I suggest creating an initiative to foster internal collaboration within as many countries as possible; to form national IP systems following in the example of PBS. I urge universities to play a leading role. A national public system could assist communites in establishing local wireless networks.
A non-profit structure is superior to other alternatives; it provides transparency and trust, promotes community-based participation, shares costs and reduces investment. In fact, a nationwide non-profit network takes no longer to build, territory by territory, local-loop by local-loop, than in public or private activities. I suggest a non-profit network might be capable to achieve nationwide expansion faster; with a network supporting initially only a minimum set of basic IP applications, including VoIP. To enfranchise local communities in a drive to adopt IP communications we must promote community-based initiatives, whether for: (1) physical wireless local-loop networks; (2) VPN platforms (basic IP applications reside here); (3) content. A nation's public IP system might employ one or all, flexibly, or evolving in a gradual process. A national organization provides a framework to collaborate and share resources, for VPN development and content, and in negotiations with ICT vendors, governments and development agencies. They have the resources, and need added only the vigorous community participation that can be structured in an organized collaboration between communities and supported through a national organization. Our goal is to reach universal participation in a minimum set of basic IP applications, one sustainable step at a time, community by community, region by region. A network knows no boundaries, can continue to expand, to interconnect new community networks, to allow an even greater sharing of investment. A VPN platform can be reutilized. Content acquisition can be shared. The communities within a country must be organized; they need wireless local-loop networks, or reduced telecom connection cost for community-based virtual private networks, and an organized national representation similar to the public broadcasting system. Better yet, a group of national systems, under an umbrella international organization wholly-owned by it's member national systems, can equal, some would say equalize, the purchasing power of the largest incumbents, and their public influence. It could have an affect on standards. I know this to be a fact, and have had it expressed to me by several leading ICT's. Governments, having charged fees, must eventually regulate, and subsidize, the cost of a part of the network platforms of their commercial oligarchies, or cause a cross-subsidization between the applications residing in portals and sub-portals... or allow a completely new and independent, interoperable, low-cost system, free from the costs of older existing networks, based on independent but interconnected community local-loops. In whatever outcome, there needs to be a trusted non-profit community effort. Commercial providers can't do it, and government shouldn't. Let the US provide this example, where PBS has 349 noncommercial stations. Of the 171 licensees that own these stations, 88 are community organizations, 56 are colleges/universities, 20 are state authorities and 7 are local educational or municipal authorities. Would anyone like to make suggestions or participate? If so, please elaborate. Alan Levy Mexico, D.F. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** 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/>
