economy of the community. Two surveys were distributed throughout the community to capture information for this section. The Business Technology Survey received responses from 65 businesses across Youngstown-Mahoning County. Five Economic Development related organizations were identified in the community and provided information for the survey: Eastgate, Friends of the Mahoning River, Oak Hill Collaborative, Youngstown Business Incubator, and Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber. The Business/Economic Development metrics among businesses include broadband adoption, website use, advanced application implementation, and digital communication. Among economic development support organizations, metrics include website analysis, website advanced features, and digital communication.
Business/Economic Development Assessment Score Summary
Community Possible Use Area Points Points Business Broadband Adoption 3 5 Business Website Use 8 10 Advanced Applications 4 5 Business Digital Communication 3 5 Organization Website Analysis 4 5 Organization Advanced Website Use 4 5 Organization Digital Communication 4 5 Total 30 40
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Access Connection Speed Among Connections for Businesses Businesses Just as a home Internet connection is critical for residents, a broadband connection for businesses is equally important. The charts provide insight into the speed, Less than platform, and cost of broadband service among Business 500 3 Mbps, Mbps or Survey respondents. 7.7% 3 to10 Faster, Mbps, The majority of responding businesses (56.4%) indicate 100 to 15.4% 12.8% they have an Internet download speed of more than 50 500 Mbps, Mbps. Approximately one-quarter of businesses (23.1%) 7.7% connect with a download speed of 100 Mbps or faster. 10 to 25 Approximately 20% of businesses do not know their Mbps, connection speed. 15.4% 50 to 100 Most businesses connect to the web over a cable (46.9%) Mbps, 25 to 50 33.3% or fiber network (20.4%). Additionally, a small number of Mbps, businesses (4.1%) utilize a mobile broadband connection 7.7% as their primary source of connectivity. Less than half (43.6%) of responding businesses pay less than $100 per month for broadband service, and 23.1% indicate they pay more than $300. The cost of service is generally related to the subscribed to speed or technology Connection Type Among type for the business, but some businesses pay more for the same level of service than others. Businesses Fixed Additionally, 24.5% of responding businesses indicate that Mobile Satellite, Wireless, they offer free Wi-Fi connectivity to the public at their Only, 2.0% 6.1% location. 2.0% Unsure, Connections for Economic Development 4.1% Organizations T1, 6.1% Other, Organizations that support economic development, and 0.0% Cable, similar activities in a community, need to be connected to 46.9% the Internet in order to comprehensively promote the Fiber, selectors, visitors, and others. The table on the next page 20.4% provides the speed, platform, and cost of service for each of the responding economic development organizations in the community. DSL, 12.2%
Adoption Business Broadband Adoption The presence of a broadband connection can be one of the most critical needs for a business looking for a location. Competing in a global economy requires a competitive advantage, and a broadband connection and Connection Cost Among its other related technologies, coupled with the adoption and meaningful use of that technology, can provide Businesses businesses with a resource to expand their market, create operational efficiencies, and find that advantage. $25 to The Business Broadband $300 or $50, 12.8% Adoption metric measures more per the percent of businesses in Economic Development Organizationmonth, Connectivity the community that 23.1% Connection Connection subscribe to, or adopt, Organization $50 to broadband at their location. Type Download$75, Speed According to the business Eastgate $200 toDSL 25 to20.5% 50 Mbps technology survey, 89% of Friends of the Mahoning River $300,No central internet connection responding businesses have Oak Hill Collaborative 12.8%Unsure 50 to 100 Mbps Youngstown Business Incubator Fiber-optic 10 $75to 25 to Mbps $100, Youngstown Warren~ Regional35 ~ Chamber Cable 100 to 500 Mbps $100 to 10.3% $150 to $150, $200, 12.8% 7.7% Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
a fixed broadband connection. While this is positive, there may be other businesses in the community without Internet connectivity that were unable to respond to the survey. Additionally, a small number of responding businesses have an Internet connection through a mobile broadband network. These types of connections can be plagued by monthly data limits and can be limited by weather, vegetation, and terrain. These types of three businesses indicated that they do not have an internet connection at all. Two indicated this was because internet service is too expensive, and the third indicated that it was not available to them. Business Website Adoption A website is one of the most basic ways in which a business establishes an online presence. A website provides
According to the Business Technology Survey, 89.8% of responding businesses in the community have a website. Examining survey results further, businesses with annual revenues greater than $500,000 are more likely to have a website than those with revenues less than $500,000. Four out of five businesses with revenues less than $500k have a website, while nearly all responding businesses with revenues greater than $500k have a website. Organization Website Analysis Communities often have at least one entity responsible for economic development activities. These organizations are tasked with working to attract new business to the community and support existing and start- up establishments to grow the economy of the area. The website of these organizations may be the first point of contact a potential business or site selector has with the community as they seek a location. Therefore, the websites of these organizations should provide relevant information for their target audience in an easily accessible and flexible digital environment. The Organization Website Analysis metric examines the website accessibility, experience, marketing, and technology aspects of organizations in the community that support economic development. This analysis is conducted using an online website analysis tool. Four organizations have been identified in the community: Eastgate, Friends of the Mahoning River, Oak Hill Collaborative, Youngstown Business Incubator, and Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber. The website URL and associated scores are located in the table. The table also contains a link to the full website analysis report for each organization so issues can be quickly identified and fixed if desired. Additionally, the websites of the five economic development organizations were examined for their use of eleven more advanced features. Advanced features include: Calendar of events, staff-accessible content management system, contact information accessible from homepage, integration with social media accounts, integrated search function, links to relevant and related organizations, login for clients/patrons/staff, newsfeed for current updates, organization leadership and contact information, stated privacy policy, online feedback mechanism, and the ability to conduct transactions online, (e.g., bill payment, registration, etc.). The most unused features include transactional functions, integrated search, newsfeed, and an online feedback mechanism. On average, each of the four websites employs 8.5 of the eleven features. Use Business Advanced Applications Beyond a website, there are many Internet-enabled technologies that can benefit businesses of all types. These technologies are aimed at increasing revenue and reducing expenditures to give businesses a competitive advantage. In the Business Technology Survey, respondents were asked to identify the advanced applications of technology they are currently using or plan to implement. In Youngstown-Mahoning County, 46.7% of businesses either currently use or plan to implement one or more of the advanced applications within one year. The advanced applications include: Electronic inventory device or software Electronic supply chain management resources E-mail service for at least 75% of administrative staff Employer-issued mobile device for at least 50% of administrative staff Human resources or finance-related software Participating in industry-specific online directories and aggregation services Industry-specific management or performance monitoring software Interactive online customer experience Point-of-sale software Teleworking policy for employees Videoconferencing used regularly
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service Web-based e-commerce application The three most common applications currently in use included e-mail service for at least 75% of administrative staff (84.3%), human resources or finance software (58.8%), and mobile devices (47.1%). The chart provides more information on the implementation state of each advanced application across all businesses. While not every business has a need for every one of these advanced applications, there may be opportunities to leverage these technologies to help sustain and grow businesses in the community. Among respondents, 13.4% state that they plan to implement one or more of the advanced applications within the next five years. More interesting are the 19.7% of businesses that state they have no plan to implement one or more of the advanced applications but are interested in the technology. These businesses represent an opportunity for the community to educate and build awareness for how technology can enhance a business plan. Business Digital Communications Similar to the use of Internet-enabled technologies, broadband also enables businesses to communicate electronically with clients, potential customers, and colleagues. The Frequency of Business Digital Communication metric examines how often local businesses are leveraging digital tools and social media. Survey responses indicated that businesses use digital tools to communicate with the public approximately several times each week. The chart shows the average frequency of use for each of the digital communications tools included in the survey. E-mail, text messaging, Facebook, and website updates are the most popular tools among businesses. Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter represent the next most popular platforms for digital communication. Instagram and Pinterest are used, but are less popular than other social media platforms. Video-based social media is rarely used.
