Subtopic: General

Community networks can benefit the government by providing the training necessary for citizens to access government information electronically. Local experts can assist the general public in accessing information and services through the convenience of e-mail. These government services most important for a given community can be tailored through customized on-line menus for enhanced ease of access by the public. A community network can potentially provide a single point of access for local, state and national government services, accessible with the help of friendly local on-line public servants.

Self-teaching or mentored lessons could be accessible locally to teach the skills necessary to enjoy increasing benefits from the local and distributed telecomputing and the various levels of Internet access. Menus customized for the local community can provide local “fingertip” access to the best resources on the Internet.

the greater cost of the Internet is not the connection, but the training required to fully benefit. Friendly, responsive, on-line librarians and mentors will be key to the successful implementation of any community network. Public and federal employees must learn how they can utilize the efficiencies of electronic mail to provide such responsiveness to citizens. Public service participation in on-line interaction should be encouraged by all citizens and government employees.

Telepreneurship training could start as early as the third grade to teach the concepts and skills students will doubtless need to be successful. School-based community networks could provide convenient interaction with the local business community as we all look toward what we need to be teaching our students and citizens about the shifting world of work.

Transmission speed does not automatically equate to value of information … The highest-value information is typically condensed information that may not require more than the simplest transmission technologies to deliver. Given this premise, perhaps the highest-value network service would be e-mail access to experts who provide condensed information and training targeted to individuals’ specific needs. Equity of access to such human-mediated services must be assured.

Communities need to learn how to enhance their local information infrastructure, to rebuild and rehumanize from within through the many advantages of local telecommuting, and to use those same developed skills in a global context via the Internet. Communities will be better served if NII implementation places emphasis on assisting citizens to access that information proven to be beneficial, and not just providing the physical connection.