Research proves the connectivity barriers faced by Indigenous communities are very real, and very limiting

Posted on March 31, 2020March 31, 2020 by robmcmahon

Original article by Cybera; republished with permission The ConnectIN project was a two-year pilot project evaluating the internet connectivity in First Nations communities in BC, Alberta and Manitoba. Led by three First Nations’ regional technology organizations, and facilitated by Cybera, the goal of this project was to better assess gaps in infrastructure and services. ConnectIN wrapped up[…]

FMCC publication featured by Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council

Posted on June 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by brianbeaton

The new e-book publication by the First Mile Connectivity Consortium team is featured this month on the SSHRC web site along with a short story about the First Nations Innovation research project. From http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/society-societe/stories-histoires/story-histoire-eng.aspx?story_id=270 Breaking trails: Stories from the First Mile Date published: 21/06/2018 4:00:00 PM Photo: Jesse Fiddler/Stories from the First Mile – First Mile Connectivity[…]

FMCC partners involved in new CIRA-funded research project

Posted on June 11, 2018 by brianbeaton

From https://mailchi.mp/cybera/iapuvwwjnk-468941?e=baf79bb0db Testing the Gaps in First Nations’ Internet Access In July 2004, the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution directing “the government of Canada to honour its commitment to connect every community to broadband services by 2005.” But nearly a decade and a half later, many First Nations communities remain without any internet connectivity. This issue[…]

FMCC Researchers receive Internet Society grant to co-develop digital literacy program with Piikani First Nation

Posted on February 27, 2018February 27, 2018 by robmcmahon

A collaboration between Piikani Youth Empowerment Strategies (Piikani Nation Secondary School and Peigan Board of Education) and the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta has received funding from the Internet Society’s Beyond the Net program. The project, titled Exploring digital literacy through the Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp Program, builds on a[…]

New article published about FMCC regulatory efforts: GIS Mapping and Policy Advocacy

Posted on January 16, 2018 by robmcmahon

An article based on FMCC efforts at the CRTC is now published in the Journal of Information Policy. The article is co-authored by FMCC researchers Rob McMahon, Trevor Smith, and Tim Whiteduck. Reclaiming Geospatial Data and GIS Design for Indigenous-led Telecommunications Policy Advocacy: A Process Discussion of Mapping Broadband Availability in Remote and Northern Regions[…]

University of Vienna doctoral thesis: Indigenizing the Internet highlight KO-KNET work in remote First Nations

Posted on December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 by brianbeaton

From Philipp Budka’s web site at http://www.philbu.net/projects.html Philipp’s dissertation project at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Vienna investigated the creation, development, and utilization of broadband internet infrastructures, technologies, and services by indigenous people and communities in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. (Budka, P. (2017). Indigenizing the Internet: Socio-technical change, technology appropriation and digital practices in remote First Nation[…]

Piikani First Nation and First Mile Researchers Host 3-day Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp

Posted on August 2, 2017September 27, 2017 by robmcmahon

On July 17-20, 2017, Piikani community members and First Mile researchers held a 3-day Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp focused on the community’s Past, Present and Future. Grade 9 students learned Blackfoot culture while camping on the land. They documented camp activities using digital video cameras, which was an entry point to learn about[…]

New Article: Indigenizing Digital Literacies with the Algonquin First Nations of Timiskaming and Long Point

Posted on August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 by robmcmahon

Researchers working with the First Nations Innovation and First Mile project have published an article about Indigenous approaches to digital literacies in the Engaged Scholar Journal. The article is titled: Indigenizing Digital Literacies: Community Informatics Research with the Algonquin First Nations of Timiskaming and Long Point. It focuses on two community-based research projects in Quebec that[…]

First Mile Researchers Host Digital Literacy Workshop with Gwich’in Tribal Council

Posted on June 18, 2017June 22, 2017 by robmcmahon

Last week the Gwich’in Tribal Council’s Department of Cultural Heritage (GTC) hosted a day-long workshop on Digital Content and Connectivity in Gwich’in communities. This pilot was designed by GTC staff and partners from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extension and the First Mile Connectivity Consortium. The team included Dr. Rob McMahon and Master of Arts[…]

The Arctic Broadband Forum 2017 presentations from May 8-9 available online

Posted on May 22, 2017May 22, 2017 by brianbeaton

The Arctic Broadband Forum 2017 brought together educators, researchers and industry from across the World to discuss the challenges, successes and potential of telecommunications and broadband deployment in the Arctic. Specific emphasis was placed on the role of broadband and digital technologies on the cultural preservation and self-determination of indigenous populations throughout the Arctic. The forum[…]