Your Computer Skills Help Lighten the Tax Load

You have the power to help make the IRS experience a lot less taxing this year.

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for volunteers to assist in preparing tax returns for 2011 at various sponsored sites throughout the state. It’s called the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

Individuals with good computer skills are especially needed to assist in preparing and transmitting returns electronically through the IRS E-file program. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. All volunteers receive tax training in cooperation with community partners and the IRS.

Volunteers are needed as Return Preparers, Site Coordinators, and Greeters.
Training is held in January and volunteers generally study online with Link & Learn Taxes to obtain their volunteer certification. The Link & Learn program is an interactive course that teaches the steps needed to prepare basic individual income tax returns accurately. Classroom training is also available.  Once certified, volunteers spend as little as three to four hours per week from early February through mid-April working with people in need of VITA services.

Last year, volunteers helped more than 9,100 Nevada taxpayers receive more than $3 million from the Earned Income Tax Credit and distributed more than $11.7 million in total refunds. However, the IRS estimates that approximately 20-25% of the Earned Income Tax Credit is left unclaimed. Come help families in your community!
In Reno, Orientation is scheduled at United Way/Join Together Northern Nevada, 811 Ryland Street at 12:30 pm and at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 13. Both are one hour long.

To sign up go to www.nevadavolunteers.org Keyword: VITA, or please contact Mike Lee, United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra at 775 325-8913. More information about the IRS volunteer tax preparation programs is available at www.IRS.gov.

Wired For Success: Nevada In Action

The Summit Series: Michael Skaggs on Broadband and Economic Development

Nevada’s history-making broadband summit is helping state leaders leap into action. The mission: Spreading high-speed Internet access, adoption, and use to all corners of Nevada and bringing every business sector up to speed.

In this first installment of our 12-week blog series, Wired For Success: Nevada In Action, Mike Skaggs from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development defines the purpose and importance of economic development. Skaggs makes it clear that broadband access, adoption, and use is critical to Nevada’s economic recovery. Broadband also is key to protecting local businesses from future economic downturns.

Nevada businesses with broadband already earn an average of $100,000 more in annual revenue than businesses without broadband. To see how Nevada businesses stack up in broadband access, adoption, and use, check out Nevada’s Business Technology Assessment (http://www.connectnv.org/research)

Check back with connectnv.org to stay up to date on this blog series, and follow Connect Nevada on Facebook and Twitter to get all the latest news on our efforts!

Wired for Success Afternoon Recap

The afternoon session at Wired for Success focused on some of the great opportunities being presented to Nevada through increased broadband adoption and expansion.

The afternoon began with a work force training panel that discussed a variety of issues regarding broadband in Nevada.  


That was followed by Lynn O'Mara the State Health Information Technology Coordinator who discussed the relationship between e-Health and broadband that Connect Nevada examined in a study released this past week.

Finally, Connected Nation’s Michael Ramage took the stage to talk about how communities can rally support for broadband expansion and how such increased adoption can lead to better schools, businesses, and communities.

More than 110 business leaders, government officials, tribal representatives, community leaders, and experts from across Nevada helped make the Wired for Success Summit a great success.  We appreciate all of you who attended, as well as those who watched online, or followed our live updates on Twitter!

Want to continue to stay involved?  Follow Connect Nevada on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to stay informed on the latest news regarding broadband adoption across the state.  With your help we can raise awareness of the digital divide and help bring broadband to more schools, businesses, and communities!

Tune in LIVE to today’s Broadband Summit: Wired for Success!

By Jeremy Thacker, Communications Specialist, Connect Nevada

Leaders from across Nevada are coming together today to revitalize the state’s economy through broadband, and we want you to join the conversation. The first ever Nevada Broadband Summit is bringing more than a hundred attendees to Dayton Intermediate School in Dayton, Nevada to discuss how increased broadband expansion and adoption will lead to more opportunities in schools, businesses, and communities across the state.

The agenda is packed with speakers and panelists who will discuss the critical role broadband will play in creating new jobs and promoting economic development across Nevada. You can watch the event LIVE starting at 9:00am (PST) by clicking the link from the Connect Nevada webpage.  


Click now and follow Wired for Success!



We’d also like to encourage you to join the conversation live by following the hashtag, #NVBroadband on Twitter and submitting any questions you may have for our team of experts to address.

Please join us at 9:00am (PST) to join the conversation at Wired for Success!

Today’s historic summit is hosted by the nonprofit Connect Nevada initiative and the governor’s Nevada Broadband Task Force. Watch for our live updates on this blog throughout the day and look for our complete wrap-up blog tomorrow!

