Support Mounts for Bridging Broadband Gap in Developing Country Rural Areas
GENEVA -- The broadband divide and an urban/rural accessibility gap gained traction as areas of international concern during last week’s U.N. Commission on Science and Technology for Development meetings, officials said. They tried to avoid rehashing the World Summit on the Information Society and grapple with new issues for a resolution to be considered for July adoption by the U.N. Economic and Social Council, officials said.
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The importance of data and communications technology in national planning for development emerged as a key issue, said a developed country diplomat. Concern over the broadband gap also rose, officials said. Debate over the gap has shifted from access to quality, the diplomat said. Dial- up service counts as Internet access but its utility is falling as bandwidth demands rise, the diplomat said. Technology benefits have not reached developing countries’ rural areas, he said. More emphasis is needed on solving the broadband gap between urban and rural communities, especially in developing countries where disparities can be widest, the diplomat said.
Universal broadband access is a legitimate development objective, according to governments, civic groups and business, said Bertrand de la Chapelle, French special envoy for the information society (CD May 28 p12). A concerted effort to get remote areas broadband access would be good for business and government, said de la Chapelle. Pro-competitive policies are needed to facilitate the information society for viable markets, he said.
Other provisions in the resolution approved Friday urge more development of benchmarks to track progress toward WSIS goals, officials said. Indicators of impact are emerging as a focus, said Charles Geiger, special advisor to the U.N. Commission on Science and Technology for Development. E-Governance programs and mobile phones, for example, can help curb corruption and boost government transparency through citizen action, Geiger said.
The Internet Governance Forum should continue to discuss public policy, the resolution said. Officials stressed cooperation to boost network stability and security. They noted a rise in global network security problems and service outages. Internet multilingualism, spurring the number of exchange points in developing countries, reporting universal access issues and facilitating technology deployment are priorities, the resolution said.
Consultations were recommended to boost financial means available to harness communications technology. Intellectual property protection encourages innovation and creativity, delegates agreed in the resolution.