Shirley Randelman, host of Community Action Magazine.

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

“Welcome to WPEB 88.1FM, the first station on your dial,” radio host Shirley Randelman says into her microphone. “You’re listening to Community Action Magazine, bringing you all the updates on what’s going on in the community and keeping it very real and personal.”

Randelman, whose show airs on Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on West Philadelphia Educational Broadcasters (WPEB), says her’s is one of many programs broadcast on the local station. “We talk about things that are happening in the community especially where it deals with business, advocacy and education. We cover a whole potpourri of information,” she says.

The station, which is currently being stewarded by the Scribe Video Center, is located at 52nd Street and Hazel Avenue. And its mission statement is true to Randelman’s words—its there to represent, incorporate, empower and serve the community.

Renee McBride-Williams, WPEB’s operations manager

“WPEB tries to represent the voiceless community. The ones who are under-represented and misrepresented by the media,” says Renee McBride-Williams, the station’s operations manager.

“The voice of the people is the voice that needs to be heard and we need to have venues for that voice,” said Carolyn Harmon, the co-host of Community Action Magazine. Yet that voice seems barely audible around the country; there are few local community radio stations in existence to allow neighborhood voices and issues to be heard. In fact, WPEB is Philadelphia’s only licensed Low Power FM (LPFM) radio station.

First introduced in 2000, LPFM has seen its share of difficulties. Commercial channels have often lobbied against it, saying that it interferes with their signal. In response to these concerns, Congress passed a series of regulations on the licensing of LPFM stations. Current regulations ensure that that LPFM stations are far enough away from full-power stations that there is a guarantee of no interference. Of course, this poses a problem in urban areas where the radio dial is more saturated. There’s more regulations, too.

FCC guidelines dictate that LPFM stations are for used noncommercial, educational broadcasting only and that they operate with less than 100 watts of effective radiated power, or about a 3.5 mile radius.

Halimah Marcus, development and communications associate at Prometheus Radio Project—a nonprofit dedicated to the development of low-power stations—extolled the virtues of LPFM in an interview with Technically Philly. “There is a real crisis of diversity in media, many outlets are owned by major corporations, and there is a real lack of local representation and discussion of local issues on the radio,” she says.

Prometheus, headquartered at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, provides help to community organizations during the process of getting a license and building a station. They also coordinate efforts to get the public involved in the FCC regulatory process and they host outreach events to promote awareness and build support for LPFM radio. The project was founded in 1998 out of a pirate radio station that wanted a legal alternative, and has since been campaigning to “free the airwaves from corporate control,” Marcus says.

Prometheus Radio Project has been active in advocating for the Local Community Radio Act. The bill, which passed the House in December, is awaiting a full vote from the Senate. The Local Community Radio Act will eliminate minimum distance requirements. It would also ensure that licensing decisions are made based on the needs of the local community.

See a video about WPEB and Low Power FM radio. Story continues below…

“We worked closely with the Prometheus Radio Project in drafting this legislation,” says John Diamond, communications director for Sen. Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) office. Cantwell is the sponsor of S.592 The Local Community Radio Act of 2009.

“The Senator has supported this bill because we’ve heard from various groups, schools, churches, community organizations across Washington that want to set up these [LPFM] stations to meet the local community’s needs. We certainly wanted to help and get involved and we were in the position to do so,” Diamond says.

“This bill creates an opportunity for many communities without a voice,” says Rep. Michael Doyle (D-PA), who sponsored the House version of the bill. “LPFM only covers a few miles but it is a powerful tool for communities.”

Diamond says that pushing the bill through the House was a huge victory, having been in the works for over five years. He says is unclear whether the bill will make it to a full vote in the Senate this session. “We hope it will happen this session, that’s our goal,” says Marcus. “We are confident that it will pass the Senate when the time comes because it has very strong bi-partisan support.

“It’s hard to say how it will affect Philadelphia, but we hope that more licenses will be given out in the area.”

According to local pundits, LPFM and local radio are important not only because they provide communities with a voice but because they will help diversify media as a whole. Community radio offers people a chance to be themselves and not be forced to conform to societal standards.

“People in the margins do not usually make it in the mainstream media unless they change themselves to fit the mainstream. You do not have to do that here at WPEB, and that inspires me,” says Vania Gulston, the station’s programming co-coordinator.

