[governance] Fwd: The US factor in the WSIS needs highlightingas much as the Tunisian factor

[Gurstein, Michael]

Sorry McTim,

I must disagree.  The tragedy of WSIS is not an absence of "concrete
action on bridging the digital divide" but rather it is in not
developing concrete actions for the "effective use" of ICTs in support
of the range of local processes for development in such areas as health,
learning, local economic development.

The experience has been, in Africa as elsewhere, that those local
implementations that focus on "access" (i.e. "bridging the Digital
Divide") are almost universally (economically and socially)
unsustainable in the longer term.  

Those implementations that focus on real locally identified ICT enabled
"uses" are much more likely to survive and be useful.

As an aside, I'm delighted to see that the language of ICT "use" (after
much CS discussion pre-Geneva WSIS) is creeping into the recent official
WSIS documents alongside if not yet replacing the rather less useful
terminology of "the Digital Divide".

Best,

Mike Gurstein


-----Original Message-----
From: governance-bounces at lists.cpsr.org
[mailto:governance-bounces at lists.cpsr.org] On Behalf Of McTim
Sent: November 2, 2005 5:27 PM
To: Carlos Afonso
Cc: WSIS Internet Governance Caucus
Subject: Re: [governance] Fwd: The US factor in the WSIS needs
highlightingas much as the Tunisian factor


On 11/2/05, Carlos Afonso <ca at rits.org.br> wrote:
> Caro Vittorio,
>
> Could you be more specific? Sorry, but CS needs to define itself, take

> clearer positions, and the big stakes are around oversight.

I beg to differ Carlos. The "big stakes" are about connecting the
unconnected.

The tragedy of the failure of WSIS is NOT the lack of IG reform, but the
lack of concrete action on bridging the digital divide.

 "Overall
> approach" means very little, and regarding the USA, what should we do?

> Just wait and see, in a Darwinian, evolutionary approach?

I'm afraid we don't have the leverage to do much else.

--
Cheers,

McTim
nic-hdl:      TMCG
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In
practice there is" Yogi Berra

_______________________________________________
governance mailing list
governance at lists.cpsr.org
https://ssl.cpsr.org/mailman/listinfo/governance

_______________________________________________
governance mailing list
governance at lists.cpsr.org
https://ssl.cpsr.org/mailman/listinfo/governance