PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE (PPDD)
2017 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, 24-26 May 2017

Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina
San Diego, California USA

http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/

In response to numerous requests, we are extending the 250-word-maximum abstract submission deadline for those who need additional time.
In conjunction with the 67th International Communication Association Annual Conference

Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide (PPDD) is the only academic professional organization in the world focused solely on the digital divide and on connecting research to policymaking and practice to strategize actions and catalyze solutions to this pressing societal concern.The academic research and practitioner community represented by PPDD stands ready to advance the agenda on broadband and the digital divide, to address the many challenges and opportunities presented by the digital world, and to further evidence-based policymaking and practice so that all citizens can participate fully in the digital, networked age.

The interdisciplinary Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide 2017 International Conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners for an extended, in-depth dialogue about key issues that inform information and communication technologies and the digital divide around the world. The Conference works to identify new areas of necessary, productive focus, foster greater understanding, advance research, and enlighten policy and practice going forward. As a major outcome of PPDD 2017, we plan to produce an edited volume of the top papers as well as special issues of our Publishing Partners’ journals on specific themes within the digital divide area.

If you would like to present and discuss your work during PPDD 2017 and have it included in the online PPDD 2017 Conference Proceedings and/or if you would like to provide a Position Paper for inclusion in the PPDD 2017 E-Book, please see the Call for Participation (http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/cfp/) for instructions on how to submit your work for consideration.

If you would like to just attend PPDD 2017 to explore the issues and grow your knowledge and network of connections, please know that you are very welcome and valued in the PPDD Conference Community.

Please join PPDD, our Local Digital Inclusion Program Hosts, and an unprecedented broad multi-disciplinary coalition of co-sponsoring organizations from academic and practitioner communities to share your insights and expertise. Together, we will enrich the dialogue, connect research, policy and practice, and advance the agenda on the digital divide.
Please contact conference [at] ppdd [dot] org with any questions.
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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
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If you would like to 1) present and discuss your work during PPDD 2017 and have it included in the online PPDD 2017 Conference Proceedings, and/or if you would like to 2) provide a Position Paper for inclusion in the PPDD 2017 E-Book, we look forward with enthusiasm to your contribution and ask that you please follow the instructions provided at http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/cfp/ to submit your work.Submissions are welcome from researchers, policymakers, and practitioners at all stages of their careers, from any theoretical and methodological approach, and across multiple disciplines.

1) Deadline to Submit Your 250-Word-Maximum Abstract for Consideration for Presentation:
6 March 2017 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Time to Receive Notification of Acceptance/Rejection on 24 March 2017
or

20 March 2017 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Time to Receive Notification of Acceptance/Rejection on 31 March 2017

If you have visa or other time-sensitive concerns, please submit your work as quickly as possible and email conference [at] ppdd [dot] org to request an expedited review so you can receive notification shortly after submission.

Before we can address the digital divide, we must first understand the nature of life in the digital age, the many challenges and opportunities it presents, and the interplay of influence between technological and social change. Then, in turn, we can fully understand digital inequality; its place alongside other long-standing, persistent issues of social equity, social justice, and media justice; and what it means to be disconnected from the most important technological advancement in communication in a generation and the myriad possibilities it facilitates. Thus, PPDD 2017 invites work that informs issues related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the digital divide broadly defined, including but not limited to:
– gaps in access and connectivity
– digital inclusion
– digital exclusion
– digital (dis)engagement
– challenges and opportunities
– social and cultural aspects of the divide
– the skills and digital/information literacy needed to interpret, understand, and navigate information presented online and the requisite curriculum
– effective use by individuals and communities
– the impact of socioeconomic factors on user behavior
– the role of motivation, attitudes, and interests
– differences in patterns of usage
– characteristics and conceptualizations of non-users
– the ways in which people use the Internet to create content
– content creation and inequality
– different forms of capital and power relationships, including in terms of content creation, labor, and ownership
– the role of theory in understanding ICTs and digital inequality
– the impact of new and evolving technologies
– the mobile divide
– the interplay of influence with mobile technologies
– human-computer interaction, human factors, and usability
– social media
– digital games
– apps
– socioeconomic and cultural effects
– social equity, social and economic justice, and democracy
– media justice and ICTs
– the ethics of digital inequality
– community informatics
– social informatics
– urban and regional planning
– social planning
– international development
– indigenous populations
– children and childhood
– education
– ICTs and well-being
– health
– disability and accessibility
– politics, digital government, digital citizenship, smart cities/citizens/government, civic engagement, adoption issues, and (in)equality
– global citizenship
– policy discourse
– law and policy and its impacts, including information/telecommunications policy, net neutrality, open access, open source, copyright, Internet filtering software, and censorship
– the digital security divide
– the digital privacy divide
– big data and inequality
– organizations and ICTs
– public access initiatives
– anchor institutions
– practitioner-oriented topics considering aspects of design, management, implementation, assessment, collaboration, challenges, problem solution, and opportunities
– architectural challenges and deployment experiences
– Internet access cost analyses
– the application of research to communities, practice, and public and private sector initiatives