Note: Mac users must have the FLIP4MAC plug-in! It can be downloaded at: http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac-wmv/overview.htm and choose the "Try for free" button.

NACO’s Land of Opportunity

By Lindsey Niedzielski, Program Manager, Connect Nevada

Nevada Association of Counties (NACO) members are feeling a new surge of purpose and hope after the organization’s annual conference. The event was held on September 21 in Churchill County and was capped by a guest speaker with a powerful and inspiring message, especially in light of the tough economic times Nevada has been facing.

Lt. Col. (ret.) Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch

The resonating theme of Lt. Col. (ret.) Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch’s speech was centered on the point that America still represents a land of opportunity. As a child of an immigrant father, Lt. Col Kickbusch challenged the audience to remember the value of family and community, especially among people who feel the most economic hardship. His point was especially relevant as we start to look at the challenges faced by citizens, especially children, without adequate access to broadband. Lower income and minority households are often the ones sitting on the “other side” of the digital divide.

In fact, a study by Connected Nation discovered:

• Only 37% of low-income minority households with children have broadband at home
• Only 46% of all low-income households with children have broadband at home
• Estimates show that 17 million children do not have broadband at home, and that 7.6 million of them live in low-income households
• 40% of low-income households do not own a computer, compared to 9% of all other households

It is statistics like these that are driving Connect Nevada’s purpose to bridge the digital divide and connect all Nevadans to quality broadband and the opportunities it provides. With better broadband access, adoption, and use, Nevada truly is a limitless land of opportunity where the American dream is still alive and well.

A Highway 50 Reminder of How the West was Won

By Lindsey Niedzielski, Program Manager, Connect Nevada

Highway 50 shouldn’t be called the “loneliest road in America” as it’s so often referred to. In fact, once the route of the Pony Express, this road is vibrant with travelers, construction projects, and frontier communities. With a rich history in receiving information, it is no wonder residents are craving new technology and faster download speeds.

Nevada's Highway 50

In Eureka, the Opera House hosts events from concerts to quilt shows drawing residents from all across Eureka and White Pine - mostly by word of mouth. In White Pine County, only 68.65% of residents have access to 3 Mbps download Internet speed as compared to 23.57% in Eureka. In some of the more outlying areas like Baker, they have trouble making a cell phone call. What could they do with a better connection?

These communities, once the anchors of the state of Nevada, rich in copper, gold, and silver, are seeing an economic boom in mining. Now, it is only a matter of infrastructure holding the areas back from again becoming the heartbeat of Nevada. Mt. Wheeler Power is one regional broadband provider that is working with Connect Nevada to bring better broadband to the area. Connect Nevada also recently presented to the White Pine County Commissioners to begin planning for expansion in the region.

Connected Nation Reaches Out to Schools to Identify Connectivity Needs and Successes

By Lauren Hightower, Manager Policy & Research Communications

As part of our back-to-school blog series featuring stories about education and broadband, today we will highlight Connected Nation’s efforts to identify access and connectivity to the Internet at schools.

Seventy miles past Ely, Nevada, there is a one-room schoolhouse called Duckwater School. Nestled between farmland and an Indian reservation, the K-8 school appears to be old-fashioned. But on any given day, Duckwater students are taking an online quiz at their desktop computer, school board members are attending a school board meeting via videoconference, and Lyn Huston, the teacher at Duckwater School, is teaching with a document camera that projects a view onto a screen.

“When I started working at Duckwater School I started learning how to draw cartoon characters to help me illustrate words for the students,” Huston stated. Today, Huston relies on technology to teach. She recalls a teaching moment when she was trying to convey to her Spanish-speaking students what the word avalanche meant. Huston turned to the Internet and brought up a video of an avalanche. It was an “ah ha” moment for the students Huston said. “Technology allows my students to have access to the same resources that any other student at any other school has access to.”

This is a clear example of how broadband connectivity at schools is changing teaching methods and is enhancing the learning experience for students across the country. Connected Nation wants to ensure that gaps in connectivity at schools are identified and successes such as those at Duckwater School are shared.

Connected Nation is gathering information on school connectivity through an online survey process and partnerships with statewide associations across 11 states and 1 territory: Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

This data gathering process is part of the United States Department of Commerce’s State Broadband Data & Development Grant Program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. All data that is gathered as part of this process is submitted for inclusion on the National Broadband Map.

Both nationally and at the state level there is significant value to capturing connectivity data for schools. Having this information available on the National Broadband Map will better equip state and local leaders, providers and educators with essential information and data that will assist with directing future broadband efforts.

Additionally Connected Nation is highlighting stories of both success and of need in newsletters that are being distributed across these states. Duckwater School was highlighted in the first issue of Connect Nevada’s newsletter which was recently released and shared with schools and other institutions across the state.

