> 1. What activities are endeavoring to bring connectivity to under-served > communities?
Equal Access is a nonprofit organization that helps underserved populations in Asia. We accomplish this by combining cutting edge technology like digital satellite broadcasting and solar energy, with traditional communications technologies like national and community radio. This enables us to effectively deliver a range of development information to a vast number of people in remote communities that lack basic infrastructure like phone lines and reliable electricity. Our unique methodology catalyzes local content production and distribution as a tool to extend the reach and impact of health, education and other development programs. This vigorous approach combines local content development with community-based outreach and interactive assessment to ensure that the communications services provided are truly needed and that communities are central stakeholders in the process. By using digital satellite technologies, solar energy and other appropriate technologies, we are able to reach areas with poor telephony, little or no electrical power and high rates of illiteracy. Please refer to http://equalaccess.org/method/index.htm for more information regarding Equal Access methodology. It is our intention that this approach will create an information platform that has substantial impact in the near term on the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Equal Access' initial activities are focused in the Asia Pacific region and involve the use of digital satellite technology and audio/multimedia programming. In conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, we have created a region wide Digital Broadcast Initiative delivering a variety of development information in local languages directly to communities in a variety of engaging formats. Initial Activities Nepal and Afghanistan: The "Equal Access Asia Development Channel" commenced operations in the summer of 2002, and launched the first phase of a region-wide initiative in Nepal on April 14, 2003, Nepals New Year. Engaging Nepali-language audio programming, including a locally produced soap opera/magazine format series is broadcast daily to a focus audience of over 400 rural, community-based sites. At these sites, active listening and discussion groups receive content direct from the satellite via low-cost, portable receivers. Programming assists communities in dealing with HIV/AIDS Prevention, Women's and Girls' Empowerment and related development issues. In addition to our focus audience, the Equal Access Asia Development Channel reaches a much broader audience through a network of local FM broadcasters and a partnership with Radio Nepal. The Equal Access channel has an extended audience reach of over 9 million (more than 40% of the population of Nepal). Expanded content topics will cover: Microenterprise, Sustainable Livelihoods, Nutrition, Literacy, and Sustainable Agriculture. Equal Access is also operating a teacher training initiative in Afghanistan with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF. Please refer to http://equalaccess.org/programs/index.htm for more information regarding Equal Access Programs. Future Opportunities: Region-wide Impact, Audio to Multimedia, One-way to Two-way. The Equal Access Asia Development Channel is a satellite-based digital audio broadcast that can be received by a potential audience of approximately 1.4 Billion in South Asia (from Bangladesh to Afghanistan). Today we use this Channel to operate a Nepali, Pashto and Dari language broadcasting service. Tomorrow we are aiming for regional impact. We are now conducting pre-pilot activities in India and Laos. We intend to expand our audio services and add multimedia and two-way communications capability. Equal Access plans to offer multi language programming establishing an information network with an audience reach in the hundreds of millions. > 2. What are the goals of these efforts? To what extent are the goals > attained? > > 3. Who is being served by these connectivity efforts? Are the benefits > widely distributed? Do some groups "win" and some "lose" in these > connectivity efforts? > > 4. How do connectivity efforts seek to ensure that all groups benefit? The Equal Access mission is to create positive social change for large numbers of people in the developing world by providing critically needed information and education through: * Effective partnerships and community engagement * Locally produced and targeted content * The use of appropriate and cost-effective technology. Information is portable, relatively inexpensive, and yet one of the most powerful tools known to humankind. But in many parts of the world, its a scarce and inaccessible resource. We believe that by providing critical information we can help people help themselves. Traditionally, aid organizations have operated in a top down fashion telling poorer communities what they need to have. We believe it is paramount to listen to community leaders, find out what their true needs are, and then work hand-in-hand with them to enact a positive and lasting change. Poverty and lack of opportunity remain the underlying causes of a range of development problems. Access to information and education are vital resources required to alleviate poverty and build a foundation for long-term changes. The challenge is to fire up peoples imaginations, tap into their potential to make real differences and engage them as central players in issues concerning their own development. Information and communications technologies can play a central role in providing people access to usable information and educationhowever, ICTs are merely a tool for development. Social and economic development is not possible without the meaningful and sustained involvement of the people who are most effected by developmental changes. Our challenge is to harness the tremendous ICT tools at our disposal to catalyze real, long term differences in the lives of the millions who need it the most. We believe that it is possible to provide relevant information to a vast number of people in practical and cost-effective ways, and to do this in ways that tap into their potential to become active participants in their own empowerment. Equal Access places the highest priority on honoring the unique expressions and resources of local cultures. Our vision is firmly rooted in the belief that people everywhere are entitled to "equal access" to information and education and should have the opportunity to join the dialogue as both recipients and contributors of content. The impact of the locally produced, local language programming is maximized by the outreach efforts of community groups. As a result, the content has the potential to achieve real impact in each location. This is a critical aspect of our methodology as it ensures local direction of project planning and operations, as well as support at the community level. From words to actionour methodology is our vision in practice. > 5. What are the costs and constraints these connectivity efforts face? We use the WorldSpace satellite system for our projects in Nepal and Afghanistan. This system has advantages and disadvantages; we are not wedded to it by any means, but we do believe that it is the best tool available to uniformly reach remote areas with audio content that can then be expanded to multimedia. The advantages of the WorldSpace system are the huge satellite footprint and relatively low cost of satellite bandwidth given the large potential user base. At $70 ex-factory the satellite receivers are much cheaper than other satellite systems available in the South Asian region. Its disadvantages are that it requires use of a specialized receiver (ie. it is not available to the hundreds of millions of listeners to regular radio in South Asia (except through re-broadcasting which we incorporate in our project). A further disadvantage is that the system is operated by a single, privately held Corporation and that there is no direct competitor, so although the system is uniquely useful, its uniqueness means it lacks redundancy. Another key disadvantage, as outlined in other posts by Aaron Sundsmo and others, is its lack of a 2-way satellite return link. Since beginning our utilization of the WorldSpace system, one of our organizational aims has been to work to develop a two-way return link. We are in the final stages of finalizing a technology development project to achieve such a goal, but retain the advantages of the WorldSpace system, such as its reach and its relatively low equipment cost. I hope to be able to post more soon. Sincerely, Michael Bosse Director of Projects For more information please refer to our website at www.equalaccess.org or email us directly. You send comments, questions and/or requests to Michael Bosse, Director of Projects at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Camaran Pipes, Program Associate at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------ ***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/>
