Norma Fernandez: Championing the Democratizing Power of the Internet
We’re celebrating Norma Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer of EveryoneOn, as part of our Digital for All initiative, for her role in facilitating equitable access to technology amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Broadband access & digital literacy [are] among the most critical social justice issues of our time."
Tell us about a day in your work prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Now tell us about a day today. What has changed?
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, a good portion of my time was spent writing proposals and having conversations with prospective funders making the "case" for funding digital inclusion work. Today, I'm receiving several inquiries a week from individual donors, private foundations, and corporations asking how they can support our work. The COVID-19 crisis put a spotlight on the digital divide. We can no longer ignore the fact that millions of individuals and families, primarily low-income, are unconnected and under-connected and dependent on their smartphone for access to the internet.
How has your organization changed the life of an individual during this crisis?
In early May, a dad of three K-12 students sent us a message via Facebook. The safer-at-home orders had just gone into effect and his kids were forced to participate in remote learning, without high-speed internet service. Dad shared he had attempted to sign-up to a low-cost offer on his own but the wait time was over two hours. He contacted EveryoneOn and in twenty minutes we were able to facilitate enrollment in Access from AT&T.
While they originally had a hotspot via a smartphone, the speeds and data were not enough to sustain three students trying to learn and two adults. Dad and his students are now enjoying high-speed internet service without having to worry about connecting multiple devices at once or limiting their use to avoid data charges. This is just one story of many. We've also been busy distributing free Chromebooks (sponsored by Spectrum) to dozens of low-income families. Check out these pictures – you can't help but smile knowing that a new and working computer is making life a bit easier for K-12 students and their parents.
What is your mission and how has this crisis highlighted it or underscored its importance?
EveryoneOn is dedicated to creating social and economic opportunity by connecting low-income families to affordable internet service and computers, and delivering digital skills training. We have observed the pandemic shed light on the severity of the digital divide and also exacerbate it by forcing schools, libraries and other public spaces to close, essentially eliminating the places millions of people and students relied on for connectivity and learning.
Now more than ever we need to ensure that these tools and opportunities to learn and strengthen digital skills are accessible to all. We are more than happy to continue to be a leader and thought partner to help foster digital equity.
How do you see your “big picture” impact?
At EveryoneOn, we view broadband access and digital literacy as among the most critical social justice issues of our time. Lack of internet access and low digital literacy skills can prevent people from fully participating in our society. EveryoneOn is committed to creating a society where people, in particular those who are underserved, harness the power of the internet and technology to build transformative opportunities for themselves and their communities.
What organizational challenges has COVID-19 presented?
COVID-19 is forcing all organizations - private, public, and nonprofits - to rethink the delivery of services and programs in this new environment. We're going to learn a lot about how to train people with low digital literacy skills via the internet!
What lies ahead?
At EveryoneOn, we are excited about the opportunity to share our best practices, collaborate with diverse stakeholders, build capacity around this issue, and expand our national and local digital inclusion programs. If our collective goal is to build resilient economies and communities, we must increase access to affordable internet service, ensure computers are in every home, and equip people with the skills needed to participate and thrive on our digital society and economy.
About Norma:
At EveryoneOn since 2013, Norma as CEO leads management at the organization, oversees initiatives and guides partnerships, and ensures top notch programming and training initiatives. With over twelve years of experience in the nonprofit and public sector, Norma’s passion for inclusion and advocacy for digital equitability are at the core of her work, as you can see in her thoughtful responses to our interview that follows. EveryoneOn has connected more than three-quarters of a million people to the internet!