Title: Broadband Adoption in Low-Income Communities
Authors: Dharma Dailey, Amelia Bryne, Alison Powell, Joe Karaganis and Jaewon Chung
Pages: 103 pp.
Publisher: Social Science Research Council
Date (published): 01/03/2010
Date (accessed): 23/03/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
The social function of the Internet has changed dramatically in recent years. What was, until recently, a supplement to other channels of information and communication has become increasingly a basic requirement of social and economic inclusion. Educational systems, employers, and government agencies at all levels have shifted services online—and are pushing rapidly to do more. Price remains only one factor shaping the fragile equilibrium of home broadband adoption, and library and community organizations fill the gap by providing critical training and support services while under severe economic pressures. Commissioned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to analyze the factors shaping low rates of adoption of home broadband services in low-income and other marginalized communities, this SSRC study is one of the only large-scale qualitative investigations of barriers to adoption in the US and complements FCC survey research on adoption designed to inform the 2010 National Broadband Plan. The study draws on some 170 interviews of non-adopters, community access providers, and other intermediaries conducted across the US in late 2009 and early 2010 and identifies a range of factors that make broadband services hard to acquire and even harder to maintain in such communities.

Title: Web Accessibility Policy Making: An International Perspective
Editor: Nirmita Narasimhan
Pages: 106 pp.
Publisher: G3ict & the Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore
Date (published): 15/02/2010
Date (accessed): 24/02/2010
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper seeks to identify some of the initiatives and best practices which have been adopted by countries around the globe as a first step towards policy formulation for countries. Many of the countries included in the study are developed nations since the aim is to look not merely at a collection of policies in place, but at a wide gamut of regimes where the principle of accessibility has taken shape in different forms, ranging from legislations and policies to directives and ordinances, and observe the efficacy of these forms in their respective national environments. It is hoped that the various frameworks embodying this principle illustrated in this study, would serve as an inspiring example to other developing countries in Asia and neighbouring continents to enact similar legislations and policies and help to build a more inclusive world. The paper explores 15 countries and the European Union as subjects of study. The countries include the United States and Canada from the Americas; the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden in Europe; and Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Korea and Thailand from the Asia Pacific.
This document contains a detailed report on the initiatives taken by each country and concludes with a brief summary and a set of generic recommendations for policy makers.

Title: The APC ICT Policy Handbook (Second edition)
Editor: David Souter
Pages: 229 pp.
ISBN: 92-95049-73-X
Publisher: Association for Progressive Communications, APC
Date (published): 16/11/2009
Date (accessed): 18/02/2010
Type of information: handbook
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf, 2,67 MB)
Abstract:
What’s in the handbook?
The main text of the handbook has been written by experts in the field so that readers get a basic understanding of the issues. It can then be used as a platform for further investigation.

Each chapter seeks to give an objective account of existing issues, rather than presenting any specific point of view. Where issues are controversial, the different viewpoints involved have been explained so that the reader has a clear view of the issues in dispute.

Examples are also given of recent events or debates, which readers can explore further if so inclined. Suggestions as to where readers can find out more about ICT policy can also be located in the bibliography and list of organisations active in the field which are in appendices.

The text is divided into sections as follows:

Section 1 introduces the main themes within ICT policy debate.

Four sections look at the technical, market, policy and regulatory issues affecting the four main types of ICT with which the handbook is concerned:
Section 2: Computing and information technology
Section 3: Broadcasting
Section 4: Telecommunications
Section 5: The internet.
Section 6 is concerned with the relationship between ICTs and social, economic and development policy.
Section 7 is concerned with rights issues.

An appendix identifies further resources which readers may find useful.

Title: Using ICT research to assist policy making and regulation: the case of Namibia
Authors: Christoph Stork, Tony Vetter
Pages: 14 pp.
Source: CPRsouth
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 21/12/2009
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper examines three barriers to effective policy-making and regulation in developing countries: inefficient operators; information asymmetry between regulator and operators; and where the role of the regulator to balance the interests of consumers, competing enterprises and investors is not being fulfilled. The paper demonstrates how ICT research of Research ICT Africa in combination with multiple communication strategies have been used to assist regulators and policy makers in making informed decisions and led to market liberalization and legislative and regulatory reform in Namibia. A presentation on research
results to the Namibian president and cabinet in 2006, private sector co-funding of research projects, over 80 newspaper articles covering research results, 21 magazine articles, six target policy briefs, radio and TV interviews, face to face consultations all helped shaping public opinion and informing policy makers and regulators. This paper describes how ICT research was translated into useful information and advice for policy makers and regulators by working with journalists, providing strategic information to the private sector, researching issues for the regulator and maintaining impartiality.