Economic Development Organization Website Analysis
Organization URL Full Report
Marketing
Experience
Technology
Accessibility Overall Score
Eastgate No website Friends of the https://friendsofthemahoningriver.org/ 9.1 6.4 3.3 6.4 7.1 http://bit.ly/2sYHCLL Mahoning River Oak Hill Collaborative www.oakhillcollaborative.org 7.6 7.7 5.3 5.4 6.7 http://bit.ly/2rXjjPG Youngstown Business www.ybi.org 8.2 8.1 6.2 5.6 7.5 http://bit.ly/2sp9iwa Incubator Youngstown Warren www.Regionalchamber.com 8.0 8.1 6.4 6.0 7.4 http://bit.ly/2rXvxYx Regional Chamber State of Advanced Application Implementation Among Businesses Frequency of Digital Communication Among Local e-Commerce 31.4% Businesses15.7% 21.6% 31.4% VoIP 35.3% 9.8% 19.6% 35.3% Never Videoconferencing 31.4% 15.7% 23.5% 29.4% Teleworking 19.6% 13.7% 31.4% 35.3% Pinterest Video social media Less than once monthly Point-of-Sale 33.3% 9.8% 15.7% 41.2% Instagram Online Cust. Experience 27.5% 27.5% Videoconferencing21.6% 23.5% Once monthly Management Software 25.5% 17.6% Twitter 25.5% YouTube31.4% LinkedIn Online Directories 43.1% 11.8% 15.7% 29.4%Several times monthly Google+ HR/Finance 58.8% 17.6% 11.8% 11.8% Mobile Devices 47.1% 7.8% 23.5% Once21.6% weekly Admin. EmailFacebook 84.3% 3.9% 7.8% 3.9% e-Supply Chain 21.6% 11.8% 15.7% 51.0% Website updates Several times weekly e-Inventory 35.3% Text11.8% messaging 23.5% 29.4% ~ 37 ~ 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Once90% daily 100% E-mail Currently in Use Plan to Implement (1 to 5 years) No plan, but Interested Not InterestedSeveral times daily Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Organization Digital Communications Digital communications tools are critical for economic development organizations to converse with potential businesses and site selectors as well as to market the assets of a community. Similar to the Frequency of Business Digital Communications, this metric examines the use of digital communications tools by the support economic development activities. Survey responses indicate that the economic development organizations use digital tools to communicate with the public several times each week. Some tools are used more frequently than others, however. The digital communications strategies across all five organizations are quite similar and most frequently use e- mail, text messaging, Facebook, and website updates to communicate with the public. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the next set of popular tools among these organizations. Video-based tools are rarely used.
Frequency of Digital Communication Among Economic Development Organizations
Never
Less than once monthly Pinterest Video social media Once monthly Google+ Several times monthly Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Video conversations Once weekly Website Email Twitter Several times weekly
Once daily Facebook Text messaging Several times daily
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
K-12 Education K-12 Institutions are the educational system. K-12 K-12 Highlights education provides students with the knowledge and opportunity to K-12 curriculum delivered with become productive members of 55.6% web-enabled technology the next generation workforce. Schools, along with libraries, have traditionally been early adopters K-12 schools with connections of new technologies, not only as 8 of 500 Mbps or faster the subject of education but also as tools. For this analysis, the Internet-enabled devices per Connected assessment is focused on the way in which Internet- 1.33 student enabled devices and applications are tools for enhancing the Schools with a social media learning environment and presence providing students with 1/2 opportunities beyond the classroom. Additionally, the assessment examines the use of technology that allows schools to more effectively communicate with parents, students, and the community at large. The K-12 Education section comprises six different metrics. Data for these metrics is derived from the K-12 Education Survey that was distributed to institutions throughout the community. Ten schools and districts provided partial or full responses to the K-12 Education survey: Austintown Local Schools, Boardman Local Schools, Chaney Campus STEM/VPA, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, Mahoning county ESC, Springfield Local Schools, Struthers Elementary, Struthers Middle, Youngstown City Schools, Youngstown Community School. The K-12 Education Use metrics include: electronic content delivery, advanced website use, digital communication, student/parent engagement, one-to-one device implementation, and device to student ratio.
Use/K-12 Education Assessment Score Summary
Community Possible Use Area Points Points Electronic Content Delivery 6 10 Advanced Website Use 4 5 Student Parent/Engagement 5 5 One-to-One Device Implementation 10 10 Device-to-Student Ratio 5 5 Digital Communication 3 5 Total 33 40
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Access Connections for K-12 The Internet connectivity for K-12 buildings is critical to support technology-enabled curriculum delivery, one- to-one device programs, and the other myriad of technology needs of institutions. The K-12 Connectivity Table provides information on the connections for responding K-12 schools in the community. All schools reporting their connection type connect to the internet on a fiber network, and most connect with speeds between one and five gigabits per second. Additionally, all schools, with the exception of the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, utilize the -rate program to offset school connectivity costs. Wireless Availability Public and classroom Wi-Fi is important for providing students, faculty, staff, and visitors with robust connectivity anywhere on school grounds. The table provides the status of Wi-Fi deployment among classrooms in each of the districts/schools. Additionally, 60% of responding schools indicate that they offer free Wi-Fi connectivity to the public.
