By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

A new center in the southwest corner of Wyoming aims to offer digital skills and navigation for people who may not otherwise have access to it. 

The Empowerment Center in Torrington is set to open in the next few weeks, said Matt Larsen, CEO of VistaBeam, the Internet service provider that is setting up the center. 

“Our main goal with the Empowerment Center is, we wanted to get somebody set up to be a digital navigator to help support the community that was there,” he told the Daily Yonder. “We’re going to add a couple of workstations for digital skilling where we’ll have computers available, and people come in and use them whenever they need it. Microsoft is going to have some digital skill programs available that people can use for learning basic things, they can also access whatever else there is on the internet.”

The digital navigator will also be trained to help people sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program. There will also be a video conferencing set up so people can take part in telehealth appointments, Larsen said. 

“We’ve also talked to some volunteer legal services that were willing to do video appointments for clients,” he said. “So there will actually be like the video conferencing area is also going to be set up like a community meeting room…We’re trying to come up with a general purpose facility that will be able to meet the needs of people that may or may not have access to broadband, or the technology or the help to be able to utilize the technology in their home.”

The mission behind the center is to empower communities, Larsen said. 

“We look at broadband as a way to help communities be a little bit more self-sufficient, and not be dependent on things,” he added. “Most of the customer base that we have right now, they don’t necessarily have the expertise to try and figure out how to set up a telehealth monitoring system or even to set up video conferencing. We do. We do a lot of tech support. We help people with a lot of different things. And it seemed like the trend that we were starting to observe is that people really needed to have help with those applications.”

Jen Davis, senior policy advisor for Human Services for Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, said she has had conversations with Larsen about the concept. 

“It will allow residents an alternative location to access technological resources such as telehealth, as well as get support from technology experts,” she told the Daily Yonder. “Many of our rural residents may not have technological access to services or some may not know how to utilize it.”

Davis said she would like to see the utilization patterns so that officials know where there remain gaps and where there are successes in order to replicate it properly. 

“If this is successful, I would love to see this grow as an alternative location for rural Wyoming to gain access and support for technology,” she said, adding: “Since Wyoming is so rural, it is critical that we offer ways to connect to resources. Resource centers are a fundamental piece in providing hands-on services and support to residents who can’t otherwise access services.”

VistaBeam is a small provider – it operates in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska – so it needs to be well connected to its customers, Larsen said. 

“We looked at this as an opportunity to kind of take that customer relationship to the next level, and even open ourselves up to people,” he said. “This is not something that’s only going to be available to our customers, it’s going to be available to anybody that walks in.”

The company is self-funding the endeavor, mainly from the marketing budget, he said, adding that if successful, they hope to open additional centers in Colorado, Nebraska and elsewhere in Wyoming. 

“We’d like to see it kind of develop as being a go-to place for people to have any kind of digital equity stuff that they need to get taken care of,” Larsen said. “We’d like to see it become something that people feel comfortable coming in, and using it, and to just kind of develop a closer tie with the community.”

Kristi Eaton wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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This month, North Dakota has become the latest state to be swept up in the declining presence of local news media. One expert sees it as a concerning trend, especially as it relates to accountability and democracy.

In northeastern North Dakota, Ness Press has ended publishing eight weekly newspapers. Operators of the family-run business say a lack of ad revenue, and having no one else to take over, prompted the decision. The papers centered around local announcements.

Dr. Melissa Vosen Callens, associate professor of communications at North Dakota State University, who teachers media literacy, worries it is part of a nationwide erosion of local news, which creates lasting harm.

"Newspaper deserts are dangerous," Vosen Callens asserted. "It limits our access to information, particularly local information, often in already marginalized communities."

She pointed out when people have to seek information elsewhere, their searches may lead them to disinformation and misinformation on social platforms. She noted it increases polarization, which added greater threats to democracy.

Groups tracking the growing prevalence of news deserts said North Dakota has more than two dozen counties with only one newspaper, and two counties have none.

Only a handful of North Dakota's newspapers are daily publications. Vosen Callens emphasized without consistent local coverage, it is harder to know what's happening in the community, which can have long-term social, political and economic implications.

"Local journalism, for example, often reports on and questions government spending," Vosen Callens stressed.

She added media organizations in larger cities around the region cannot keep track of everything going on in smaller towns around them. And as more papers and other local media close up shop, it leaves a gap in holding municipalities -- and those who lead them -- accountable.


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New York lawmakers are considering a bill to broaden statewide outreach through local media. The Local Community and Ethnic Media Commitment Act would require state agencies to spend about 50% of their print and digital advertising budget in local community and ethnic news outlets. This issue hit home for State Senator Jessica Ramos, who introduced the bill, since she represents the multi-ethnic Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens. A 2022 Census report finds more than 6-million people in places like New York City speak a language other than English. Ramos feels this bill is an effective way to get important information to people of all backgrounds.

"If we want people to take advantage of programs, if we want to educate people about different government processes, then we should certainly be doing so in their language, so that they're engaged and truly feel a part of our community - as they are," Ramos said.

While the bill has not faced much opposition, some media outlets feel government involvement in local media is complicated. In a 2021 report from Northwestern University, experts noted government financial support of local media might provide leverage for politicians to shape the news as they see fit. Currently the bill is in the Senate Finance Committee.

As lawmakers are still learning about the bill, it has not faced many legislative hurdles yet.
But Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, its sponsor, noted one barrier to getting the bill passed is time.

"Because of how much time the budget ate into, with a month delay," Shrestha said. "So on our side, with the Assembly, we're just rushing to get bills numbered, get bills moved through the committee."

She added having this provision in next year's budget would help all New Yorkers learn about new rules, programs and funding opportunities they might be eligible for. The current legislative session is set to adjourn June 8th.

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Thousands of writers are currently on strike following a breakdown in negotiations with the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The strike could have a significant impact on Georgia's economy, which is heavily reliant on the film and television industry.

In 2022, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the industry spent more than $4 billion in the state, making it a crucial part of Georgia's economy.

While talk shows have been the most affected, other productions could also suffer if the strike persists - according to Charles Bowen, Founder of the Savannah Film Alliance.

"If the WGA and the writers decide to actually picket an existing production," said Bowen, "many of the other unions will honor that picket line, and it's basically going to shut down the entire production."

Bowen noted that as writers seek better compensation for their work, they also grapple with new challenges from streaming and AI, which were not present during previous negotiations.

Lakisha Ginyard Louissaint is a director who has worked in Georgia. She stressed that the potential impact on local businesses and jobs goes beyond the immediate effects on writers and producers.

"Without them being able to tell a story," said Louissaint, "the PAs won't have a job, the background people won't have a job, and it puts a halt on a lot of things."

The AMPTP has committed to negotiating new contracts with the Directors Guild of America starting May 10.

This is the first strike to impact production since 2007, which lasted 100 days.




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