[Ccil-user] (no subject)

[Jackie Patti]

> Greetings list,
>     I was surprised to learn that CCIL was NOT a part of some larger =
> social services agency.  My first contact with CCIL was through Chester =
> County Disability Services, which provided me this computer, and, a =
> connection through CCIL..  I always ASSUMED that CCIL was provided to =
> the needy.  Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that CCIL was available =
> to everyone who lives and/or works in Chester County.  Perhaps, therin =
> lies the problem.  Most people would not contribute to provide "free" =
> internet service to those people who could obviously afford a "paid" =
> ISP.  I personally have provided information to, and helped connect, 4 =
> people to CCIL.  All of them were either Seniors and or handicapped =
> persons.  I don't even mention CCIL to my friends who don't NEED a free =
> Isp.
> Thanks for listening,
> Millard Hawk

I disagree, Millard, and for fairly personal reasons.

When I was a teenager, and later when I was a single mother on a limited 
income with a job with no medical insurance and facing cervical cancer, 
I used Planned Parenthood's services.  When I became well enough 
established to be able to afford those services from wherever I chose, I 
continued to use Planned Parenthood and pay full cost to do so, the 
money they collected from me assisted those without the money.

Chuck covered the point well recently when he said the point of CCIL was 
equal and equitable connectivity to the internet.  Yes, I can certainly 
afford an ISP, but if I pay a for-profit ISP, my money goes to their 
profit, whereas if I use and donate to CCIL, my money goes to help those 
who cannot afford connectivity to get online.  The amount of money isn't 
the point, I don't need a free ISP, but simply by choosing to use CCIL 
instead of a for-profit, I am contributing to the good in the world.  I 
encourage *everyone* I know who needs connectivity to use CCIL, whether 
they can afford an ISP or not.

CCIL needs users who CAN afford an ISP.  While our connectivity to the 
internet is provided free, our phone lines certainly aren't - and 
they're expensive.  In addition, there's postage costs, hardware costs, 
and other associated costs.  There's also a ton of work to be done, 
which becoems a cost if we don't have enough volunteers to do it.  The 
reason CCIL is in crisis is because user donations and volunteer work do 
not cover those costs.  Increasing the user basis of those who CAN 
afford to donate is one way of helping pay the costs of providing the 
free service to the truly needy who cannot afford the cost of an ISP.

A lot of the volunteers and users from CCIL are like myself, having come 
from a poor background and fully "getting" how difficult that is - 
that's why we're here.  Others may not have the same background, but are 
here for similar reasons - knowing they've been lucky in life and 
wanting to help those who haven't been as fortunate.  Some are here 
because of the community that used to exist around CCIL that has largely 
been lost over time since the internet has become much more important to 
most users than local connectivity - a desire to give back to that 
community.  And sure, some folks are probably just using CCIL because 
they're cheap or whatever, but they're just not our focus.  No one is 
working on rebuilding computers to give to laywers - but I certainly 
HOPE we have a lawyer or two amongst our user base because none of the 
current crop of volunteers has a clear understanding of what is legally 
required and we need that expertise and it's expensive to purchase.

While CCIL provides internet access to the needy at no cost, it is NOT 
free - someone has to pay the costs associated with CCIL.  I definetly 
think that increasing the user base of those who cannot afford to pay is 
important - it's the mission of CCIL to allow every person who lives or 
works in Chester County to have internet connectivity, and that is an 
important and worthwhile goal, it also needs to increase the user base 
that can afford to donate *and* volunteer - as without donations and 
volunteers it will not be able to meet the needs of the needier users.

-- 
Jackie Patti, Director of Project Management
MainLine Consulting Consortium, Inc.
http://www.mainline-consulting.com
(610) 873-2589