Experience:

I'm currently project partner in the EU Commission backed DigiChampz Initiative (www.digichampz.com)

This project is looking at the opportunities and benefits of the digital economy in rural Yorkshire, UK. We're highlighting which EU digital policies are going well, which are not, and what we can do to plug the gaps. The case study area covering HD8 and HD9 postcodes is only partly enabled by superfast broadband.

We've just held a top level event at the University of Huddersfield, attended by members of the local community, businesses, academia and other not for profit organisations. We've taken evidence from

• some who don't like going online in the first place;
• women seeking and taking advantage of, digital empowerment;
• children explaining how they use technology now and for what;
• credit unions who have identified a completely new 'class/type' of digital user;
• banks working to empower local communities through digital champions;
• local library users wanting to diversify local libraries to save them from closure;
• businesses needing help advice and support about what's actually possible when trading online...

We want the digital economy to work across this region. We'll be providing some real grassroots case studies and empirical data when we report back to the European Commission in July/August this year. We'll also be presenting at the European Commission Representation in London on 25 March.

We're examining:

• how local businesses and community groups can work together
• the role of libraries as central hubs of knowledge and support for eskills in business and the community
• the two tier economy that lack of super connectivity is creating
• digital democracy
• how to increase cross border e commerce
• setting up a pan European network of accredited local digital champions to enable local economies.

You can obtain details of a survey we also conducted by visiting the DigiChampz website http://digichampz.com/digital-users-in-rural-yorkshire-survey-report-2015/

Ideas:

Among the findings are in our Digital Users in Rural Yorkshire Survey Report 2015 are:

• Local communities need help, advice and support to meet the demands of e-government, to enhance general e-skills and to respond to the general expectations required for today’s information society and digital economy.
• There is a ready pool of people in the community versed in IT and Internet use who currently share their knowledge able to contribute to a local advice centre, potentially via public libraries.
• Broadband deployment in this region of semi-rural South Huddersfield is inadequate for local home and business needs. There are 'conflict' issues between local authorities and some national providers
• There is low concern about online security and child protection.
• There is a strong measure of confidence relating to online privacy, both with online traders and government.