{"id":252,"date":"2003-01-27T12:17:06","date_gmt":"2003-01-27T10:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.multiplicity.dk\/?p=252"},"modified":"2003-01-27T12:17:06","modified_gmt":"2003-01-27T10:17:06","slug":"universal-access-more-from-the-riptari-filter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krag.be\/index.php\/2003\/01\/27\/universal-access-more-from-the-riptari-filter\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Access\u2026 More from the Riptari Filter"},"content":{"rendered":"

riptari filter: Facing Kenny’s Figure<\/a><\/p>\n

What we really ought to be doing, all of us who are taking an interest in the internet’s expansion, is not only to follow Mr. Kelly’s example by continuing to openly, frequently criticize the call for universal access, but more importantly we should start creating and implementing new and realistic methods to bring the internet’s benefits to isolated areas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Instead of focusing on what is (at least in our life-times) likely to be an absurd ideal (in the ‘world peace’, ‘no starvation’ mold), there must be a better focus for our efforts in working with ICTs for development. <\/p>\n

I have a suggestion. Let’s have a look at commercial business-models, entrepreneurship and grassroots innovation. On the one hand I believe the argument made sometimes that the free market will eventually bring the technology into every corner of the world. On the other hand, I can see it isn’t happening at the moment. <\/p>\n

People like David Boaz at the Cato Institute, make some very good points<\/a> about the so-called Digital Divide. He especially focuses on the internal US divide, between the poor and the rich, the black and the white, and basically claims that the free market will correct these divergences given time. <\/p>\n

There are a few points worth making here. First of all, David Boaz and others spend a lot of time talking about the internal US digital divide. I know very little about this particular issue, and frankly, being Danish, am not all too concerned about it. What does concern me is the global inequalities, in financial, educational, medical and yes technical areas. This divide is a whole different ballgame than anything internal to the US. It is more severe, less is being done (effectively) on a daily basis to correct it, and it concerns aabout 20 times as many people as the entire population of the US. Oh, and let’s not forget that the free markets are failing miserably to deal with it (i’m not even going to try and prove the validity of this statement, but believe me, failed they have).<\/p>\n

I clearly remember my economics teacher in the last vague memories of some long forgotten education, impressing upon us how free markets depend on free flow of information, and also hinting more than once that there were conceivable situations in international economics where toll- and customs barriers would hinder the optimal workings of the free market.<\/sarcasm><\/p>\n

And that, IMHO, is exactly the situation we have today. Yes, the free market could and should bring communication technologies to the masses given a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this is not happening. The reasons are diverse and heavily interconnected, but some of the obvious ones include:<\/p>\n