Transcript edited for length and clarity.
Clay Wallace, WUKY
A Bowling Green nonprofit is teaming up with more than 25 organizations on six continents to attempt a Guinness World Record for the longest internet literacy live stream ever. Today I'm speaking with Heather Gate, Executive Vice President of Digital Transformation at Connected Nation. Thanks for being here, Heather.
Heather Gate, Connected Nation
Thank you so much for having me.
Clay
Tell me about the event. When we say a live stream - this is something anybody can tune in for?
Heather
Absolutely. It's going to be 25 hours of learning; 25 consecutive hour-long segments that people can participate in from anywhere in the world, at any point during those 25 hours.
Clay
What sort of digital background are you assuming for participants? Is there a baseline of what people should understand?
Heather
People across the full spectrum of digital literacy are invited. I'd characterize the level as maybe American 8th grade. Anyone can join and get a basic understanding of what digital literacy is. That's really the goal: to bring people together around topics they hear every day but may not always fully understand.
Clay
What will it take to qualify for the world record?
Heather
Here's the magic. It's 25 hours, and we cannot go down. If we experience a technical problem, we have one minute to get back on. We also have to have at least 50 people watching at all times - if the number drops below that, we have five minutes to rally and get back up. So it's pretty intense, especially around 3 am.
Clay
Well, but it's a worldwide stream.
Heather
It is. We're counting on our partners around the world to rally people in their individual countries. What we're doing is what we call "following the sun" - the training is always originating from somewhere where it is daylight.
Clay
Oh, so nobody's sitting in their offices at 2 am!
Heather
No, no, no.
Clay
Has Connected Nation ever attempted anything like this before?
Heather
No, we have not. And we are going for the Guinness World Record but, more importantly, the reason we're doing this is to elevate our mission, to have a global conversation about the importance of digital skills. These skills are really important for economic development, for quality of life, and for making sure people can navigate the internet safely. Underlying the record is a very strong need to bring people together around why these things matter.
Clay
Can you give me a taste of what people might experience? What are some of the sessions?
Heather
One of our partners is AARP, and they're hosting an hour-long segment on online scams. The group most targeted by online scams is older adults, so they're well-placed to share that expertise. We also have several segments on AI: different perspectives on how to use it safely, what AI looks like in your everyday life, ethics around AI, how to use it responsibly. There are probably four or five organizations talking about AI, each from a different angle.
Clay
Is there a particular segment you're most excited to tune in for?
Heather
I'm passionate about online safety, so there's that. But honestly, one of my favorites is what we call the children's block. One segment in that block is led by an organization run by a former FBI agent - it teaches children how to channel hacking skills into job opportunities, turning negative energy into something positive. We also have Common Sense Media doing a session on healthy digital habits. And then we have some teenagers from Hawaii who are going to be teaching a segment.
Clay
What are the teenagers from Hawaii presenting?
Heather
They're part of a program called Teens Teach Tech, where teenagers teach older adults. It's intergenerational. In Hawaii, elders are called kūpuna, and this program trains kūpuna on how to use the internet. It's really, really cool.
Clay
That is really cool. So when Connected Nation isn't aiming to break a world record, what sort of work are you doing?
Heather
This effort is really embedded in our broader mission. Connected Nation's mission is to ensure that people have the skills, tools, and infrastructure to use the internet meaningfully. We have two distinct verticals. One is digital infrastructure: making sure people actually have connectivity, because if you don't have the infrastructure, you can't even begin to talk about skills. The other is digital empowerment: once you have the infrastructure, do you have the skills? Can you afford it? Do you know how to use it safely, for jobs, for education, for other life skills?
Clay
You've been working in digital inclusion for more than 17 years. A lot of people assume that getting people connected is just about physical connections - getting people online. But there's more to it than that. How does that change across different populations?
Heather
We call it the digital divide, the gap between the haves and have-nots. And the digital divide is very nuanced. If you're somewhere remote or rural, your divide might be the infrastructure itself. Or you could be in a city with 100% fiber connectivity where half the residents can't afford it. Or people may know how to use a smartphone and go on social media, but don't know how to write a resume or save a PDF. Just because someone has access doesn't mean they know how to use it meaningfully.
We've seen this a lot with younger generations, where everyone assumes they were born knowing this stuff. But they get into the workforce and they can't type. They can tap on a smartphone, but give them a keyboard and ask them to type a document quickly, and they don't know how, because we don't have typing classes in a lot of schools anymore. People assume skills are just being absorbed. And so the nature of the digital divide keeps evolving.
Right now, our biggest concern is the AI divide. There's a lot of conversation about jobs going away, but not enough conversation about your job going to a person who knows how to use AI well.
Clay
What brought you into this work?
Heather
It's a funny story. I went to college and grad school for computer science, and then I woke up one day and realized I really hated computer science in grad school... thousands of dollars later! I was talking to my mentor and said, "I love technology and I want to do something good in this world." And my mentor said, "I know a little nonprofit called Connect Kentucky" - that was before Connected Nation - "And they're working on advancing economic development through high-speed broadband."
When I really read through it, I thought, this is what I should be doing. I could leverage my computer science degree without being a programmer - and help kids and others develop their technology skills. It was the right time. It felt like a calling.
Clay
So it's a 25-hour live stream, with 25 partners, on Connected Nation's 25th anniversary. What does it mean to be internet literate in 2026 compared to when Connected Nation was first founded?
Heather
I remember conversations 25 years ago trying to convince counties why they needed a website. We were defining what high-speed internet even was before smartphones, before anyone imagined you'd have a phone with internet access. Now, nobody needs to have that conversation. The question isn't what high-speed internet is: it's what apps, tools, and resources can make your life better, keep you connected to family, or give you the freedom to live and work from wherever you want.
There's a lot of investment right now in deploying better infrastructure across the United States, and over the next few years we'll see connectivity reach areas that didn't have it. But what will always remain important is making sure people have the skills to use whatever the technology of the moment is. Today that's AI. Ten or fifteen years from now, it'll be something we can't even imagine yet.
Clay
Is there anything I haven't asked you about that you'd like to mention?
Heather
I'd love to say a little more about our partners. We're working with incredible organizations from across the world,all equally passionate, all committed to serving people and advancing education and opportunity. Going across six continents means each of these organizations is representing not just their country but the people they serve, and I can't say enough about that. I also want to recognize our sponsors and lead collaborators - AT&T, Amazon, Netflix, and some amazing nonprofits - who are helping bring awareness to this.
Clay
Thank you so much for your time today, Heather.
Heather
Thank you so much for having me.
Clay
This has been a conversation with Heather Gate, Executive Vice President of Digital Transformation at Connected Nation. The live stream begins September 24th at 9 a.m. Eastern. You can find the full schedule and watch for free at ConnectedNation.org.