SPEECH: FORGING A CONNECTED GLOBAL VILLAGE
Issue: Access
Forging A Connected Global Village, remarks by Larry Irving at the
NTCA-World Bank's First International Conference on Rural
Telecommunications. "This...describes what the world would look like
if it were reduced to a village of 1,000 people....One of the most
striking features of this global village is how few would be connected
by either telephone or computer. While many developed nations enjoy
varied forms of telecommunications, the vast majority of the world -
particularly in remote and rural areas - still has no access to any
means of communications. According to the latest reports from the
International Telecommunication Union, 80 percent of the world's 600
telephones are located in just 25 countries. This means that the
remaining 20 percent of the world's telephones are spread among
approximately 9/10 of the countries of the world. Given these
figures, it is not surprising, although it is disappointing, to note
that one-half of the world's population -- or three billion people --
has never made a phone call. Our challenge as telecommunications
officials, industry executives, and policy experts, is to find ways
to close the gap between telecommunications-rich nations and those
that lack means of communications. Today, there are still vast
regions that don't have basic telephone service. While the United
States has 63 telephone lines for every 100 people, China has only
two lines and India has only 1.5 for every 100 people. The African
continent, which contains 55 countries and one-eighth of the world's
population, holds only 2% of the world's telephone lines. The city of
Tokyo alone has more phones than the entire continent of Africa!"
[SOURCE: NTIA]
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/speeches/ntca120198.htm>
WHITEHOUSE TO UNVEIL PLAN TO EXPAND INTERNET PROJECTS IN DEVELOPING
NATIONS Issue: Internet Regulation The White House has scheduled a
ceremony today to announce a new electronic commerce agenda. The plan
includes:
1) financial assistance for Internet projects in developing nations,
2) more research on information technology's economic impact,
3) promotion of Internet use by small businesses with Small Business
Administration loans,
4) a request to international trade groups to establish a set of
consumer-protection standards, and
5) a promise to keep the Federal Communications Commission's
regulations away from cyberspace. The most sweeping proposal would
link remote areas to the Internet via satellite through
private-sector funding and World Bank loans. The White House will
also announce the replacement for Ira Magaziner, the departing leader
of the Administration's Internet oversight efforts.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: John Simons]
<http://www.wsj.com/>
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(for FCC regulations read public interest )
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