Connected Nation invites all schools, libraries, hospitals and public safety institutions to participate in our Community Anchor Institution surveys. Please contact Lauren Hightower at lhightower@connectednation.org for a survey password and visit the websites below:

Connect Alaska
Connect Florida
Connect Iowa
Connect Kansas
Connect Michigan
Connect Minnesota
Connect Nevada
Connect Ohio
Connect Puerto Rico
Connect South Carolina
Connected Tennessee
Connected Texas

Group Forms to Expand Broadband in Humboldt County, Nevada

By Jeremy Thacker, Communications Specialist, Connected Nation/Connect Nevada

Local leaders in Humboldt County are laying the groundwork to create new jobs and boost the economy across northeast Nevada. The Humboldt Development Authority (HDA) board has officially joined Connect Nevada’s statewide initiative to expand broadband adoption and use in its region. The leaders met Tuesday in Winnemucca to form a local advisory committee in support of the effort to increase technology use.

The local planning teams are organized by Connect Nevada. The nonprofit is working to accelerate the availability and use of technology throughout the state to create a better business environment, more effective community and economic development, improved healthcare, enhanced education, and more efficient government.

Connect Nevada’s program coordinator presented to the HDA board at its meeting. Lindsey Niedzielski explained the process of forming a regional planning team. The team will eventually be responsible for decisions about how to increase broadband use among all area homes and businesses through public and private partnerships.

“High-speed Internet enables access to quality jobs, information, and vital services ranging from interactive telemedicine to higher education,” says Niedzielski. “Connect Nevada, with the support of the Nevada Broadband Task Force, is undertaking the important work of grassroots regional planning to grow and expand technology use in our communities. We are thrilled that Humboldt County leaders are working with us.”

According to Connect Nevada’s latest broadband availability research from the Nevada Broadband: Preliminary Overview of Broadband Infrastructure & Adoption in Nevada report:

- Approximately 22%, or one-fifth, of households in Nevada have broadband available, but for various reasons do not subscribe. Connect Nevada is working to raise the awareness of broadband’s benefits so that more residents will get online

- In Humboldt County, 95% of households have access to the minimum 768 Kbps download speed service, while 53% of Humboldt County has 3 Mbps download speed service available

Humboldt County has approximately 5,733 households and relies heavily on fixed wireless and mobile broadband services with significantly less cable and DSL services available. There is currently no fiber service available. This puts the county slightly below the state average in broadband availability.

Percentage of Humboldt County households served by broadband technology platform:

- Cable – 63.69%

- DSL – 62.69%

- Fiber – 0%

- Fixed Wireless – 86.6%

- Mobile Wireless – 97.51%

Connect Nevada has partnered with the Governor’s Broadband Task Force and is working with broadband providers to speed up the expansion of broadband in unserved and underserved areas. The organization is pinpointing remaining gaps in Nevada’s broadband availability.

Nevada’s New Broadband Map Showcased in Live Demonstration

A screen shot of Connect Nevada's new online mapping app.

Reno, NV – Nevada’s new, powerful broadband map application is now available to everyone online. In an effort to bring quality, high-speed Internet to the entire state, Connect Nevada and the governor’s Broadband Task Force unveiled the cutting-edge mapping technology in a live demonstration on the University of Nevada – Reno campus.

Government and community leaders across all sectors including agriculture, IT, healthcare, and education gathered to learn about the new map and its uses for broadband planning. The live demonstration and simultaneous webinar walked participants through the many ways Nevada’s new broadband map can be fully customized to meet any viewer’s needs. Connect Nevada staff and Nevada Broadband Task Force Chairperson Daphne DeLeon walked attendees through exercises ranging from finding broadband providers at a specific address to viewing unserved Nevada neighborhoods by satellite and then printing or e-mailing maps with customized information.

“In today’s digital world, being connected to the Internet is critical to preserving and improving lifestyle,” said DeLeon. “Whether you live in a rural or urban area, high-speed Internet enables access to quality jobs, information, and vital services ranging from interactive telemedicine to higher education. Broadband gives you the opportunity to work from home, take online classes, and market your products - all of which have a positive impact on the local economy. Yet, for thousands of Nevada residents, affordable access to high-speed Internet is still not available.”

The newly unveiled map confirms that approximately 21,000 Nevada households are still without any broadband service option at all. Connect Nevada, in collaboration with the state’s broadband providers, will update the map on a routine basis to reflect “real-time” broadband availability so that policy makers, Internet providers, and the general public can use the maps to make informed decisions about broadband investment and expansion.

The map is accessible through the Connect Nevada website, www.connectnv.org.