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How Internet Co-ops Can Protect Us From Net Neutrality Rollbacks

Sammi-Jo Lee

November 22, 2017 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tipton, Missouri

Today, 23 million rural Americans can’t access broadband speed internet. As deregulation of net neutrality threatens to slow down internet speed even further, local internet co-ops are bringing higher-speed access to rural towns, Native American reservations, and even urban areas that do not currently have quality internet. Today, small internet service providers, spurred by local communities, are providing a real safeguard to net neutrality rollbacks.

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Online preschool: Does it work?

Jackie Mader

November 03, 2017 |

PBS NewsHour |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

In Mississippi, where only four percent of four-year olds are covered by state-funded preschool, free online curricula offer an enticing opportunity. UPSTART, one of these programs, provides complementary training for parents and access to a computer that might not otherwise be available. Critics warn of the effects of increased screen time and decreased social interaction, but advocates still see a few hours on the computer as a better alternative to no kindergarten readiness preparation at all.

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Why Cities Shouldn't Bend Over Backwards for Corporations

Rick Paulas

October 18, 2017 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Kansas

Flirting with a corporation can end badly. In exchange for city-wide wireless broadband, Kansas City gave Google near-free rein including fast permitting, free office space, low fees, and taxpayer funds. A few years later, Google restructured to become Alphabet and started cancelling hundreds of hook-ups.

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The Compass, Making it Work: Navigating Kenya's Streets with Technology

Angela Saini

October 15, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

Entrepreneurs and startups in Kenya and India are finding success creating products that meet the needs of poorer citizens in those countries. This episode includes a story about a mobile phone app that tackles the difficulty of finding locations in Nairobi using GPS coordinates and a photo, a startup near Bengaluru, India that uses human ATMs to help rural residents access cash via mobile phones, and a Kenyan company building devices that create free public wifi.

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Uber, but for Grandma

Kate Francis

September 27, 2017 |

Politico |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

The way cities are built in the United States makes getting around without driving a car difficult. This means that, for an increasingly aging population, mobility can be a significant issue, leading to challenges such as missed medical appointments and loneliness that can actually decrease lifespan. But in the age of the sharing economy, ride services such as Lyft and Uber reach out to the demographic that arguably needs them most, partnering with medical centers and hospice providers to get smartphone technology - or more "old school" alternatives such as hotlines - into the hands of senior citizens.

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Argentinians Are So Sick of the Media, They're Inventing Their Own

Laura Mallonee

September 03, 2017 |

Wired |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Argentina

In Argentina, where less than half the country trusts media and most believe mainstream media to be biased, many people are creating their own forms of media. One collective, DTL! Comunicacion Popular, assembles antennas and trains citizen journalists to subvert the country's media monopoly.

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Keeping Technology Affordable - Kwasi Twum-Ampofo leads the way

Hadiza Nuhhu-Billa Quansah

July 17, 2017 |

Graphic Online |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ghana, Accra

Frustrated with poor network service and high costs, many Ghanians have had to tote multiple cheap mobile phones around to conduct business and communications normally. One entrepreneur, Kwasi Twum-Ampofo, decided to develop his own improved brand of smartphone, which is usable both domestically and abroad. Not only does Twum-Ampofo’s smartphone boast superior network access, but also—according to most Ghanians— comes at an affordable price.

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Cuba: The Weekly Package

Kim Wall

June 19, 2017 |

Harper's Magazine |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Cuba, Havana

In Cuba, most access to internet is extremely limited. "The Weekly Package," solves this problem--carried by individuals who travel around on foot each week, it is a single, black market hard drive from which customers may download the content of their choice - telenovelas, news, movies, and more.

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No Matter What Washington Does, One Nonprofit Is Closing the Digital Divide

Issie Lapowsky

May 25, 2017 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma

With no alternative, some community college students in Talihina, Oklahoma sit in the parking lot of the local hospital at night, logging on to the internet network to complete research papers, oftentimes on smartphones. With Obama-era broadband infrastructure improvement plans now uncertain, one nonprofit is getting "out of the government's umbrella" and working to ensure the goal of connecting 350,000 people nationwide by 2020 is still met. By both building infrastructure and making it more affordable, ConnectHome Nation seeks to answer, "What could they become ... if they just had an equal shot?"

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Library hotspots can help those in internet deserts

Noah Jones

May 12, 2017 |

Richland Source |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Mansfield, Ohio

Rural areas struggle to have internet, which can be a problem for everyone including students. Mansfield/ Richland County Public Libraries have started lending out hot spots, which has been very successful and useful for residents.

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