Universal Access to the Internet

March 2, 2008 at 2:01 pm · Filed under 1, Reading

What is the relationship between universal access and
economic/political/cultural freedom? In other words, how might they be
different without having universal access to the internet?

It may be different for those having no access to the internet because from an American stand point we can say that those without the net are getting left behind.  In America we have had the internet for about ten years or more now making it easy to obtain information worldwide and understand what is happening all around us.  I believe that having universal access to the internet is a necessity and Michael L. in his essay The Wireless Revolution and Univeral Access discusses ways in which we can make the internet accessibile to people in impovershed countries.  He has several methods that I agree with in terms of attempts to get WiFi in other countries such as India.  I was impressed with VAN (village area netwrok) making it easy for people in village areas to stay connected to the world. 

Currently there is a digital divide between those who have computers and those who do not.  Having this divide can make it more difficult to achieve political, economical and cultural freedom. Rich schools in the 1990′s were able to provide students with the internet.  Also, countries with a wide availability of internet access can advance the economics of that country on a local and global scale. Now days, in America,  jobs and education are both related to the internet (wikipedia).

Although there is a digital divide between people in this world, I do believe that there is a lot of research and programs out there that are providing help in underdeveloped countries to bridge this gap.  In his article. Michael discusses how because of more research and acheivable programs through non-profit driven small-entreprenerial operators, univeral access is coming to exist more rapidly at a smaller cost to those in need.  One lap top per child is a key example of a program trying to help close the gap of digital divide.  Other organizations that I researched that are also trying to overcome this gap are: Geekcorps, EduVision,  and Inveneo. 

In the end, I couldn’t help but ask myself, is it so bad to be digitally unconnected.  Is this really a problem? Maybe what you don’t know can’t hurt.    What if people in third world countires like to be diconnected form the world and live in their own little bubble of life.  Maybe families and friends like to just simply work on a farm, coffee shop, restaurant, market, etc.  Maybe they do not want stimulation form rich countires outside of their own!

Questions:

Do you think it truly is an issue that technology is not available in all countries or should we be making this a concern?

Do you think it ever occurred to anyone that maybe underdevoloped countries may enjoy living the slow pace lifestlye and do not need technology to get by and may not want to progress rapidly into the future?

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