WPEB holds general meetings the first Monday of each month to discuss station issues

And Marcus reminds that LPFM will help diversify media ownership. “When the original licenses were divided up in the ‘30s there was still a lot of segregation, so they were given mostly to white men. It is still basically that way due to economic factors. The radio licenses are expensive.” According to legislation, in 2003 it cost over $2,500,000 to acquire a commercial radio station.

In the Local Community Radio Act Congress finds that:

“Minorities represent almost a third of our population. However, according to the Federal Communication Commission’s most recent Form 323 data on the race and gender of full power, commercial broadcast licensees, minorities own only 7 percent of all local television and radio stations. Women represent more than half of the population, but own only 6 percent of all local television and radio stations. LPFM stations, while not a solution to the overall inequalities in minority and female broadcast ownership, provide an additional opportunity for underrepresented communities to operate a station and provide local communities with a greater diversity of viewpoints and culture.”

Another problem with the current radio situation is media consolidation. “All of these stations sound the same to me these days, LPFM will allow for lots of different voices and lots of different programming,” says Doyle. LPFM radio can be whatever the community wants and needs it to be.

G-Town Radio, located in Germantown, found another solution to the radio problem: the Internet. They are an Internet-only radio station that broadcasts solely over the internet. Founder Jim Bear has never applied for an FCC license because of all of the complications involved in getting one.

“If the bill gets passed we might be interested,” said Bear. “It would still require a lot of money to get set up and you would have to follow FCC standards. But, we would be able to reach the community much easier.”

Bear believes that the Internet is a great starting point for people and organizations that want to start a radio station. “There are fewer barriers to entry,” he says. “The studio environment is identical for Internet and broadcast. It’s a great way to get practice and get your name out there.”

Bear thinks that finding an audience on the Internet first could make it easier to raise the money needed to start an FM station.

Also, Bear believes that since people can access internet radio from mobile devices that Internet radio may be the way of the future. “As the Internet matures and networks become better it will be just as easy for people to access Internet radio as it is to access traditional radio.”

Whether it’s by Internet or traditional means, the possibilities of providing more folks an alternative voice certainly seems promising.

“By offering something different, it messes with people’s imaginations,” Gulston says. “It lets them know that something else it possible.”

Apple’s iPhone and iTouch sold 57 million units in 28 months, according to Morgan Stanley’s The Mobile Internet Report.

Smartphones and other Internet-ready handheld devices have gained immense popularity. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 83 percent of people own cell phones or smartphones and 35 percent of people have surfed the Internet with their phones.

Ashley Cox on smartphone

“I go on there for everything,” says Ashley Cox of her mobile smartphone, “I’m on it everyday, all day.” African Americans are the most active users of mobile Internet. On an average day, 29 percent of African Americans used mobile Internet in 2009, up 141 percent from 2007. In 2009 the national average was only 19 percent.

“Mobile Internet expands people’s realization of the power of the Internet,” says Michael Morgan, an industry analyst on mobile devices for ABI Research, “you know you can be connected to information wherever you are.”

“Wireless Internet is the most pervasive device you can imagine,” says Justin Shi, associate chair of Temple University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences. Wireless Internet constitutes the last mile of Internet connectivity says Shi. It connects those whom are hard reach through wired networks.

Wireless Internet is becoming the connection of choice for the majority of Americans. In 2009, 56 percent of Americans accessed the Internet wirelessly, according to Pew.

“I go online with my phone a lot, maybe every hour to check my e-mail,” says Rod Quemuel, a smartphone user. Quemuel uses his phone to do research, check Facebook and look up directions.

Percent of U.S. mobile subscribers

People generally use their mobile Internet to check general information, such as e-mail, weather, news, social media and web searches, Morgan says. The most popular use of mobile Internet is to browse and listen to music. Sixty-five percent of iPhone users and 35 percent of smartphone users access music online. Gaming, social networking and web searching round out the top four uses of mobile Internet, according to The Mobile Internet Report.

James Thomas, a mobile Internet user uses mobile Internet conventionally. “I use it for things that have something to do with the city, like SEPTA bus schedules.” Thomas also uses it to entertain his daughter when traveling. She can play games and watch movies using his phone.

