Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C23721
Notes:
Posted at: http://www.infodev.org/files/833_file_Learning_From_Experience.pdf -- Also see C23718-C23722, 100 p., A background paper for the infoDEV Annual Symposium, Dec. 9-10, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland
The potential for rural areas to benefit from telecommunications technology is a persistent question. This article examines data for the USA concerning the "digital divide" and access of residences and businesses, which tend to suggest that all is (or will soon be) well. The article also presents data on aspects of digital infrastructure in rural America, including points of presence and digital telephone switches, which suggest that there are major shortcomings in most rural communities. Demand aggregation is a possible solution, but more serious pitfalls are those related to shortages of human capital. These might be resolved in some rural places, where immigration and return migration bring needed cerebral inputs to rural areas. A final set of improvements concerns how businesses use the Internet and e-commerce. In the end, telecommunications is not a "quick fix" solution for rural development, and the desired improvements will be limited to a fraction of rural places.
This article originally was a paper presented at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' (IFLA) General Conference, Aug. 18-24, 2002, in Glasgow, Scotland., 10 p., Often funding agencies and donor governments face the question should they support information and communication technology (ICT) activities in their development projects. Should the money be invested in computers and communication devices or will it be better spent on food, shelter, health and education? The choice need not be "either/or." If used intelligently and innovatively, ICTs can form an integral component of developmental projects, as is shown by the award-winning Information Village project of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. The important point to remember is that one does not have to use technology because it is there, but one uses it if there is a genuine advantage. In any developmental program, people and their contexts should decide how one goes about implementing developmental interventions. The needs of the people and the best means to satisfy them should determine the whole program. Often ICT-based development projects do not bring in the expected results because of undue emphasis on technology. Against this background, the factors that led to the success of the Pondicherry experience are analyzed.