K-12 Connectivity
Connection Connection Classroom Wi-Fi School Type Download Speed Availability Austintown Local Schools Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100% Boardman Local Schools Fiber-optic Less than 25 Mbps 60% to 79% Chaney Campus STEM/VPA Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100% Mahoning County Career and Technical 80% to 99% Unsure 100 to 250 Mbps Center Mahoning County ESC Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100% Springfield Local Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 80 to 99% Struthers Elementary Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100% Struthers Middle School Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100% Youngstown City Schools Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 80 to 99% Youngstown Community School Fiber-optic 1 to 5 Gbps 100%
Adoption Advanced Website Features Used by K-12 Schools Website Adoption A website is one of the most basic ways in which Online feedback tool 37.5% an institution establishes an online presence. Privacy policy 87.5% Having robust, interactive, and communicative Leadership information 100.0% features on that website makes the user experience more efficient and impactful. The Newsfeed 100.0% Advanced Website Use metric measures the Login for staff/clients 62.5% average number of more advanced website Links to other orgs. 100.0% features implemented across the websites of schools in the community. Eleven advanced Integrated search 87.5% website features were assessed. Advanced Social media integration 37.5% features include: Calendar of events, staff- Transactional functions 50.0% accessible content management system, contact General contact info information accessible from homepage, 100.0% integration with social media accounts, integrated 75.0% search function, links to relevant and related 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% organizations, login for clients/patrons/staff, newsfeed for current updates, organization leadership and contact information, stated privacy policy, online feedback mechanism, and the ability to conduct transactions online, (e.g., bill payment, registration, etc.). The most unused features include transactional functions, integrated search, newsfeed, and an online feedback mechanism. On average, K-12 websites use 8.3 of the eleven features. The chart shows the percent of K-12 schools using each of the eleven functions.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Student/Parent Engagement One way to digitally engage parents and students is through an online portal where participants can access individualized information regarding school performance, homework, activities, financial accounts, and much more. The Student/Parent Engagement metric measures the presence of online student and/or parent portals across school districts in the community. Districts responding to the K-12 Education Technology Survey responded to the following two questions: 1) Does the school have an online portal for students to access homework, educational content, and other information? and 2) Does the school have an online portal for parents to access grades, pay bills, register for activities, etc.? The Student/Parent Engagement metric is included in the Adoption section for K-12 schools, similar to the website metric, as it represents a basic means in which schools can leverage their connectivity. All schools providing information for this question have both a student and parent online portal. Use Electronic Content Delivery Technology enables new forms of educational content delivery. Between traditional classroom instruction and online-only classes lies a spectrum of web and technology-enabled methods of learning. The K-12 Education Survey gathered data from schools on the mixture of various intensities of technology-enabled instructional environments. Electronic Content Delivery measures the mixture of technology-facilitated instruction and content. Across the community, the majority of schools in the community use web-facilitated and traditional curriculum delivery. The use of various technologies in course delivery varies between districts as well. For example, 70% of courses are delivered in a traditional classroom setting at Youngstown Community School, while only 30% of courses are delivered traditionally in Austintown Local Schools. While some schools indicate the delivery of courses entirely in an online environment, no school indicates that online courses represent more than 10% of their curriculum. Web-enabled K-12 course delivery offers new opportunities for learning as well as access to educational content the Internet outside of school. Devices Many schools across the country are putting advanced computing power into the hands of every student. From tablets to laptops, Android to Apple, schools are examining opportunities for leveraging technology to expand opportunities for learning within and outside the classroom. The One-to-One Device Implementation metric measures the implementation status of one-device-per-student initiatives across the community. Schools responding to the K-12 Education Technology Survey were asked the Does the school have a one-to-one device initiative or allow students to bring their own devices to school to access school-related and organized content and applications? a way that indicates their current stage of implementing a one-to-one program. Six schools indicate that they have successfully launched 1:1 device programs. Five of these schools provide the devices to students while the remainder has implemented a bring-your-own-device program. One school is currently piloting a program, and another has an official plan for implementing a device program. One additional school has an official plan for a program and is working to implement. Two schools indicate that they have no program and currently no plan to implement a 1:1 device initiative. One-to-one device programs allow all students to have equal and individual access to technology, content, and resources; however, in communities without one-to-one device initiatives, technology is often shared in labs or individual classrooms among all students. In order to examine student device access across communities, the K-12 section also examines the overall ratio of devices to students. The device-to-student ratio is calculated by collecting the total number of devices and students from districts responding to the K-12 Education Technology Survey. Among responding schools, a total of 13,989 students and a total of 18,600 devices have been identified, for a device-to-student ratio of 1.33. This indicates that, overall, there are more than enough internet-enabled devices for students. (Not all responding schools completed this section of the K-12 survey. Data is only representative of schools who provided a count of both students and devices).
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital Communications Technology coupled with an Internet connection provides a myriad of ways to digitally interact with the world -12 institutions are leveraging digital tools and social media to inform, interact with, serve, and receive feedback from parents, students, and the community. Survey responses indicate that K-12 Schools use digital tools to communicate with the public at least several times per month. The chart shows the average frequency of use for each of the digital communications tools included in the survey. As shown, some tools are used more frequently than others. E-mail and website updates are the most popular tools for communicating with parents and the public, while video-based platforms are used less frequently. Facebook, Text Messaging, Google+, and YouTube represent the second most popular forms of digital communication. Other social media platforms, such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are used with some, but rare, frequency.
Average Percent of Courses Delivered by Technology Type Across all School Districts
Course Type All Districts Traditional No online technology used 44.4% Web-facilitated uses web-based tech to facilitate a face-to-face course 33.3% Blended online and face-to-face delivery but with few physical meetings 17.8% Online all content delivered online, no face-to-face meetings 4.4%
Average Use of Digital Communications Tools Among K-12 Schools
Never Instagram Pinterest Video social media Less than once monthly Facebook LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Once monthly Google+ Video conversations Text messaging Several times monthly
Once weekly
Several times weekly Email Website
Once daily
Several times daily
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Libraries and Community Organizations Libraries and other community organizations serve a vital role in providing access to information Libraries and Community and technology for the entire community. Libraries often host Organizations Highlights public computers with Internet access for those without a device or connection at home, and also Adults without home Internet provide various types of 30% accessing the web at libraries technology training to develop a more digitally literate community. Internet-enabled public The Libraries and Community 230 computers Organizations section comprises six different metrics. Data for Average number of tech. these metrics is derived from the training programs offered at Libraries and Community 4 Organizations Survey that was libraries distributed to entities throughout the community, as well as from Libraries and organizations the Residential Technology using or planning to implement Survey. In Youngstown-Mahoning 83% more advanced technologies County, partial or full survey responses were received from fourteen libraries and six community organizations: Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, Friends of the Mahoning River, Neighborhood Ministries, Northeast Ohio Association for Computing Machinery, Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana (OCCHA, Inc.), United Returning Citizens, and the following branches of the Youngstown and Mahoning County Public Library: Austintown, Brownlee, Campbell, East, Sebring, Boardman, Greenford, Main, Newport, Springfield, Lake Milton/Craig Beach, and Poland The Libraries and Community Organizations metrics include broadband adoption, website use, public computers, training, advanced technology use, and digital communication.
