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Digital literacy research and practice typically presume certain conditions, such as an urban orientation and adequate, affordable access to connectivity and devices. But these conditions are not universal; for example, people in small, rural/remote Indigenous communities may seek to balance connectivity challenges and digital innovations with land-based living specific to place and community. Drawing on efforts to broaden critical digital literacies to support Indigenous sovereignty, we consider how overlapping contexts of places, communities, and infrastructures intersect in the cocreation of appropriate digital literacy. Specifically, we discuss a series of virtually facilitated, participatory workshops that utilize "hacker literacies" and "infrastructure literacy" to reimagine connectivity infrastructure and demonstrate the potential of community networking in, with, and by rural/remote Indigenous communities. We also reflect on limitations of this work and identify lessons for future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaping digital inclusion policy and practice to meet community‐defined goals requires more than access to digital devices and connectivity; it must also enable their effective design and use in local settings. For the Nation of Hawaiʻi, a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) organization with a land base on the island of Oahu, these activities are closely associated with broader goals of nation‐building and sovereignty. In this article, we document how the Nation of Hawaiʻi is conceptualiz‐ ing its community networking project as an example of an Indigenous organization’s efforts to frame community networks as a means to generate a “sovereignty mindset” among its members, as well as share resources and experience among community members and with other communities in Hawaiʻi and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this thematic issue, we present research from authors who seek to contest, challenge, and reimagine what digital inclusion is and what it might be. Authors present work from understudied vantage points and “hard to reach” terrains, such as communities that remain geographically, technically, socially, economically, and metaphorically “disconnected”— sometimes by choice. Through their attention to the role of intangible factors like relationality, social capital, emotion, sovereignty, and liminality, the articles collectively push against and expand the boundaries of digital inclusion research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policies for developing broadband in rural and remote regions typically focus on infrastructure funding. This article postulates that funding may be necessary but is often not suffcient to install and operate sustainable broadband services in these areas. Analysis: This article analyzes issues raised in recent Canadian regulatory proceedings concerning broadband deployment and evidence submitted by Indigenous and community broadband providers that serve rural and remote regions in the Canadian North. Conclusions and implications: Several suggestions are provided to improve policies designed to extend reliable and affordable broadband and to facilitate the provision of services by small and Indigenous providers. These include reconsideration of northern jurisdictions to harmonize regulations, a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission offce dedicated to Indigenous issues, requirements for Indigenous consultation and training and hiring of residents, and procedures to expedite installation and procurement for Indigenous networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensions persist in co-designing appropriate forms of digital literacy with Indigenous peoples, particularly in contexts of settler colonialism. Given the historically extractive nature of many institutional research relations with Indigenous peoples, emphasis should be placed on community-led approaches to learn how people are adapting and adopting digital technologies. Through concepts like Niitooii (the same that is real; paralleling), Indigenous peoples offer guidance to ensure projects generate reciprocal benefits for both researchers and communities. In this context, our article documents a multi-year project to co-design a land-based camp blending Piikani (Scabby Robe People; an Indigenous People, prairie regions of Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, USA) First Nation culture with digital literacy pedagogies. Guided by Aapátohsipikáni (Northern Piikani, an Indigenous People, prairie region of Alberta, Canada) scholarship and research on Indigenous-settler relations and methodologies, we illustrate how our long-term, iterative project design generated good relations and moments of tension and transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares funding and other broadband policies for rural and Indigenous regions in Canada and in the United States. It also includes examples of Indigenous engagement in the policy and regulatory processes in both countries. This research brings to light instances of policy diffusion between Canada and the United States, and demonstrates how Indigenous groups can contribute to more inclusive forms of telecommunications policy development. The article concludes with lessons from the Canadian and U.S. policy and regulatory experiences that could be relevant for broadband policy development in other countries with rural and Indigenous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite rich literature on rural and remote broadband and community networking initiatives in Canada, limited research is available on the sequencing, mechanisms, and processes of community engagement for this purpose. Analysis The authors use a case study of the Digital Futures initiative in Alberta, Canada-- a biannual symposium that engages a range of public, private, and community stakeholders to discuss rural broadband--to illustrate the iterative formation and application of such mechanisms. Conclusion and implications The authors demonstrate how an engaged approach to communications research situated in the unique context of the involved community of practice-- in this case, stakeholders involved in addressing broadband deployment and sustainability in Alberta--can help generate a cycle of research and praxis that reflects the normative goals of the scholarship of engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly used as a digital storytelling medium to reveal placebased content, including hidden histories and alternative narratives. In the context of Indigenous-settler relations, AR holds potential to expose and challenge representations of settler colonialism while invoking relational ethics and Indigenous ways of knowing. However, it also threatens to disseminate misinformation and commodify Indigenous Knowledge. Here, we focus on collaborative AR design practices that support critical, reflective, and reciprocal relationship building by teams composed of members from Indigenous and settler communities. After a short history of Indigenous media development in Canada, we describe how we operationalized a participatory AR design process to strengthen Indigenous-settler relations. We document a series of iterative design steps that teams can use to work through ethical, narrative, and technical choices made in the creation of culturally appropriate AR content, and draw attention to the potential and limitations of this emerging medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous peoples interact with the emergent network society in diverse ways that reflect the colonialism/self-determination dialectic. One area where this process unfolds is in the bridging of digital divides. I use the concept of the First Mile to show how First Nations and Inuit peoples in Canada’s geographic periphery are asserting their self-determination in the sphere of digital ICTs. While most digital divide literature presumes that a connection to the network society is inherently beneficial, when framed in the context of historic and ongoing processes of colonialism, integration alone is not adequate. An example of a not-for-profit satellite network cooperative demonstrates how three Indigenous organizations shaped the problem of the digital divide into an opportunity to establish a platform for digital self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginalized groups such as Indigenous communities and residents of remote and rural areas face daunting challenges as they attempt to influence regulatory decision-making. Can these under-resourced groups hope to have their voices heard in regulatory proceedings, in the face of well-funded corporate interests? Applying a participatory research method to regulatory hearings regarding telecommunications services in Canada's far north, the authors argue that they can, and identify specific strategies and tactics that they can employ when doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote and rural areas face many challenges, including the provision of telecommunications services. Regardless of universal service policies or other political promises, rural communities can be deemed unprofitable by service providers while government assistance is managed by faraway regulators who lack understanding of the affected communities and citizens. The authors assess these challenges in the context of the First Nations of Canada, via a decentralized "First Mile" framework. They find that these remote communities are capable of local innovation and can collaborate with intermediary organizations to build digital infrastructures, by bridging the gap between the public and private sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peace journalism has been developing as a field since the 1970s. However, confusion remains about its central theoretical problematics, its core methodologies and its political project. In this article, we aim to contribute to the development of peace journalism in two ways. Theoretically, we develop peace journalism theory to support analyses of ‘cold’ conflicts by incorporating insights drawn from critical race theory. Methodologically, we propose that research driven by peace journalism should incorporate both agenda-setting and framing theory. We propose an analytical model that emerged from a dialectical consideration of theory and grounded observation of a strategically chosen empirical example drawn from a broadsheet newspaper series. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For years, indigenous groups in Canada and the United States have argued for public policies to support the coordinated development of community-driven broadband infrastructure. Despite different national contexts and opportunities for policy implementation, case studies from Canada and the United States reflect similarities in the strategic approaches of two indigenous groups to argue for increased "digital self-determination." However, the opportunities to express these arguments and the specific forms they take are shaped by the institutional contexts in each state. This article illustrates how efforts to articulate a strategy of "digital self-determination" are contingent on national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]