In addition, it also promotes collaborations with local institutions such as schools and libraries. Community leaders in Greensboro, Rocky Mount, Swain County and Bertie, Beaufort, Martin, Tyrell and Washington Counties, where the project takes place, are developing strategies and tools to more effectively build their knowledge base, organizational capacity, and access to resources. Technology is still tough to master. Despite technological advances in recent years, electronic networking remains a real challenge for many organizations who wish to actively use information technology. Technology can still be daunting, and customized, hands-on training and ongoing technical support are rarely available.
Busy practitioners face a steep learning curve.
Getting connected is only the first step in enabling groups to make effective use of telecommunications opportunities. Most groups need extensive consultation, handholding, cheerleading, and troubleshooting before they learn how to truly integrate electronic networking into their operations. NETworkers help organizations significantly reduce the cost of learning to network. The first national Digital Divide Summit was hosted by Commerce Secretary William M. Daley on December 9, 1999. The summit brought together about 800 participants, including executives of U.S. technology firms, representatives of minority and civil rights groups and government officials to discus existing public and private initiatives aimed at closing the digital divide and how to expand these efforts.