Co-developing digital inclusion policy and programming with Indigenous partners: interventions from Canada

Abstract

Diverse rural Indigenous communities in Canada, like those in many regions of the world, are facing a variety of challenges and opportunities associated with the development, deployment, and adoption of rapidly emerging digital technologies. These include supply-side challenges (such as availability and cost) and demand-side challenges (such as appropriate digital literacy programmes). This article discusses two examples of digital inclusion codeveloped with Indigenous peoples in Canada: a supply-side intervention focused on digital access policy, and a demand-side intervention focused on digital adoption.

Digital Inclusion Across the Americas and Caribbean

“…Many of these projects adopt a non-profit or cooperative organization model, which enables community networking while addressing the challenges of market failure. In Canada, through national initiatives such as the First Mile Connectivity Consortium (www.FirstMile.ca) and in forums including the annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit, these groups are collaborating with like-minded organizations and individuals across the Americas (McMahon, 2020). With respect to digital inclusion policy development and the creation of culturally appropriate digital literacy resources, this kind of strong ethos of sharing and cooperation is central to the success of knowledge exchange across low-resourced environments.…”

A new rural digital divide? Taking stock of geographical digital inclusion in Australia

“…In the USA, for example, 'the differences in mobile broadband use between rural and urban areas … is mostly explained by household demographics rather than infrastructure' (Helsper, 2021: 57-58). In Canada, emphasis has been placed on barriers to digital inclusion related to unequal telecommunications investment and the lack of grassroots consultation in designing and rolling out digital infrastructure, which have led to poor digital uptake and outcomes for geographically remote populations, including the Inuit and Métis peoples (McMahon, 2020). McMahon et al's (2011) approach highlights the cultural and racial dimensions of the ruralurban divide in many colonised counties.…”

“… 19. A national, cross-sector strategy could incorporate the First National Digital Inclusion Plan (National Indigenous Australians Agency, 2023). …”

Multisolving innovations: How digital equity, e‐waste, and right‐to‐repair policies can increase the supply of affordable computers

“…In other cases, particularly in developing countries (e.g., Prysmian Group, 2018; United Nations, 2021), the goal has been to subsidize or incentivize development of the physical infrastructure needed to make stable telephone and broadband access available in places where it was not previously available. This is especially true in rural regions and indigenous communities (e.g., Compartel project in Colombia; the supply‐side intervention in Canada) (Gómez‐Torres & Beltrán, 2011; McMahon, 2020). As just one example of this, as part of Canada's broadband intervention, the First Mile Connectivity Consortium (FMCC) advanced proposals for reforms to existing funding mechanisms and new subsidies to further secure broadband access in indigenous areas that are often hard to reach and underdeveloped.…”