Libraries and Community Organizations Assessment Score Summary
Community Possible Use Area Points Points Broadband Adoption 5 5 Website Use 5 5 Public Computer Availability 10 10 Training 4 10 Advanced Use 5 5 Digital Communication 4 5 Total 33 40
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Access The Broadband Adoption metric measures the Libraries/Community Organizations Connectivity number of libraries with Connection Connection Download Internet service. The Library/Organization Libraries/Community Type Speed Organizations Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown Cable 25 to 50 Mbps Connectivity Table Friends of the Mahoning River Cable 25 to 50 Mbps provides details on the Neighborhood Ministries Cable Unsure connections for each Northeast Ohio Association for Distributed membership without responding entity. Computing Machinery central office Additionally, all libraries OCCHA, Inc. Cable Unsure and organizations with PLYMC - Austintown Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster permanent offices offer PLYMC - Boardman Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster free Wi-Fi connectivity to PLYMC - Brownlee Woods Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster the public. Finally, all PLYMC - Campbell Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster responding libraries PLYMC - Canfield Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster indicate that they use the PLYMC - East Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster federal E-rate program to PLYMC - Greenford Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster help offset the cost of PLYMC - Lake Milton/Craig Beach Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster broadband service. PLYMC - Main Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster PLYMC - Newport Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster Adoption PLYMC - Poland Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster PLYMC - Sebring Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster PLYMC - Springfield Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster Website Adoption PLYMC - Struthers Fiber-optic 500 Mbps or Faster The Website Use metric United Returning Citizens, Inc Cable 50 to 100 Mbps measures the number of libraries with a website. All but the United Returning Citizens organization indicate that they have a website. Additionally, an average of 9.8 of 11 advanced website features are implemented across the Public Computer Locations websites of responding organizations and # of Public libraries. Advanced features include: Calendar of Location events, staff-accessible content management Computers system, contact information accessible from Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown 18 homepage, integration with social media Neighborhood Ministries 9 accounts, integrated search function, links to OCCHA, Inc. 10 relevant and related organizations, login for PLYMC - Austintown 19 clients/patrons/staff, newsfeed for current PLYMC - Boardman 12 updates, organization leadership and contact PLYMC - Brownlee Woods 6 information, stated privacy policy, online PLYMC - Campbell 7 feedback mechanism, and the ability to conduct PLYMC - Canfield 14 transactions online, (e.g., bill payment, PLYMC - East 13 registration, etc.). The least commonly used PLYMC - Greenford 2 features include an integrated search function, PLYMC - Lake Milton/Craig Beach 7 online feedback mechanism, and login for staff/clients. PLYMC - Main 53 PLYMC - Newport 24 PLYMC - Poland 15 Public Computers PLYMC - Sebring 8 The expense associated with home computer PLYMC - Springfield 4 ownership represents a significant barrier to PLYMC - Struthers 6 broadband adoption. For low-income residents United Returning Citizens, Inc 3 without the ability to purchase a home Total 230 computer (or other device), a public computer center may be their only opportunity to access the Internet. Further, public access to technology is necessary for community members who have little or no communication technology available in the home, need assistance to effectively use technology, or need to supplement connectivity at home or in schools.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
A community should have sufficient, free access to computers, Internet, wireless networks, and other communication technologies to support the needs of residents. In addition, public computer centers should be Locations Non-Adopters Access located in safe facilities, with adequate levels of privacy, the Internet security, and accessibility for people with disabilities. Information regarding the availability and location of public Non- computer centers should be widely disseminated. Location Adopting The Public Computers metric examines the ratio of public Residents computers per 1,000 people in the community. Data Place of Employment 23% gathered from the Libraries and Community Organizations Library 30% Survey identified 230 public computers for use within the Coffee Shop or Restaurant 18% community at eighteen locations. In 2015, the population in Friend or Family Member's Home 1% Youngstown-Mahoning County was 234,550. The ratio of School 11% public computers per 1,000 people in the community is Other 2% 0.98. Religious Facility 1% The table provides a list of locations and the number of Mobile Device 56% Internet-enabled public computers available for use. Respondents could choose more than one location Libraries also were asked to indicate the three groups that comprise the majority of public computer users. Adults of all ages were identified, but specifically, adults that are seeking jobs, are unemployed, or are low-income were identified more frequently. These groups are not mutually exclusive and may overlap. Additionally, the Residential T location where they do access the Internet. The table shows the locations from which non-adopting residents access the Internet. Nearly one-third (30%) of non-adopting residents access the Internet from a public computer at a library. Places of employment are also popular places to access the web. Coffee shops or restaurants are popular for accessing the Internet for 18% of current non-adopters. While libraries and places of employment often supply an Internet- connected device, accessing the web at a coffee shop or restaurant requires the user to have their own device. Additionally, more than half (56%) of non-adopting residents access the Internet via a mobile device. Use Advanced Applications The Advanced Use metric examines the implementation, or planned implementation, of several more advanced uses of technology within the organizations. The chart describes each of the advanced uses along with the current stage of implementation among libraries and organizations. As shown in the table, there is a mix of current implementation, those planning to do so, and those not interested in the various technologies. Most, (83%), libraries and organizations have implemented or plan to implement these technologies.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital Literacy Training and Learning
/App. /App. safety
Training Opportunities -
kills
S
Basic Basic
Office Office
Mobile Mobile
Device Device
Internet Internet
rientation rientation
Website Website
research
browsing
Computer Computer
Advanced Advanced
evelopment
Multimedia
O
Technology Technology
applications
for Business for
Productivity
Social Social Media
Cyber
Coding
D Development Northeast Ohio Association for X X Computing Machinery OCCHA, Inc. X X PLYMC - Austintown X X X X X X X X PLYMC - Boardman X X PLYMC - Brownlee Woods X X X PLYMC - Campbell X X X PLYMC - Canfield X X PLYMC - East X X X X X X PLYMC - Lake Milton/Craig Beach X X X X X X X PLYMC - Main X X X X X PLYMC - Newport X X X X PLYMC - Poland X X X PLYMC - Springfield X X X PLYMC - Struthers X X X 20% - 51% 23% 9% 20% 28% 56% 31% 24% - -
State of Advanced Technology Use among Libraries and Organizations
VoIP 70% 5% 10% 15%
Uses Adaptive Technology 70% 10% 15% 5%
Mobile Compatible Website 85% 10% 5%
Maintains Local Listserv 85% 10% 5%
Electronic Resource Mgmt. 90% 5% 5%
Digitize Local Information 10% 80% 10%
Public Meeting Space with Tech. 55% 5% 25% 15%
Email for All Staff 95% 5%0%
Online Information Access 95% 5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Currently in Use Plan to Implement in 1-5 Years No Plan, but Interested Not Interested
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Training Libraries provide opportunities for digital literacy training outside of a traditional classroom setting within a facility dedicated to accessing information. On average, libraries or organizations that offer training offer four different types. A diverse array of training opportunities is offered at the PLYMC Austintown and Lake Milton/Craig Beach branches. The Northeast Ohio Association for Computing Machinery is the only responding organization to indicate that they offer cyber-safety-related training. An examination of the self-reported digital literacy skills of specific applications and devices provides guidance
Average Use of Digital Communications Tools Among Libraries and Community Organizations
Never Video social media LinkedIn Pinterest Less than once monthly
Video conversations YouTube Once monthly Instagram Text messaging
Several times monthly
Facebook Twitter Once weekly
Google+ Several times weekly
Website Once daily
Email Several times daily for expanding technology training programs in the community. The applications and devices included in the analysis of digital literacy can be translated into the types of training programs offered at community libraries.