See also:
Presentation pdf

Title: Narratives on Digital Bangladesh: Shared Meanings, Shared Concerns
Authors: Jude Genilo, Shamsul Islam, Marium Akther
Pages: 21 pp.
Source: CPRsouth
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 21/12/2009
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
(CPRsouth4: Speaking Truth to Power, Conference, 7 - 8 December 2009, Negombo, Sri Lanka)
One of the campaign promises of the interim Awami League government was a “Digital Bangladesh” by 2021. What the phrase exactly meant remained unclear. Political speeches offered little clues amid the jargon. Hence, some political analysts think that the government simply wanted a political slogan that associated them with modern and progressive thinking. Such was done to win over the educated and young voters, who demanded from the government a strategic emphasis on using Information and Communication Technologies. In using such a catchy slogan, however, the government placed “Digital Bangladesh” on the public agenda. Academic conferences, roundtable discussions and media stories have been executed in its name. This paper looked at the emerging narratives concerning “Digital Bangladesh” to provide some direction to the current government regarding popular consensus - particularly the shared meanings and shared concerns taking shape. It sought to answer the question: What are the understandings of Digital Bangladesh by the various sectors of society – government, business, media, academe, information technology and civil society? The paper used a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory design using the research methods of document examination, interviews and discourse analysis.

From the data, the paper illustrated that there were still no clear definitions, goals and roadmaps on Digital Bangladesh. However, there existed a consensus regarding its beneficiaries, scope, components and feasibility. The study recommended that government continue with and expand the dialogue on Digital Bangladesh, particularly in areas where there have been no clear shared meanings. Government should likewise take off from emerging consensus and address the shared concerns, especially in designing future policies.

See also:
Presentation pdf
Policy Brief pdf

Title: The sad Broadband workshop…
Author: Chanuka Wattegama, Carlos A. Afonso
Source: LIRNEasia
Date (published): 21/11/2009
Date (accessed): 21/11/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
We reproduce fully below, Carlos A. Afonso’s post to a thread on Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility responding to discussions at the IGF workshop “Expanding broadband access for a global Internet economy: development dimensions”, in which Rohan Samarajiva, Chair/CEO LIRNEasia was the keynote speaker. We retain the original title.

I left the workshop a bit shocked with the concepts expressed...by other speeches which seemed to completely ignore that, in most of our contries, there is a de facto monopoly or cartel situation regarding the telco infrastructure, and that public policy ought to centrally take this into account if the aim is to universalize broadband access with quality to all families.

Title: An ICT Skills Cascade: Government-Mandated Open Source Policy as a Potential Driver for ICT Skills Transfer
Authors: Andrea Tapia, Edgar Maldonado
Pages: 21 pp.
ISSN: 1544-7529
Source: Information Technologies & International Development, Volume 5, Number 2, Summer 2009, 31–51
Publisher: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Date (published): 10/07/2009
Date (accessed): 07/11/2009
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
The purpose of the article is to illustrate a government policy-centered approach to universal ICT skills transfer. We believe that the recent laws passed in Venezuela, while specifically aimed at universally migrating government offices, agencies, and industries to Open Source Software and Systems, constitute a new approach to the problem of how to augment the number of skilled IT workers, citizens, and IT-focused companies. We assert that these policies have the potential to change the operating systems and infrastructure of the entire country of Venezuela and provide opportunities for the transfer of ICT skills to traditionally underserved populations. We find that the mandatory migration to OSS policies and laws has the potential to produce massive IT skills transfer. In contrast with the approaches taken by other nations, the Venezuelan government has not relied on the private sector to invest in large-scale projects to build the IT sector. The Venezuelan government has instead created its own large-scale project. In addition, the Venezuelan government has created IT training and educational centers, as well as its own software development centers and small business incubators. Through this approach, the government has been able to close the IT development circle, controlling all aspects of the development process more tightly than in other nations. The Venezuelan policies and OSS migration are relatively new, and the data to measure their success does not yet exist. However, the strategies employed by the government are interesting in themselves because of their potential to begin a cascade of change throughout the country.