“Mobile access strengthens the three pillars of online engagement: connecting with others, satisfying information queries, and sharing content with others,” John B. Horrigan, associate director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, said in a press release about the organization’s report on mobile. “With access in their pockets, many Americans are ‘on the fly’ consumers and producers of digital information.”

According to RuderFinn’s Mobile Intent Index, which is updated quarterly, 91 percent of mobile Internet users go online to socialize compared to 79 percent of traditional desktop users. However, mobile Internet users are 1.4 times less likely to educate themselves using their phones.

Traditional computers are used for serious and productive work while mobile devices are becoming the dominant platform for entertainment, according to the Mobile Internet Report. Also, the smartphone’s popularity is growing so quickly that within five years more users may connect to the Internet via mobile device that with a traditional computer.

Mobile Internet is helping to bridge the digital divide. “Mobile Internet is allowing people who couldn’t afford any web access something,” Morgan says. “It’s the cheapest, easiest, and best way to get them the power of the Internet.” Cox and Thomas only access the Internet through their smartphones, and they do not feel the need to get a home broadband connection.

James Thomas on smartphone

Cost, convenience and portability are of the three main determinants when purchasing mobile Internet versus home broadband.

“Its a lot easier and a lot more accessible,” Thomas says. “Also, I can take it anywhere.”

“It’s cheaper,” Cox says when asked why she chose mobile Internet.

Home broadband use is more prevalent in homes with higher incomes, while low-income households turn to wireless. Seventy-three percent of households with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 have home broadband access. Comparatively, only 42 percent of households with incomes less than $30,000 have home broadband. Approximately 43 percent of Philadelphians live in households with incomes below $30,000. Mobile Internet can provide access to those who cannot afford home access.

“I prefer my laptop for Internet,” says Quemuel, “with mobile phones you can’t see all the features with a laptop.” He says only uses his mobile Internet for basic searches.

Lost cost wireless provider

While mobile Internet helps to close the digital divide as far as access to information is concerned, it does little to help with actual computer skills. “Mobile Internet offers no keyboard or mouse experience,” said Morgan. These are essential skills when using a traditional computer and are important skills in the workforce. However, Morgan added that helping people understand the value of the Internet is just as important as technical skills in the bridging the digital divide.

Shi believes that currently mobile phones do not have the capability to close the digital divide, but that may change in the future. As the technology develops, mobile devices will become people’s primary computing platform.

“In short the smartphone is becoming the PC, the PC is becoming the server, the server is becoming the cloud, and the cloud is becoming the new app store,” said a notable line in The Mobile Internet Report.

According to the eMarketer, a research firm, the total number of mobile Internet users is expected to reach 134 million people by 2013.

Below, watch a video Q&A with Temple University Computer Science Department Associate Chair Justin Shi about mobile technologies…

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

The Federal Communications Commission will push on telecommunication companies to make the Internet 25 times faster through its National Broadband Plan.

One of the major goals of the unprecedented agenda is to provide broadband access to all Americans. The plan also intends to provide 100 million American homes with 100Mbps (megabits per second) broadband service in 10 years. The current average household Internet connection speed is 4Mbps.

“This is very possible,” said Justin Shi, an associate professor and associate chair at Temple University’s College of Science and Technology. This advancement in communication technology will eventually change social and economic systems, Shi says. The seemingly large feat of increasing Internet speeds by 25 times can be accomplished by improving the current packet-switching system used for the Internet.

Packet-switching refers to information being divided into individual packets before data is transmitted. The packets are individually sent to a desired computer and are reconstructed upon arrival. “There is no limit to the speed upgrades available in packet-switching systems,” Shi says. This is done by adding more machines, like servers, to Internet infrastructure. The more devices being used the faster the connection will be.

�Packets will always find the shortest route possible, so the more routes the better,� Shi says. In order for the FCC to accomplish its goal, the infrastructure needs to be faster. This is because the speed of computer processors has already plateaued, according to Shi. He says that the FCC�s plan is a positive thing. �Packet-switching is the most economic and stable solution,” he says. “The sky is the limit.”

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

“I’m an individual that wants to try and get ahead in life,” says Hymine, 53, an ex-incarcerated felon who reentered society in 1992 after spending a year in prison for drug possession, who asked Technically Philly to not share his real name.