The bottom row in the table shows the percent of residents respo As shown, respondents were least familiar with multimedia applications (56%) and cybersecurity (51%), while most were comfortable with browsing the Internet. Nearly one-third (31%) of residents indicated that they need to learn or only know a little about office productivity software, applications that are often critical to on-the-job success in most occupations. These skill gaps can be aligned with the training currently offered within the libraries, and promotion and development can make these trainings more effective. Digital Communications Technology coupled with an Internet connection provides a myriad of ways to digitally interact with the world community organizations are leveraging digital tools and social media to inform, interact with, serve, and receive feedback from patrons/clients and the community. Survey results indicate that libraries and organizations in the community are using digital tools to communicate an average of several times per month.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
The chart shows the average frequency of use for each of the digital communications tools included in the survey. E-mail, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and website updates are the most frequently used forms of digital communication. Other forms of social media, such as LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram, are sometimes used. Video-based social media (Google Hangout, Meerkat, and Periscope) are rarely, if ever, used, and YouTube is used only occasionally.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Talent/Workforce Development The entrepreneurship, talent, and human capital ecosystem in a community is often an informal cooperation between businesses, K-12 and higher education, and various supporting organizations. While Talent/Workforce Highlights some communities have formal facilities and structures to support Employers who feel these elements, this amalgam of employee tech. skills match entities contributes to the overall 48.9% business needs workforce development of a community in largely an ad hoc Percent of businesses who fashion. Internet connectivity and web-enabled technology require or encourage contribute to talent and human 84.6% continuing education for capital development and can employees facilitate entrepreneurship. As technology advances and is Percent of community increasingly used in the public and employees with advanced private sectors, the skills of the 28.1% workforce must also advance. technology skills The Talent and Workforce Community organizations Development section comprises offering STEM+C five different metrics. Data for 11 these metrics is derived from opportunities for youth several sources including the Business Technology Survey, K-12 Education Technology Survey, Libraries/Community Organizations Technology Survey, and the Residential Technology Survey. Because the workforce development landscape in a community encompasses a number of different institutions and organizations, this section does not follow the traditional access, adoption, and use paradigm of other sections analyzed in this plan. The Talent and Workforce Development metrics include: technology skill alignment, technology training, continuing education, youth STEM+C activities, and occupational technology digital literacy skills.
Talent and Workforce Development Assessment Score Summary
Community Use Area Possible Points Points Technology Skill Alignment 8 10 Technology Training 5 5 Continuing Education 6 10 Youth STEM+C Activities 2 5 Occupational Technology Digital Literacy Skills 8 10 Total 29 40
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Technology Skill Alignment and Skill Mix The technology-related skills necessary to be successful on the job are changing to keep pace with new innovations, tools, and applications that make production and services more efficient. The skills of the workforce should match the needed skills of the employer in order How well do the tech. skills of employees match the tech. for establishments to take advantage of new technologies. Percent needs of the business? (All The Technology Skill Alignment metric measures the Establishments) current technology skill alignment between employers and their employees. Respondents to the Business Technology Poor 2.1% Survey were asked how well the technology skills of their Fair 23.4% employees matched the technology needs of their Well 25.5% business. According to survey results, the skills of the Very Well 31.9% majority of the Youngstown-Mahoning County employees Excellent 17.0% match the skills of their employers Well or Very Well. The chart shows the distribution of responses across all businesses. Among all responding businesses, 25.5% stated that the technology skills of their employees only poorly or fairly met the technology needs of their business. While these responses were spread among businesses of all types, a few clusters stand out. Smaller businesses, those with fewer than 20 employees, tend to say their employee skills meet the needs of the business very well or excellently, (59% of smaller businesses) more frequently than businesses with more employees, (50% of larger establishments). This pattern is flipped in terms of revenue however. Among businesses earning less than $500,000 annually, 45% state the tech. skills of their employees meet the needs of their business very well or excellently. For businesses earning more than $500,000 annually, however, 53% state the same of their employees. Additionally, businesses were asked to indicate the technology skill mix of their staff. They were asked to indicate the percent of their staff comprising the following four categories of technology skills: Non-Users: Employees that do not need any technology-related skills. Basic Users: Employees that use basic office software, Internet browsers, e-mail, or other primary technologies in their job. Moderate Users: Employees that are required to use more advanced software/hardware in their job that may be sector/industry/task-specific. Advanced Users: Employees that develop, operate, maintain, modify, and manipulate technology systems, software, or hardware. According to responding businesses, 4.8% of employees are non-users, 17.8% basic users, 49.3% moderate users, and 28.1% advanced users. Again, the majority of businesses report that the skills of their employees are well matched with the needs of their operation.
Technology Training How important is tech-related training and continuing Percent If technology is ever-changing, and employee technology education? skills are important to meeting the needs of local businesses, then technology-related training is essential for Not Important 3.8% ensuring employees keep up with the latest technology Slightly Important 5.8% tools, devices, and applications. Neutral 21.2% The Technology Training metric examines the importance Moderately Important 21.2% of technology-related training for employees among local Very Important 48.1% businesses. Respondents to the Business Technology Survey were asked to rate the importance of technology- related training, continuing education, or professional development. According to survey results, responding local businesses in the community feel that technology- related training and continuing education is Moderately or Very Important. The chart shows the distribution of responses across all businesses. Most businesses agree that technology-related training and continuing education is moderately or very important. Unlike the differences found between large and small establishments in the Technology Skill Alignment section, above, there is no significant difference between large and small establishments when it comes to the importance of tech-related training and continuing education for employees.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Continuing Education The first two metrics, Technology Skill Alignment and Technology Training, examine the current state of Businesses technology knowledge of employees and the needs of Continuing Education Reporting employers, and the importance of training to boost the Framework technology skills of the workforce. This metric explores the Framework various ways in which employers contribute to and Employees are REQUIRED to encourage technology-related training and continuing 19.2% pursue continuing education education for employees. Employees are ENCOURAGED, Respondents to the Business Technology Survey were BUT NOT REQUIRED to pursue 65.4% asked to indicate two things; 1) their overall continuing continuing education. education framework, and 2) the specific policies they have Employees are NEITHER in place to support their framework. The continuing ENCOURAGED NOR REQUIRED 15.4% education framework establishes whether employees are to pursue continuing education required or encouraged to pursue continuing education. The table provides the breakdown for businesses in the community that support each framework.
