WSU center opens Center to Bridge the Digital Divide office in Spokane – Agency aims to use technology to bridge gaps, find answers

Washington State University’s Center to Bridge
the Digital Divide opened its Spokane office Monday. U.S.
Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, cut the ceremonial
ribbon in the center’s new office.

Tom Sowa
Staff writer

A better image for the 2-year-old program would have
been tying a ribbon rather than slicing one.

The center — known in WSU parlance as "CBDD" —
develops connections between communities looking for
answers and experts and providers who’ve got solutions.

The chief solution, based on what the center claims as its
expertise, is finding ways for communities or towns to use
technology more effectively.

Last year, the center helped the city of Colville arrange
with Washington Dental Service to open a call center in
Stevens County, creating more than 50 jobs. Later this
year, the WSU center will build an education link between
students and teachers at Mount Spokane High School and
students and educators in South Africa.

The center’s main office is on WSU’s Pullman campus.
Monday’s ceremony debuted the Spokane offices at 120 N.
Stevens. Those offices have been donated to WSU by
Avista Corp. through November.

Occupying an office in downtown Spokane is a chance for
the center to build tighter relationships with other agencies,
firms and area groups, said center Director Bill Gillis.

The agency has a $3 million budget, but only $230,000 is
state-provided. The rest comes from sponsors, contracts
for services and contributions, said Gillis.

Nethercutt said the center’s role in forging links is vital and
essential. "It’s the future of our children," he said.

The center originally focused on bridging the most obvious
digital divide — between rural communities and other areas
that have plenty of communications technology.

But now the center’s focus is far wider than just the
urban-rural divide, said Gillis.

"There are social, cultural and economic divides, and
technology can help us get across them," he said.

While based in Washington state, the center’s mission must
be global, Gillis added.

"It’s important that we connect our youth with the rest of
the world," he said. "We need to build bridges across
schools and build bridges across governments."

•Business writer Tom Sowa can be reached at (509)
459-5492 or at [email protected].

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=042203&ID=s1339635&cat=section.business