Rural connectivity - APECTel shows how far behind NZ is falling
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Posted Mon 31 March 2008 @ 3:53 a.m. by Ernie Newman
I've spent the week at the APECTel meeting here in Tokyo - my 6-monthly university update on telecomms policy issues across the APEC region. Japan is of course a world leader in the telecomms space - so apologies to those who have had trouble phoning me on my mobile. It rings at my end but before I can answer the caller has got a whole lot of "dit-dit-dit" noises or a message saying I no longer exist, and has hung up! (Vodafone - are you listening?)
Most of the week has been spent in working parties and roundtables. Of special interest has been one on Using ICT for Rural Capacity Building - a topic that has become a passion to me. The Asia Pacific region of course includes nations at markedly different stages of development so direct comparisons nmust be treated with care. But I came away with some important insights:
* Many AsiaPac ecnomies have made massive progress in connecting rural areas over recent years. Sessions like this used to be about "what we need to do" but are now about "what we've achieved." Just about every economy - NZ excepted - had major progress to report.
* Rural connectivity has become about INTERNET SELF EMPOWERMENT: Self directed learning – self publishing – building learning communities – citizenship and enlightened expectations - a readiness to learn to earn.
* Its driven by women. Women who are concerned about their kids' education - the realisation that if a child is on line they have equal access to resources when doing their homework regardless of whether in the backblocks of China or a top school in the USA. "Kids' homework" may be emerging as the killer app for fast internet.
* The sequence is to connect first socially, than culturally, and last economically
* I was hugely impressed by the efforts in rural Kentucky USA. Between 2004 and 2007 as a result of a state initiative broadband availability in rural areas grew from 60% to 95%; uptake from 24% to 44%, and computer ownership from 58% to 72%.
* In the Philippines the ratio of computers to students in high school labs is now 1:3. Phillipines has also established a National Telehealth Centre charged with addressing the national shortage of rural doctors. This is being supplemented by a "health e-learning approach" –instructional AVs on community management of common disorders such as childhood poisoning, strokes, TB, and bird flu. And "Techno Gabay" - a government/private sector PPP that is making huge improvements in farm productivity. Its worth looking at this presentation from the Phillippines. This is great work!
* Korea now has DSL available in 99% of rural households. (Yes, RURAL!) Outcomes have included encouraging information mindsets and use among rural citizens; making citizens active information seekers; ICT education and its application for senior farmers; overcoming social Isolation; Rural Online Community; creation of cybertown; agricultural transactions between farmers and consumers through online marketing not only in domestic but also global markets.
There is so much more I could add - and I will write a substantive article around this shortly.
My concern is this. While other nations have been DOING these things and are now proudly reporting back, New Zealand continues to write reports, ponder over the semantics of the Digital Strategy, revise our institutional structure (read "committees") and generally pontificate and delay. We are losing ground - big time!
Our rural broadband seminar in Rotorua in July will, I very much hope, inject some drive and action. We are in real danger of becoming the ICT backwater of the APEC region.
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