2) Deadline to Submit a Position Paper for the PPDD 2017 Conference E-Book: 17 April 2017 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Time
All PPDD 2017 attendees may submit a position paper and all submissions that follow the guidelines provided at http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/cfp/ will be included in the PPDD 2017 Conference E-Book.

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HOTEL AND OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
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On the PPDD 2017 Hotel and Optional Activities page (http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/hotelactivities/), you will find full details about the PPDD 2017 Conference hotel, optional 23 May 4-Hour Field Trip to our Local Digital Inclusion Program Hosts’ Sites Plus Early-Bird Group Dinner, optional 25 May Group Dinner at a Polynesian Restaurant Overlooking San Diego Bay, and sightseeing information about the San Diego area as well as helpful information if you are also attending the International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference.
We have secured extremely low room rates at a beautiful waterfront hotel with great amenities:
Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel & Marina
2051 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, California 92106 USA

To make your hotel room reservation, please call +1-800-922-2336 or +1-619-222-0561, or email res@islandpalms.com <mailto:res@islandpalms.com> and be sure to identify yourself as part of the PPDD group to be eligible for the deeply-discounted rate of $135USD/night (plus tax), including complimentary Internet access, recreational activities, parking, and more.PPDD 2017 room rates are available from 20 May through 29 May — please see http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/hotelactivities/ for complete details.
Reservation Deadline: This special discounted room rate will be available until 24 April or when the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.
For those attending ICA as well as PPDD, there is easy access from PPDD’s hotel to the ICA Hilton Bayfront Hotel via an inexpensive, approximately 20-minute Uber or taxi ride.

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REGISTRATION
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The PPDD 2017 Conference registration fee is:
$99USD for students
$129USD for college/university/non-profit/NGO affiliates
$179 for for-profit corporate affiliates
and includes full access to the Conference as well as hot buffet lunches on 24, 25, and 26 May plus the Conference reception and banquet dinner after the Conference programming on 24 May.
Registration will open in March 2017.Please visit http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2017/registration/ for complete details.

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YOUR PPDD 2017 CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP TEAM
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Conference Organizer
Susan B. Kretchmer, Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide
EuropeOrganizer
Grant Blank, Oxford University and Oxford Internet Institute
AfricaOrganizer
Bill Tucker, University of the Western Cape and Bridging Application and Network Gaps
Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East Organizer
Ellie Rennie, RMIT University
CanadaOrganizer
Richard Smith, Simon Fraser University and Centre for Digital Media
United StatesOrganizer
Susan B. Kretchmer, Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide
Latin America and the Caribbean Organizers
Laura Robinson, Santa Clara University
Hopeton S. Dunn, University of the West Indies, Jamaica and Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication
Policymaker and Practitioner Liaison
Angela Siefer, National Digital Inclusion Alliance

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CO-SPONSORS
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American Anthropological Association Committee on the Anthropology of Science, Technology, and Computing
American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy
American Political Science Association Information Technology and Politics Section
American Public Health Association Health Informatics Information Technology Section
American Sociological Association Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Section
Community Informatics Research Network
International Association for Media and Communication Research Communication Policy and Technology Section
International Association for Media and Communication Research Digital Divide Working Group
International Association for Media and Communication Research Global Media Policy Working Group
International Communication Association
International Communication Association Communication and Technology Division
International Communication Association Communication Law and Policy Division
International Communication Association Mass Communication Division
iSchools
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
Urban Libraries Council, Edge Initiative