Additionally, employers were asked about the policies they Active Continuing Businesses have in place to support continuing education among their Education Policies Reporting Policy employees. The four policies included in the survey are: Time Off Work 26.2% Allowing time off work to pursue training; Financial Support 30.8% Providing financial support for continuing education; On-Site Training 18.5% Regularly offering on-site training by outside experts; On-the-Job Training 50.8% and Participants could choose more than one response Offering on-the-job training by in-house experts. The survey results show that, on average, businesses in the community have 1.3 of these policies in place. More than one-fifth (19.2%) of businesses require continuing education among their employees, while more than two- thirds, (65.4%) encourage the practice, but it is not required. A small percentage (15.4%) of businesses neither encourage nor require continuing education for their employees. Some businesses (12.3%) have no policies in place to support continuing education. On-the-job training is the most commonly adopted continuing education policy, followed closely by financial support and time-off work for professional development and training. Among businesses that require continuing education of their employees, 60% report that their employee skills match the needs of their business very well or excellently. For businesses where continuing education is encouraged, but not required, the businesses reporting very well or excellently matched skills drops to 41.4%. Youth STEM+C Activities While the technology skills, training, and continuing education of the current workforce are critical for meeting the needs of new and existing businesses, the cultivation of technology-related skills, interest, and entrepreneurial spirit in the next generation of talent is equally important. The Youth STEM+C Activities metric examines the prevalence of STEM+C (Science, Technology, Engineering, educational environment. Educational institutions, libraries, and other organizations are typically the organizers and hosts of such programming. Respondents to the K-12 Education and Libraries and Community Organizations Surveys were asked if they offer STEM+C programming to youth. Thirty organizations responded to these surveys (ten schools, fourteen libraries, and six community organizations). Of these entities, eleven (37%) of them provide opportunities for children and youth to explore STEM+C content, techniques, or careers. The Austintown, East, Main, Poland, and Springfield branches of the PLYMC indicate that they provide a wide variety of STEM+C opportunities for youth. Programs include robotics, Blozels, Snap Circuits, Lego Mindstorms, a Build an App Program, Maker Space, 3D printing, and Google Cloud. The MCCTC hosts a 9th and 10th grade STEM academy. Other K-12 schools offer after school clubs, field trips, robotics competitions, science fairs, math nights, and other special events.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Occupational Digital Literacy The technology skills of the workforce will need to keep pace as basic and advanced technologies continue to permeate nearly all occupations and industries. The Occupational Information Network (O*NET), curates occupational data as it relates to knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform a variety of activities and tasks for each defined occupation. The tools and technology database attempts to identify the universe of machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers may use for optimal functioning in a high performance workplace occupations that require basic digital literacy skills: personal computer (desktop or laptop), e-mail, Internet browser, and office suite (productivity) software. A personal computer is an essential tool for more than 95% of occupations. E-mail and an Internet browser are required for 52% and 51% of occupations, respectively, and 46.5% of occupations require Digital Literacy Across Common the use of office productivity software. Occupational Technologies The Occupational Technology Digital Literacy Skills metric examines the digital literacy of Email devices and applications identified for occupational success. Respondents to the Mouse and Keyboard Residential Technology Survey were asked to rate their own digital literacy for the following nine most commonly used devices and Internet Browser applications in many occupations: desktop computer, laptop computer, mouse and keyboard, printers, operating system, word Laptop processing, spreadsheets, Internet browser, and e-mail. According to survey results, on Desktop average, residents in the community are comfortable using the nine occupational technologies. Word Processing The measurement of digital literacy among a variety of devices, applications, and activities Printers to conduct an online job search. Among all residents, approximately 73% are comfortable Operating System with or have mastered the ability to conduct an online job search. This proficiency drops to 62% among those with a high school diploma Spreadsheets or less. Basic Intermediate Advanced Skill Skill Skill
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Challenges and Recommendations
While Youngstown-Mahoning County exhibits great progress in broadband and technology advancement, this technology plan offers recommended actions that will help the community fill the technology gaps identified via the Connected assessment. These recommended actions for project implementation are subject to evolution as implementers assimilate various local organizational goals and objectives. The plan recognizes the following projects currently in various stages of implementation and supports their continuation as they help to advance the state of broadband and related technologies in Youngstown-Mahoning County. Current Projects -future technology and broadband- related projects. With the overwhelming interest in improving broadband access in the community, we will continue to work with -Fi hot spots in more public areas or identifying ways for students to have continual access to the internet, we want Youngstown-Mahoning County to be thought of as a forward-thinking, technology-first community. This will even tie back to transportation initiatives that will help the community grow through the Internet of Everything.
Based on the overwhelming support for improved broadband access, the County Engineer is revisiting guidelines for running fiber in rural areas to help entice providers to make a greater investment in our changes will make it more cost-friendly for these utility providers and will expand reach throughout the county. Priority Projects From the recommended projects presented in the following section, Youngstown-Mahoning County has identified the following as priority projects to be implemented in the community: Digital Equity Develop a Community-Based Technology Awareness Group Digital Equity - Promote Low-Cost Broadband Service Offerings for Vulnerable Populations Digital Equity Facilitate Digital Literacy Training in Partnership With Communication Organizations for Vulnerable Populations Challenges The following table summarizes the broadband technology gaps and challenges in Youngstown-Mahoning County identified during the assessment.
Area Challenge Broadband Competition Community-Wide Infrastructure High Speed Broadband Availability Platform Dependency Digital Literacy Households Frequency of Internet Use Home Broadband Adoption K-12 Education Electronic Content Delivery Libraries/Community Organizations Digital Literacy Training Support for Continuing Education Talent/Workforce STEM+C Activities for Youth
Recommendations The following pages contain recommended projects with details on their implementation that address the identified challenges. Projects are divided into those addressing Access, Adoption, and Use.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Complete a Vertical Assets Inventory
GOAL: Develop a single repository of vertical assets, such as communications towers, water tanks, and other structures potentially useful for the support of deploying affordable, reliable wireless broadband in less populated rural areas or topographically challenged areas.
DESCRIPTION: Wireless communications equipment can be placed in a wide variety of locations, but ideally, wireless providers look for locations or structures in stable conditions, with reasonably easy access to electricity are defined as structures on which wireless broadband equipment can be mounted and positioned to broadcast a signal over as much terrain as possible. These assets include structures such as cell towers, water tanks, grain silos, and multi-story buildings.
The lack of easily accessible and readily usable information regarding the number and location of vertical assets prevents the expansion of affordable, reliable wireless broadband service. Wireless broadband providers must determine if it is worth the effort and expense to collect and analyze this data when making investment decisions. Public sector organizations are faced with the same challenges. A centralized and comprehensive vertical assets inventory can help wireless broadband providers expedite decisions regarding the deployment of affordable, reliable broadband service in rural areas.
ACTIONS: 1. Identify or develop a vertical assets inventory toolkit to provide guidelines to identify structures or land that could serve as a site for installation of wireless communications equipment. 2. Data to collect would include vertical asset type, owner type, minimum base elevation, minimum height above ground, and location. 3. should be open-ended; localities should be encouraged to continuously map assets as they are made available. 4. Disseminate information to wireless providers who may be interested in leveraging vertical assets.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Local and county government Broadband providers, particularly wireless Residents, businesses, and institutions with vertical assets able to support wireless equipment
RESOURCES: Making rural broadband possible through agricultural assets: http://bit.ly/2dpEUef . 2pifi helps communities develop solutions to provide connections in hard to serve areas: http://2pifi.com/.
BENEFITS: 1. Provides data for private and public investment decisions, lowering the initial cost of efforts needed to identify potential mounting locations for infrastructure. 2. Encourages expansion of affordable, reliable wireless broadband services to underserved areas by shortening project development time.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Perform a Broadband Build-Out Analysis and Validate Demand for Broadband Service in Underserved Areas
GOAL: Determine the reasons why some areas of the community remain unserved, determine the feasibility of deploying various Internet systems in the defined area, and generate a business case for deployment.
DESCRIPTION: Perform an analysis of unserved areas to understand local assets and any barriers to broadband deployment. The local team should solicit feedback from residents of the unserved territory on their demand.
ACTIONS: 1. Field Validation: Conduct onsite visual assessments of the defined geographic areas unserved with broadband coverage. The assessment determines the feasibility of deploying various Internet systems in a defined area. Gather site specific information required for (i) determining use of existing infrastructure, (ii) designing wired and wireless Internet system using these assets, and (iii) expanding the broadband coverage in the defined area. 2. Community Broadband Survey: Use the results of the Residential Technology Survey to identify pockets of demand in areas without service. Survey results can also provide information on currently adopted speeds and costs. Stakeholders can also elect to perform a door-to-door survey of residents who live in neighborhoods in the unserved area to determine exact need, or in communities where more residential survey data is needed. 3. Market Analysis: A market analysis should also be performed to identify potential broadband providers, understand potential service offerings, and respective rates. 4. Investment: Results of the studies should be analyzed and released to providers to inform a business case for expansion or upgrades. 5. Conversations: Community broadband team members should include broadband providers in discussions of access expansion. Providers may have expansion plans that communities may not be aware of, or may be expanding infrastructure due to federal commitments, (e.g., Connect America Fund).
