A service of the Benton Foundation (http://www.benton.org)
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EDTECH
Budget Ax Falls on School Tech Programs=20
INTERNET
China Tightening Control over Internet Cafes
EU Stirs Up Internet Sales Tax Debate=20
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Federal Grants Give Tribes On-Ramp to Broadband
In Search of Profitable Connections=20
ICT and Poverty: The San Bushmen=20
EDTECH
BUDGET AX FALLS ON SCHOOL TECH PROGRAMS
Soaring budget deficits in states such as California, Indiana, Oregon, =
Texas
and West Virginia have forced schools to cut back or eliminate programs =
that
supply new computers, Internet access and instructional resources to =
K-12
students. In Oregon, as many as half the state's school districts are
trimming days or even weeks of instruction off the school year, and at =
least
1,100 teaching positions have been eliminated. Scott Robinson, chief
technology officer for Portland Public Schools, says that poorer =
schools are
disadvantaged by a lack of charitable contributions and alternative =
means of
fundraising. "The schools that have trouble raising money within the
community really are going to get left behind," he said. Schools will =
also
have a difficult time meeting reporting and accountability standards as
technology-based evaluation and assessment programs, such as the West
Virginia Education Information System and Oregon's Technology Enhanced
Student Assessment, lose funding. Policy analyst Mike Griffith notes =
that
this is the first time in which a severe economic downturn will =
directly
affect the use of computers in education.=20
SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: Corey Murray
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3D4424&ref=3Dwo =
INTERNET
CHINA TIGHTENING CONTROL OVER INTERNET CAFES
China revealed this morning that it had given licenses to 10 firms to =
open
Internet caf=E9 chains, an effort aimed at tightening the reigns over =
access
to sensitive online information. Most of the businesses awarded =
licenses
were state-owned. Chinese officials hope that the move will =
"standardize the
business," adding that 95 percent of the 110,000 caf=E9s in China are
privately owned. Analysts suggest that the chains could more easily =
track
the online movements of users, since licensed caf=E9s would be more =
compliant
with regulations requiring user registration.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Reuters
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2003-06-10-china-net-cafes_x.htm
=20
EU STIRS UP INTERNET SALES TAX DEBATE
Starting July 1, the European Union will begin collecting a value-added =
tax
on goods and services purchased online from companies outside the EU,
requiring businesses to pass the cost on to their customers. For US
businesses with sales revenues coming from the EU, this move will mean
higher prices as well as the increased cost of altering their online
business infrastructure in Europe. More importantly, the introduction =
of the
VAT in e-commerce may set a new precedent for Internet taxation within =
the
US, a concept that lawmakers have been reluctant to support as the =
online
economy develops. The EU claims that foreign companies hold a price
advantage over member state firm, prompting a change in policy. =
Analysts
predict that smaller e-tailers will struggle to comply with the new
regulations or may simply choose not to do so, hoping that their size =
will
allow them to avoid prosecution.=20
SOURCE: The Washington Post; AUTHOR: Brian Krebs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36150-2003Jun9.html
DIGITAL DIVIDE
FEDERAL GRANTS GIVE TRIBES ON-RAMP TO BROADBAND
The US Department of Agriculture announced yesterday a $20 million
technology grant for Native American tribes in rural areas. Funded =
through
Agriculture's Rural Utilities Division, the grant will allow various =
tribes
to invest in high-speed Internet connections. The Coeur d'Alene tribe, =
which
received the largest grant at $2.7 million, plans to build a wireless
broadband network supported by a Tribal community technology center =
that
will house computers and provide free access. "If you do not educate =
your
community to the usage of the Internet and how that usage makes them =
better,
then you only have a bunch of wires," said Hilda Legg of USDA. The =
tribes
hope that having broadband networks will make them more attractive to
businesses.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: The Associated Press
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-06-10-native-american-=
acce
ss_x.htm
IN SEARCH OF PROFITABLE CONNECTIONS
[Commentary] According to BBC business reporter Briony Hale, many =
experts
are starting to agree that the digital divide -- at least when defined =
as
mere access to the Internet -- has been vastly overstated. Ghana's =
capital,
Accra, boasts about 500 Internet cafes, roughly six times as many as =
London.
However, for the vast majority of people, the Internet is failing to =
deliver
on its promise of prosperity, she writes. "There are lots of =
assumptions
that being connected to the Internet will in some way create a more
equitable life," says Dr Robin Mansell, new media fellow at the London
School of Economics. "But there is little proof that the people who =
have
Internet access are striding ahead of their non-connected peers." Hale =
finds
the downsides of becoming "information rich": improved knowledge has
contributed to Africa's brain drain and cemented its image of =
corruption.
The success story of Linda Yaa Ampah contrasts the otherwise gloomy
analysis. Ampah has become a successful fashion exporter, now employing =
50
tailors, thanks to a simple Hotmail account.=20
SOURCE: BBC News; AUTHOR: Briony Hale
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2974418.stm=20
ICT and Poverty: The San Bushmen=20
[Commentary] Independent consultant Earl Mardle finds that there are =
many
flaws with a technology-driven approach to poverty alleviation. He =
advocates
an approach that uses technological capabilities to engage the economic
needs, resources and existing capabilities of poor communities. A =
perfect
example is the CyberTracker, a handheld computer used to capture the
traditional knowledge of the San people (sometimes referred to as =
Kalahari
Bushmen) about the migratory movements of wild animals in southern =
Africa
and relay it to the national parks administration. The San trackers use =
the
device to record various symbols describing observations of animals and
connect to the Global Positioning System approximately 100 times every =
day.
Later, the data is transferred to a PC. The San trackers contribute to
reliable management of the nature reserves and serve as a deterrent to
poaching. Where Western high-tech tracking devices have failed, the
non-intrusive monitoring by the San means the animals are able to live
normal lives again. By finding ways for technology to translate the =
value
that poor communities have into values that rich communities can =
appreciate,
"[Information and communications technologies] can contribute to =
poverty
alleviation, but the look of the programs, the paradigm within which =
they
work, needs to be rewritten," writes Mardle.=20
SOURCE: Development Gateway; AUTHOR: Earl Mardle
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=3D571778=
=20
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