A quick reaction to Monday, December 17, 2001, 6:05:20 PM, Alan Levy wrote:
> My true goal is to achieve universal access to IP communications. It is > possible, if sufficient political will is created. This requires > voices, nothing more. Fine but this is not the only fundamental issue in development. > The digital divide solely exists due to a surprising few reasons. While Mr. Levy's presentation of the vicious logic of telecom "markets" is quite appropriate, the digital divide is of limited concern if not considered as part of the overall social divide. It does not matter much to be able to call emergency assistance if one cannot pay for the treatment in the hospital and have to. <snip> > [More ominously, one might conclude government does understand this, and > is willing to sacrifice generations to gain tighter control over > communications, and a subsequent power to participate in determining who > in the future will own the small number of large content producers. > This creates franchises (ie. Disney) and also generates taxes from > worldwide sources.] This, and all the demonstration that preceded is certainly part of the picture. But "government" should be considered here a shorthand for "techno-structure" so much governments and big business have incestuous relations at this time. However, it is unlikely that change could occur in any area, much less the telecom one, as long as the overall premises and foundations of social "order" will remain unchanged. <snip> > Sadly, no one believes a minimum degree of access to communications, to > basic information-exchange, should be considered a basic human right. > Sadly, no one recognizes the cost for failing to share equitably such > right. Sadly, no one has made proper use of their $5.00 calculator. Well, Mr. Levy may feel lonely but there are plenty of people and organizations who did and act about these issues. Not least the "telecentres" which he said in another message, if I got it correctly, are not appropriate. They may not be from his perspective of universal individual access to telecoms. But true telecentres do not seek to provide acces to telecoms, they seek to support social transformation efforts by the communities themselves, using telecom facilities whenever they can be of help. Michel Menou ------------ ***GKD is an initiative of the Global Knowledge Partnership*** 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.globalknowledge.org>