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: County and local units of government with high number of underserved households Broadband providers Residents and businesses
RESOURCES: Guide to Federal funding for broadband projects: http://bit.ly/1QJ1asb. Fiber to the Home Council toolkit for communities looking to expand broadband infrastructure: http://bit.ly/2d18QL6. Pure Broadband builds access through cooperation: http://bit.ly/2cCgzBk. Building community broadband subscribership, from the University of Wisconsin: http://bit.ly/2dCUUsX.
BENEFITS: 1. Determines project feasibility and provides information to develop a business case for build-out. 2. First step in providing unserved community residents with adequate broadband access. 3. Fosters good relationships with public and private sectors.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital Equity Develop a Community-Based Technology Awareness Group
GOAL: Organize, promote, and deliver a technology awareness program that would increase use of technology resources in the community.
DESCRIPTION: Conduct an extensive advertising campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of broadband and related technology. Methods should include, but not be limited to, classroom style awareness sessions, press conferences led by community leaders, hosting a speaker at a community event, posting community posters and handouts, and producing public service announcements.
The public awareness campaign should focus on helping residents, particularly those from underserved communities, understand the personal value they can derive from an investment in information technology.
There are also opportunities to leverage existing resources to expand and enhance workforce-training programs, encourage more post-secondary education, and create additional awareness within the community in regard to global resources. It is important to support the outcomes of awareness training with the development of technology training programs that will then teach community members how to use the technology.
ACTIONS: 1. The campaign should specifically target technology non-adopters. 2. Determine the type of public awareness campaign that is appropriate for your community. By using established media, the campaign reaches non-adopters where they are. Public radio, broadcast and cable TV, utility bill stuffers, and print newspapers have been used to reach households of many types. 3. Develop and host a technology summit for residents and businesses to increase awareness of broadband value, service options, and the potential impact on quality of life. The technology summit should facilitate community partnerships between leaders in local government and the private sector, including non-profits and private businesses in the education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors, with the goal of ensuring that residents have at least one place in the community to use powerful new broadband technologies, and that this asset will be sustained over time. 4. Further, the technology summit should highlight success stories as evidence of the impact of technology. 5. Create a centralized technology portal/website that promotes local technology resources for use by residents. Resources would include calendars (promoting local tech events and showing available hours at public computer centers), online training resources, and local computer resources.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Non-profit organizations Libraries and schools Parent-Teacher Organizations Broadband providers with low-cost programs Senior centers Social service providers Local and county government
RESOURCES: http://connectohio.org/public-awareness-campaigns. mining needed speeds: http://fcc.us/2df8sIQ.
BENEFITS: 1. Unifies community stakeholders under one vision. 2. Highlights successes, opportunities, and challenges regarding community technology planning. 3. Develops ongoing dialogue improving broadband access, adoption, and use. 4. Economic development, jobs and improved quality of life, improved basic computer skills, increased use of technology in day-to-day operations of a community, and increased access to economic opportunities.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Launch a Digital Equity Initiative
GOAL: This initiative provides a foundation for overcoming the barriers to broadband adoption via outreach, awareness; access to affordable broadband services and devices and digital skills training.
DESCRIPTION: This initiative will help to sustain in-depth discussions around the adoption issue in the community by bringing together public-private partners.
With the data gathered through this technology planning process, leaders will be able to focus on specific studies and solutions that will have the most positive impact on the community.
There are several tasks the digital equity initiative can undertake depending on the needs identified in the community. Each task has its own implementation profile, but includes: developing a community-based technology awareness program, promoting low-cost broadband service offerings; facilitating digital literacy training; making available low-cost devices; and identifying and expanding wireless hotspots in the community.
ACTIONS: 1. Create a digital inclusion taskforce composed of public and private stakeholders. The digital equality initiative will seek programming that address the digital divide for groups without an Internet connection at home. 2. The taskforce will use this plan to create a vision for advancing broadband adoption and assign responsibilities. 3. The taskforce will oversee the implementation of projects that will advance the adoption of broadband technologies for all residents. 4. After implementation the taskforce will show results and shift plans in accordance with technology changes. 5. Economic development, new jobs, and an improved quality of life will be achieved when a community experiences increased usage of computers and the Internet; improved basic computer skills, increased use of technology in day-to-day operations of a community, and increased access to economic opportunities.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Non-profit organizations focused on technology Libraries and schools Public computer centers Local governments Private sector Broadband providers Local financial institutions and foundations
RESOURCES: Partners Bridging the Digital Divide helps communities establish robust digital inclusion programs: http://pbdd.org/. Dept. of Commerce guide to broadband adoption programming: http://bit.ly/2dfr77p.
BENEFITS: 1. Leverages community resources to create opportunities for the advancement of those being left behind in the digital age. 2. Unifies vision of community stakeholders. 3. Highlights successes, opportunities, and challenges regarding community technology planning. 4. Promotes an ongoing dialogue around improving broadband access, adoption, and use.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital Equity Promote Low-Cost Broadband Service Offerings for Vulnerable Populations
GOAL: Overcome the barrier to broadband adoption related to cost.
DESCRIPTION: Currently, several national and a few local providers offer special low-cost services for vulnerable populations, older adults and low-income families with children.
Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expanding its Lifeline program to allow Lifeline monthly subsidy to be applied to purchases of broadband service (as of December 2, 2016).
Administered by the FCC, the Lifeline program provides a $9.25 per month subsidy for the purchase of voice telephone service, including mobile, and broadband (as of December 2, 2016) by low-income households. This move would make low-cost service a reality for Lifeline participants.
ACTIONS: 1. Research low-cost offering in the community. Visit http://everyoneon.org/ to find local low-cost, high- speed Internet offers by ZIP code or contact local providers listed in this plan to determine their offerings. 2. Schedule community meetings (or summits) to discuss the opportunity to serve non-adopters who are experiencing a cost barrier to adoption. 3. Advertise low-cost offerings via government and other community organizations websites via the digital equity initiative.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Non-profit organizations Libraries and schools Parent-Teacher Organizations Broadband providers with low-cost programs Senior centers Social service providers Local and county government.
RESOURCES: ity tool to check the reasonability of local broadband prices: http://fcc.us/2d6QBY5. Universal Service Administrative Company: http://www.lifelinesupport.org/ls/changes-to-lifeline.aspx. Lifeline Program for Low-Income Consumers: https://www.fcc.gov/general/lifeline-program-low-income- consumers. Carrier-based programs Include: o Access from AT&T: https://www.att.com/shop/Internet/access/#/ o Spectrum Internet Assist (Charter): https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/spectrum-Internet- assist o Comcast Internet Essentials: https://www.Internetessentials.com/
BENEFITS: 1. Availability of low-cost services will help vulnerable populations overcome the cost barrier to accessing the Internet.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Digital Equity Facilitate Digital Literacy Training in Partnership With Communication Organizations for Vulnerable Populations
GOAL: Overcome the skills barrier to broadband adoption.
