[governance] Internet for All ... this time from the UK

[Roland Perry]

In message <4983CF0E.2000309 at itforchange.net>, at 09:39:50 on Sat, 31
Jan 2009, Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> writes
>>So yes, this is "Internet for all", but it's important to separate the
>two different cases:
>
>>1) All the people, even those who can't afford it
>>2) All the people, even those living 10km from the nearest road
>
>I guess what Guru really has been trying to point out through a couple
>of emails on 'universal Internet' is that the IGF, as a global public
>policy forum is really not being able to lead the way, as such forums -
>especially those that give an important role to civil society - are
>expected to do. Governments are doing it before the IGF is as much as
>able to even mention/articulate it.
>
>I remember with some amusement the discussion in May 2008 when IGF
>agenda was being framed whereby there was such, almost overwhelming
>reservations about words like 'universal' and universalisation' .

In Europe we have a concept called "Universal Service", which in
telecoms currently only applies to "plain old telephone service". The
idea is that you should not discriminate between people who live in
towns, and those who live 10km from the nearest road, by refusing to
supply a telephone to the latter (or by charging them more).

The (big majority of) people who are "easy to reach" pay a little
'extra' (bundled often invisibly in their bills) to provide a subsidy to
the telco to build out to everyone who is "difficult to reach" - or as
the report below expresses it, living in "not-spots".

The UK initiative reported upon this week is simply to extend the idea
from POTS to Broadband, and only works financially when there's a ratio
of at least 90% good coverage to 10% "not spots".

<http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/S4_digital_britain_interi
mreportjan09.pdf.
-- 
Roland Perry
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