A history of household internet's rise and the access gap that rose along with it. 

Featured Guests: 

Angela Siefer, Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance
John B. Horrigan is a Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute
Larry Irving, President and CEO, The Irving Group 
Jamal Jones, Chief Executive Director at Baltimore Algebra Project

The Disconnect Podcast Ep. 1 Digital Division in Small-timore

An exploration of Baltimore City infrastructure, Comcast’s perceived internet provider monopoly in the city, and what’s being done to broaden internet access options to residents. 

Guests:

Jason Hardebeck, technology executive and entrepreneur
Bill Henry, Baltimore City Council 
Hugh Bethel, founder of Port Networks
Carl Peterson, chief technology officer of Port Networks
Donna Rattley-Washington, Comcast’s regional vice president of government affairs and community investment for the Beltway region
Bryan Mercer, Executive Director of the Media Mobilizing Project
Bill Callahan, Research and Policy Director for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance

The Disconnect Podcast Ep. 2 Buried Treasure: The Baltimore City Conduit

A look at the varying levels of computer and internet access available to Baltimore City Public School students. 

Guests: 

Gretchen LeGrand, executive director of Code in the Schools
Code in the schools students Ana and Sydney 
David Gatewood, a Code in the Schools program instructor
Dishon Hall, program specialist at the Digital Harbor Foundation
Jamal Jones, co-executive director of the youth education advocacy initiative, the Baltimore Algebra Project
Kim Trueheart, community activist

The Disconnect Podcast Ep. 3 An Onion of a Problem: Tech in Baltimore Schools

A look at adult literacy and senior education programs in Baltimore and how essential computers and internet are to success for vulnerable communities. 

Guests: 

Tanya Terrell, Executive Director of the South Baltimore Learning Center and Karen Lewis, student at the South Baltimore Learning Center; Waxter Center for Senior Citizens: Myra Goldman, Walter Denison, Lily Brown, and Victor Merriweather; Erin Kelly, Librarian at the Enoch Pratt free library; and Kenyatta Leal, Founding Member and Business Development Manager for The Last Mile.

The Disconnect Podcast Ep. 4 Vulnerable Communities: Constant Crisis and Trauma Mode

Two years into the Deutsch Foundation and Media Democracy Fund’s work in Baltimore’s internet access expansion efforts, a new initiative launches, with their support, partnering the Enoch Pratt Free Library and laundromats in Baltimore City.

Guests: 

Adam Echelman, libraries Without Borders executive director 
Meghan McCorkell, marketing and communications director for the Enoch Pratt Free Library
HIPP Laundromat manager Brandon McGugin
Media Democracy Fund program Director amalia daloney

The Disconnect Podcast Ep. 5 It Comes Out in the Wash

The Disconnect Podcast is inspired by the findings of the "Digital Access and Equity in Baltimore City" report commissioned by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation and Media Democracy Fund in August 2017. In collaboration with the Rise of Charm City, The Disconnect Podcast is a platform for storytelling about the complexity of digital equity in Baltimore City - seeking to share the knowledge and strategies of those working to increase equitable access to technology.

RWDF

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