BACKGROUND


The economy of the United States and the larger global market as well are shifting to an information/communication base. The majority of new positions and opportunities will either directly or indirectly be tied to the incorporation of technology into the workplace and the home. In West Virginia, the signs of change are already visible. In order to take advantage of these changes, West Virginians need to be prepared to understand and utilize the technology that is transforming the world.

As an initial step in preparing West Virginia communities for the technological advances that are occurring in every aspect of life, the West Virginia Rural Development Council (WVRDC) convened the first Teletechnology Community Awareness Forum on October 16, 1995. The forum was the product of the involvement and participation of a diverse group of agencies and organizations across West Virginia ( A list of the participating organizations is included as an attachment to this proposal). Hosted by Governor Gaston Caperton and supported by all five members of the state's Congressional delegation, the forum was broadcast to approximately 50 sites across West Virginia.


The forum focused on demonstrating the uses of technology in five main areas: business, education, health care, government services and personal applications. In addition, the forum contained a segment on the very basics of technology to address the most fundamental questions that viewers might have had. Any questions which were not addressed were answered during the last hour of the forum when viewers were able to phone, fax, or E-mail their questions to a panel of experts. Comprehensive packets of resource materials were also made available to participants at each site. As a means for evaluating the effectiveness of the forum, facilitators at the downlink sites were also encouraged to distribute evaluations to participants. These evaluations, in addition to measuring the success of the teleconference itself, were also intended to determine community interest in pursuing other continuing activities related to increasing teletechnology awareness.



NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY PROJECT


Many of West Virginia's rural communities have long suffered from problems associated with geographical isolation and distance from markets. West Virginia is the second most rural state in the nation. Our rural character and geography contribute much to our quality of life, yet they pose some specific barriers to it: the higher cost of transporting goods and services and in transporting our citizens to health care and other services, difficulties in exchanging information, etc. Telecommunications can be a bridge to eliminating these barriers of distance and isolation. Yet, the explosion of telecommunications technology, because of the rapid changing nature of the industry, has the potential to confuse and frustrate those citizens, communities and organizations that may be unprepared or unsophisticated about the technology. In order to prepare West Virginians for these changes, this project is an effort to make people across the state aware of the technology that currently exists and how it can positively impact their lives.

Equally significant is the need to coordinate existing state, federal and local efforts in the telecommunications arena into an environment that is supportive and as unduplicative as possible while providing services and resources that are both coherent and user friendly.

Another emerging problem that poses major concern to policymakers and technology professionals is the growing inequity in the information revolution. Poor families and communities will have much less opportunity to benefit from the proliferation of computer and telecommunications technology. Tbus, the potential is great that unless some strategic attention is paid to how our citizens can be insured access and education, certain sectors of West Virginia's economy and social strata will be ultimately left out of the process.



PROJECT DESCRIPTION


The West Virginia Rural Development Council proposes four specific activities under this initiative. We have also provided benchmarks for desired outcomes that will be used to evaluate the projects. Specific budget summaries have been developed for each project activity and are individually described in the budget narrative.


Project Activity 1. Generate increased awareness of the potential and existing applications of telecommunications technology.


This will be accomplished through the production and distribution of multi-media materials to communities statewide. The Teletechnology Community Forum teleconference video will be edited, copied and made available to interested community organizations, individuals and govenunent agencies. Included with the video will be resource packets containing a number of informative articles, a glossary of telecommunications technology terminology and other relevant information. This activity will serve as a driver to increase interest in telecommunications technology statewide.

Anticipated Outcomes


Project Activity 2. Facilitate the design and implementation of a series of 12 to15 regional community planning forums.


These forums will utilize the interest that has been generated to move beyond the introductory themes of the teleconference and to focus on encouraging the development of participatory community-based strategies to maximize the use of teletechnology and to insure that the benefits of this technology will accrue to all segments of the community. The WVRDC will facilitate these local forums through the use of professional facilitators and will also identify key resource personnel from the public and private sector to participate in the forums. These forums will also serve to elicit additional input from communities and regions throughout the state on specific issues and needs.

Anticipated Outcomes


Project Activity 3. Publication of communities' telecommunications planning experiences


By documenting and publishing the results and recommendations accumulated from the participatory-community sessions and subsequent community technology plans, the WVRDC and its partners will have the blueprints for forming an effective and comprehensive statewide strategy that addresses the needs of West Virginia from the local community level up through to the state level. This activity area will focus on the development and publication of a "community best practices" report on the experiences of the communities as they proceed through the plan development process. As a final component of this project, the WVRDC, in cooperation with the Govemor's Office and the Teletechnology Planning Committee, will examine the feasibility of the creation of a West Virginia Technology Council, an effort to bring together the many excellent efforts currently in place. It is envisioned that this council would, in addition to other functions, serve as a clearinghouse for telecommunications technology information and act in a policy development advisory capacity for state technology policy.