Hymine’s story illustrates the difficulties and inequalities ex-offenders often face upon returning to society.

Hymine says that he is a military veteran. He served in the Army and the Army Reserves from
for two decades in the 70s and 80s. He is also well educated. He received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cheyney University in 1987. In 2006, he returned to Cheyney and received his Master�s in Public Administration. In addition he is currently working on his Doctorate in Human Services through an online program.

Even with his impressive resume, Hymine says finding employment is challenging. “I have one little smear and they treat me like I ain’t shit,” Hymine says.

Upon his return from prison, Hymine went to work at a supermarket for five years. “My supervisor would tell me, ‘You’re an ex-offender and you’re never gonna get a better job,” Hymine recalls.

After leaving the supermarket, Hymine went to work at Saint Gabriel’s Hall at New Morgan Academy, and the Pennsylvania Clinical School, where he helped at-risk youths. He has been unemployed since 2005, and believes that his criminal record is preventing him from getting a reasonable position with reasonable pay.

Susan Guggenheim, who runs a ex-offender technology training program, says, “The society at large needs to get over this thing of penalizing ex-offenders twice, once during their period of incarceration and forever after when they come out.”

Hymine is tired of the inequality and refuses to settle for just any job. �They try to underpay you,� he says. He wants a position that looks past his record, treats him as an equal and pays him based on his education and experience.

Matty Hart, the national director for public engagement at Solutions for Progress, a public policy technology company, says, �Ex-offenders are being filtered out because they�re felons.� To give themselves more job opportunities ex-offenders need to have basic technology and education skills. �Ex-offenders need access to high-level, high-quality tech training.”

Believing there is no such thing as too much education, knowledge and training, Hymine has gone through numerous re-entry programs. When asked why he keeps going he simply shrugs his shoulders and asks, �Why not?�

�Ex-offenders try to do the right thing, but give up because they don�t have the support,� he says. �If I didn�t have the support I had, I would have been the same way.�

Guggenheim�s computer training class was one source of support Hymine had after returning to Cheyney University in 2006. In Guggenheim�s class, Hymine learned basic computer skills from using the internet to Microsoft Word.

�There is a gap in time and a gap in training. When they went in technology was at a certain point, and when they come out its radically different because of the speed technology develops,� says Guggenheim.

At first Hymine struggled with computers in his college classes. However, after attending Guggenheim�s program he feels confident on a computer. �Her class helped me be independent,� he says.

Watch a video about the ex-offender computer training program. Story continues below…

The basic computer skills Guggenheim teaches are important for ex-offenders to find work. �These are basic skills in the workplace that everyone has to have,� says Hart. Technology is unavoidable, and most businesses utilize some sort of computer technology.

�The biggest disadvantage ex-offenders have is two-fold; they do not have computers and they do not have broadband access, so they�re basically crippled,� says Guggenheim.

Computer skills are also used to find work. Hymine said he went online to CareerBuilder to search for jobs. �This time last year I was applying for six or seven jobs a day,� he says.

Guggenheim has worked in several groups helping ex-offenders create online resumes using job search websites. She said, �The problem is that there is always that question, regardless of your crime, regardless of how long ago it happened, it always says, �have you ever been convicted of a crime?��

Hymine is passing on the expertise that Guggenheim gave him in his volunteer work at the National Center for Children and Families. There he helps ex-offenders put together their resumes, which they can post online. Hymine also teaches them basic computer skills, such as copying and pasting, using flash drives, and searching the web.

There are also other ways ex-offenders can utilize online technology. Hart believes it is good for ex-offenders to harness social networking sites to connect with employers. �Just establish yourself on the web,� he says. If an employer sees someone has a professional online profile, it shows they�re up to speed. �When someone reaches out to me, the first thing I do is check their Facebook or LinkedIn profile,� says Hart.

Hymine is currently hoping for a pardon, which will expunge his felony record. �All it does is cover it up, and it only shows up again if you get in trouble,� says Hymine. He believes there is a good chance he will receive the pardon because it has been about 20 years since his conviction and he has stayed out of trouble. In addition, he has six letters of recommendation, including one from Guggenheim.

Hymine expects that, �after the pardon everyone is going to want to be my friend,� due to his extensive education and impressive resume. After the pardon he anticipates that he will have no further difficulties finding employment.