WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Commentary: Marginalized Need a Voice
Statistics on Internet Use Flawed: UN
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Commentary: A Present for Murdoch
EDTECH
eSchool News Announces "Network Resources Management" Center
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Using Telecenters to Implement Romanian Universal Service
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WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
MARGINALIZED NEED A VOICE
[Commentary] Early drafts of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)
offiicial declaration stated that the information society will be "a new and
higher form of social organization." Steve Buckley, president of World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters and director of the UK Community
Media Association, says he has yet to see any sign of that. "As the summit
rapidly approaches, such admirable ambitions look set to be dashed on the
rocks of old style political wrangling in which vision is a scarce commodity
indeed," Buckley writes. He says that civil society activists, who were
invited to work alongside governments and the private sector, have found
themselves forced into the margins, ignored, and excluded from meetings in
what was supposed to be a "multi-stakeholder" approach. Meanwhile,
governments are tussling over issues like media freedom, intellectual
property, control of the Internet and funding. "The prospects for the
poorest people in the world to increase their prosperity through access to
new information technologies looks remote in the face of such basic
obstacles as electricity supply, access to education and the cost of
equipment," adds Buckley. He asserts that WSIS will fail in its objectives
if a voice is not given to the most marginalized groups.
SOURCE: BBC; AUTHOR: Steve Buckley
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3251024.stm
STATISTICS ON INTERNET USE FLAWED: UN
Thursday, the UN said because of flawed statistics, the extent of the
technology gap between richer and poorer nations may be smaller than
previously believed. This revelation comes just days before the World Summit
on Information Society, which will be held in Geneva next week. "Everyone's
going to be talking about the digital divide, and how massive it is," says
Michael Minges, co-author of the study. "Is the digital divide as big as we
think? The answer is 'No.'" If WSIS participants agree to launch a digital
divide fund, he says, its effectiveness could be undermined unless the
summit also focuses on ways to get accurate data from all nations. "The
number of Internet users in most developing countries is usually based on
government guesstimates or vague estimates," added Vanessa Gray, another
co-author of the 242-page World Telecommunication Development Report. "We're
not saying that there's no more digital divide, but the main problem is that
there is too little information." For future data collection, the
International Telecommunications Union suggests harmonization of data
collection using a 23-point list of extra measurements.
SOURCE: The Globe and Mail; AUTHOR: Associated Press
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031205.gtnetdec5/BN...
y/Technology/
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
A PRESENT FOR MURDOCH
[Commentary] Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation will soon take over DirecTV,
the largest direct-broadcast satellite service in the US. The move will
greatly increase Murdoch's power over the American TV landscape and give
conservatives an even greater ability to push their agenda, writes Jeff
Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy. Murdoch's political success
with this merger didn't depend solely on his ability to have Fox News
support the Bush administration and give Republican politicians airtime,
Chester comments. In addition, Murdoch personally met with key lawmakers and
FCC commissioners. From 1999 to 2002, his company spent almost $10 million
on lobbying and donated nearly $1.8 million during the 2000 and 2002
campaigns. The acquisition of DirecTV gives Murdoch a vast "triple play" TV
empire in broadcasting, cable and now satellite. News Corp. will be free to
create new channels to fill the immense channel capacity of its new US
satellite service. Murdoch's power is unlikely to be limited much by cable
competitors because of his ability to force deals favorable to his stations.
Murdoch also plans to quickly adopt new technology designed to make TV more
interactive, which might include services such as gambling, video games and
audience polls. "Get ready for Fox TV on steroids," warns Chester.
SOURCE: The Nation; AUTHOR: Jeff Chester
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031222&s=chester
EDTECH
ESCHOOL NEWS ANNOUNCES "NETWORK RESOURCES MANAGEMENT" CENTER
The editors of eSchool News have compiled the "Network Resources Management"
Center, a one-stop source for expert advice on tech-support efforts in K-12
schools. Made possible by the support of MacsDesign Studio, this online
toolkit features an extensive collection of articles from the eSchool News
archives as well as links to outside resources from research groups,
government agencies, foundations, think tanks, and education associations.
Topics include how to empower and retain your tech-support staff without
busting your IT budgets; how self-managing server technology could reduce
the demand for tech support in your district; and how automated job tickets
and email alerts can streamline tech support and make your workload more
manageable.
SOURCE: eSchool News
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/nrm/index.cfm
DIGITAL DIVIDE
USING TELECENTERS TO IMPLEMENT ROMANIAN UNIVERSAL SERVICE
The DOT-COM Alliance's Romanian Information Technology Initiative (RITI) has
completed the roll-out of computer and telephony equipment in four
impoverished Romanian communities to bring universal telephony services to
these citizens. The mayors' offices in the communities are donating
essential components, such as the building space for the telecenters,
partial cost of salaries and utilities, and the recurring costs for
telephony and connectivity. Their cost share ensures local involvement and
builds sustainability. RITI negotiated with telecom operators to establish,
entirely with their own financing, the physical telecommunications
connection to the centers. RITI has also negotiated preferential tariffs for
the centers. Different technical solutions were used at the centers, partly
to enhance the effect of the project as a test case for a full-scale
implementation. The DOT-COM Alliance is supported by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID). DOT-COM Projects apply the
power of information and communications technology to achieving development
objectives.
SOURCE: Dot-Com Alliance
http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/newsletter/romania7.html
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