Dear GKD Members, It's difficult to send a summary of the highlights of WSIS -- so many things are going on! I'll try to highlight some things that caught my imagination and interest.
* The $100 Computer: Nicholas Negroponte presented the $100 computer (which now costs $110 but they're trying to squeeze out that 10 bucks) to a packed audience of people wearing business suits to saris and everything in between. The crowd was exceedingly friendly (one woman called this laptop a "gift from God," which hopefully Negroponte didn't take personally). Negroponte emphasized the primary aim of this program is to bring education -- not a laptop -- to every child. Some key points: - They have established a nonprofit organisation, "One Laptop Per Child" (OLPC), which has roots back to 2000-01, with a project in Cambodia in which the Media Lab was involved in building schools in villages without power or phones, and setting up access points in the schools using satellite links. Simultaneously, they got the Governor of the US state of Maine to pass legislation that every schoolchild should have a laptop - Apple won the bid and provided iBooks for every child. When they started, 80% of the teachers were afraid or at least wary but today all support the program. Maine teachers report that discipline problems are down, enthusiasm up, truancy dropped to almost 0, and parent involvement in the schools is up. This dramatic impact has convinced the Media Lab that the "one laptop for every child" is a no-brainer. Negroponte's message to governments: "Just do it!" - Scale is crucial. They are going to companies and basically saying "We don't need something perfect. We need something that works well and is cheap." Lots of companies aren't interested until they hear the huge numbers Negroponte has in mind -- hundreds of millions of computers. Then companies suddenly are ready to change their strategy to this "not perfect but good" approach. - Early sponsors: Google, AMD, NewsCorps, RedHat. But that doesn't mean OLPC is wedded to any of this hardware or software. They'll go with anything that's good (enough) and cheap. Nor are they glued to any particular design. The components can be localized. - Properties: Rugged, wind-up source of energy (1 minute windup gives 1 hour of use), eventually will require less than 1 watt, Open Source, takes standard batteries, black and white screen which has a film that provides color when not in sunlight, uses Flash memory (no hard drive), has WiFi, uses MESH networks to link up the computers, has microphones and speakers, and will be in every language that has a font available. - Negroponte says it's performance will be "stunning," far faster than the typical laptop because it doesn't have "obese" software. - They expect there will be one server in each school which will hold material for easy access, and that the laptops will link to the Internet via satellite in many areas. But even if there's no link to the Internet, the kids will be linked to one another through the MESH Network. - Timetable: Year 1 roll out = 5-15 million; Year 2 roll out = 100-150 million. - Original plan was to launch in 6 big countries, but now they realize that they should allow smaller countries to become members as long as they commit to 1 laptop per child, (e.g., around 5,000 laptops), and to sending some teachers to the Media Lab, i.e., a commitment of about $500,000 with the exact amount and payment schedule dependent on the size of the country and its GDP. - Someone from Indonesia asked if they could get a laptop per classroom because they have such huge numbers of kids. Negroponte's answer: Absolutely NOT. Better to give a laptop to 1,000 kids in one school than to put 100 laptops in 10 schools. So countries have to make tough decisions about who gets the laptops first. [Questions: Is the Media Lab too wedded to the US experience of one-computer-per-person? Will the rich communities in a country get them first and the poor be left further behind?] - Laptops will to go the kids, teachers and principals. - OLPC will prevent a blackmarket in these laptops by making them extremely distinctive looking "so if you're not a child or a teacher someone will ask, 'Why are you using this computer?'" - Negroponte: People say you can't give kids just the laptops, you need content. But actually you CAN just give kids a laptop and they'll get the content online...This is about access and communications, not about developing content." The crowd loved it. * FOSS -- Lots of examples and cases of people using FOSS effectively in developing country contexts. It is clear, despite the critical observations that have been aired on this List and in some quarters of this conference, that there is enormous support for FOSS. Some comments I heard: - FOSS is giving people the only legal and affordable way to get started. Otherwise, they can only use pirated software - FOSS enables people to develop their own applications and systems that fit their use. - Even if Microsoft provides their software free (e.g., to schools), there are always strings attached. Further, it doesn't allow the freedom to do what you want with the software. - If you buy MS software, you're limited to the computers in which it is installed. In contrast FOSS lets you put the software on your computers at school, at home, in government offices. - It's true FOSS isn't as "plug and play" as MS but people are working on improving the interface, tailoring it to local lanugages and environment. Also they hold "Install Fairs," a day in which people learn to install, use, and trouble-shoot the applications. - Not only Sun Microsystems, but lots of other companies and