DESCRIPTION: Create a partnership between libraries, schools, senior centers, broadband providers, and other community organizations to offer basic digital or leverage training resources currently available.
These training resources consist of computer labs where in-person training can be hosted and training courses are already being provided.
Additionally, the training programs can leverage free content widely available online for deriving curriculum or new learners that are able to handle self-paced training. Training facilities can also be used to support local community technology advances. For example, as more and more services become automated, the training program can be used to update residents on technological changes that impact them.
ACTIONS: 1. Reach out to neighborhood influencers including churches, community centers, schools, libraries, after-
program. 2. Identify and/or outfit a suitable training facility with a sufficient number of computers, software, and broadband connectivity. It is important to ensure that the facility has hours of operation that are conducive for the target audience. 3. Identify training instructors. There are three potential sources for instructors: volunteers, hired instructors; and local instructors from existing programs. Once identified, instructors must be provided adequate resources and training in order to effectively train others. 4. Training should include online safety and cybersecurity measures in order to protect children and sensitive information. 5. Facilitate and support outreach and awareness efforts. It is very important to understand the target population because failure to reach them with appropriate messaging about the training may result in minimal interest and low attendance at the training sessions.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Non-profit organizations Libraries and schools Community and senior centers Private-sector technology companies, (e.g., web developers, device repair, etc.)
RESOURCES: The Drive digital learning hub provides ready access to a variety of digital literacy training programs: http://driveyourlearning.org/. Online portal to digital literacy training: www.digitalliteracy.gov. Harbor, Inc. launches digital training: http://bit.ly/2daIuG1.
BENEFITS: Improved digital literacy skills among targeted groups improves broadband adoption, allowing further inclusion in the digital economy.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Facilitate a Community Technology Summit
GOAL: A technology summit should bring together community stakeholders to develop a dialogue about how public and private stakeholders can collectively improve broadband access, adoption, and use.
DESCRIPTION: Develop and host a technology summit for residents and businesses to increase awareness of broadband value, service options, and the potential impact on quality of life.
The technology summit should facilitate community partnerships between leaders in local government and the private sector, including non-profits and private businesses in the education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors, with the goal of ensuring that residents have at least one place in the community to use powerful new broadband technologies, and that this asset will be sustained over time. Further, the technology summit should highlight success stories as evidence of the impact of technology.
ACTIONS: 1. Create community partnerships. 2. Identify funding sources and hosts. 3. Identify suitable speakers. 4. Develop relevant content.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Community leaders/organizations County/City government Broadband providers Citizens Schools, districts, higher education Libraries Businesses/IT professionals/technology companies
RESOURCES: The Texas A&M University System Technology Summit http://techsummit.tamu.edu National Telecommunications & Information Administration https://www.ntia.doc.gov/other- publication/2015/Nesummit Michigan Broadband Conference in review: http://connectmycommunity.org/project-view/michigan- broadband-conference-in-review-the-human-impact/. Iosco County Summit Showcases Business and Technology Growth: http://connectmycommunity.org/project-view/iosco-county-summit-showcases-business-and- technology-growth/
BENEFITS: 1. Highlights successes, opportunities, and challenges regarding community technology planning. 2. Develops ongoing dialogue around improving broadband access, adoption, and use. 3. Unifies community stakeholders under one vision.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
Implement Cybersecurity Training
GOAL: Ensure that community members are aware of how to navigate the Internet safely.
DESCRIPTION: Create a program designed to help community members who are using the Internet to identify and avoid situations that could threaten their safety, threaten business or government networks, compromise confidential information, compromise the safety of children, compromise identities and financial information, or destroy reputations.
There are many risks, some more serious than others, when using the Internet. Among these dangers are computer to attack others, someone stealing credit card information, sexual predators making advances at children, and criminals making unauthorized purchases.
Unfortunately, there's not a 100% guarantee that even with the best precautions some of these things won't happen, but there are steps that can be taken to minimize the chances.
ACTIONS: 1. Partner with a local library or community center to offer security awareness training initiatives that include classroom style training sessions and security awareness websites and information booklets. 2. Trainers could include technology advocates, private businesses specializing in cybersecurity, web development, etc., local law enforcement, and others. Additionally, financial institutions often have cybersecurity training and curriculum for their members that could be leveraged to help the entire community. 3. Cybersecurity should be addressed to both residents and businesses. 4. Some libraries and organizations may already have cybersecurity training established. These programs can be expanded in content and availability to the community. 5. Awareness training can also be used to alleviate anxiety for community members who are not using the Internet because of fear of cyber threats.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Libraries and library co-ops Schools Non-profit organizations, particularly those with a technology focus Businesses specializing in web security and identity protection Local financial institutions Law enforcement
RESOURCES: Internet Safety: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internetsafety/ Cyber Safety: http://ikeepsafe.org/educators_old/more/c3-matrix/cyber-safety/ Digital Citizenship: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-citizenship. Digizen: http://www.digizen.org/ Better Internet for Kids: https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/. How School Librarians Can Assist You: http://www.ala.org/aasl/parents/internet. CyberWise: http://www.cyberwise.org/
BENEFITS: 1. Improved understanding of how to prevent and deal with cyber threats. 2. Better understanding of how to keep personal information safe online and what to do should it be compromised. 3. Better, community-wide, digital citizenship.
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Connected Community Engagement Program: Youngstown-Mahoning County, Ohio Community Technology Action Plan
K-12 Education - Offer Professional Development Programs for Teachers on Classroom Applications
GOAL: Ensure that educators have the skills needed to integrate technology into the classroom.
DESCRIPTION: Provide professional development and opportunities for staff to gain skill in integrating technology into all content areas and utilizing technology for instruction. To ensure proper training is being offered, technology standards should be created to guide professional development and should provide guidance on strategies and content appropriate for developing skills and proficiency in utilizing instructional technology at all levels. Instruction starts with keyboarding and online academic resources beginning in primary levels through increasing complex skill development and projects and research through graduation.
In addition, school administrators should be encouraged to provide support for the development of a web- based professional development and administrative support program for educators. eTech Ohio, for example, -stop shop for providing planning, support, and information about grants, subsidies, and resources for administrators and technology support staff.
ACTIONS: 1. Develop technology standards and guide professional development. 2. Encourage teachers and school districts to create clear visions of what an ideal classroom with integrated technology looks like. Individual teachers can design their own technology growth development plans by outlining their expectations for the school year. 3. Build an on-campus and/or online professional learning network. 4. Funding for professional development could be strategically allocated to encourage experimentation with supportive technologies in addition to, or perhaps in lieu of, more traditional onsite assistance. Conversely, the school district could invest in a full- convenient solutions to technical queries.
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES: Federal, state, and local education departments and districts Curriculum directors Higher education School board members and committees Teachers and students
RESOURCES: Office of Educational Technology: https://tech.ed.gov/#.
BENEFITS: 1. Encourages hesitant teachers to use technology in the classroom.
Enables educators to update curriculum to reflect technology integration.
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