developing and developed country governments are using and promoting FOSS. * The USAID Business Roundtable -- interesting presentations by 3 companies that are (or at least say they are) deeply involved in and committed to development. Main themes across the companies: (1) we need an unregulated frequency that is accepted by governments around the world. This was echoed repeatedly at this conference, both by the private sector and by groups like the MIT Media Lab; (2) emphasis on public-private partnership, i.e., these companies don't go it alone; (3) focus on education, economic growth, healthcare. Details: - Nortel is focusing on connecting communities to foster trade, education, healthcare in developing countries. In particular, their focus is on providing wireless broadband to rural areas. Examples: they have established CDMA high speed networks with wireless MESH networks in Haiti, the capital and 8 provinces in Angola, and rural US, reducing costs (e.g., for backhaul facilities) and providing seamless mobility. They also have wired up Taipai so that the whole city is a "hot zone." - Microsoft is trying to create an "ecosystem" (this seems to be a new buzzword at MS) so that business development is fostered in developing countries. They rely heavily on "public-private partnerships" to ensure their activities to support economic growth, job creation and social inclusion are sustainable. Developing and emerging economies offer a lot to "developed country" companies, but the latter have to unlearn what's been successful in the US and Europe, and do what is appropriate in developing countries. They are investing in large-scale computer training -- examples are Macedonia, where they donated software through a strategic partner agreement, and their Partners in Learning program, which provides resources for teachers to integrate IT in their teaching (they have more than 80 countries who've signed up for this program). They've established computer labs in 30 provinces in China. [My note: Microsoft was extremely difficult to deal with in Macedonia, and some feel that the deal -- they provide one copy of MS Office for each one that the government buys for its offices -- was not really a major donation to Macedonia]. - The Cisco Networking Academies are now in 160 countries and the involvement of women is key. They are launching a Global Education Initiative, which will start in Bangalore, the West Bank (and one other country). They also have a venture capital fund, Acumen Fund, which invests in key businesses and takes a percentage of the companies' equity. The returns are invested in development activities. - Intel: Has a presence in 130 countries. Note that Intel says they have equipment that matches the $100 computer that Negroponte hasn't even produced yet. Their pitch is that unlike Negroponte's $100 computer, which is just hardware, their Emerging Markets Platform Group embeds themselves in communities to identify needs and tailor solutions to the particular communities. They are working with NGOs, governments, and telcos to expand access to computers. The presenter mentioned the book "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" as an inspiration for their work in this area. They are establishing large, multi-million dollar funds in Africa and China, to start. Some major programs: Teaching the Future (is reaching 3 million teachers) and Computer Clubhouses. * Formal WSIS: The various parties are vying to frame the outcome. The US says they got what they hoped for: no politization of the Internet. The EU says they won because they were the reason a compromise and agreement was reached. Those who were against the US position say they won: there's a commitment to (eventually) share control of the Internet. It's true that the formal document recognizes that "all governments should have an equal role and responsibility for international Internet governance and for ensuring the stability, security, and continuity of the Internet." It also sets up a Global Internet Forum, which in theory, can take up any issue related to the Internet. But the more skeptical developing countries say the Forum will end up doing nothing because no responsiblity was established, and it's all voluntary. Bottom line: expect the status quo for some time to come. * Personal note: One of the most inspiring things about WSIS was not the technology, nor even the booths run by NGOs in developing countries. It was the personal interactions: The woman from the Iran booth enthusiastically chatting with someone in the US about what they're doing with the Internet. The guy from Morocco sharing experience with someone at the Israel booth about how to set up a network in a rural area. Africans from across the continent enjoying a clever computer animation together: It was people across borders, not just technology crossing borders. It was also exciting to hear how many people here are GKD members and said it is one of their main sources of information! One example: a woman from Kenya told me she prints out the messages and gives them to her daughter, who teaches secondary school. Her daughter photocopies them and hands them out to her students! Of course there were some moments that gave one pause, e.g., the woman from Sudan who declared that only non-Moslem women are in Web porn, and this proves that the Internet is contributing to the further depravity of US and European women, whereas it is a positive force for Moslem women. Cheers and thanks to all GKD members. This event demonstrated that you are part of a very large and exciting community indeed! Warm regards, Janice ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
