PUBLICATIONS
Year: 2009
|
|
April
|
Title: Broadband policy: Beyond privatization, competition and independent regulation
Abstract: During the last 25 years, telecommunication has moved away from governmentowned or regulated monopolies toward privatization with competition and oversight by independent regulatory agencies PCR policies. We present data indicating that PCR has had little impact on the Internet during the last ten years in developed or developing nations, and discuss the reasons for this. We then describe several ways government can go beyond PCR, while balancing needs for next generation technology, decentralized infrastructure ownership, and immediate economic stimulus. We conclude that there is a need for alternatives to the expedient action of subsidizing the current Internet service providers with their demonstrated anticompetitive bent. The decisions we make today will shape telecommunication infrastructure and the industry for decades.
Journal: First Monday
Vol: Volume 14
Issue: Number 4
Website: http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2374/2159
|
Year: 2007
|
|
March
|
Title: A Web site with a view: The Third World on First Monday
Abstract: This is a collection of articles on the Internet in developing nations. I had three articles reprinted there. The following is an excerpt from the editor's comments:
First of all, Larry Press has published three articles on First Monday that are extremely relevant to the topic of this special issue (http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_9/press/, http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_4/press/ and http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_8/press/). The three are concerned with the digital divide, not as a definite set of analytical issues, but as a generic situation: the absence of Internet presence in the rural communities of the developing world. While the first is a more sedate, technical discussion of the benefits, economic and other, of choosing WiFi instead of more expensive technologies as 3G mobile telephony, the later two are quite ambitious: the proposal to start a "Grand Challenge" to bring connectivity to all the world, in the form of a Global Rural Network, a 10year, multibillion dollar project.
Publisher: First Monday,
Website: http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/special12_3/
|
Year: 2006
|
|
July
|
Title: The Digital Divide Report: ICT Diffusion Index 2005
Abstract: This report documenting the deepening digital divide between developed and developing nations. Conventional policies focused on privatization, competition and independent regulation are not closing this gap, so the report calls for publicly funded, neutral-access backbone networks with points of presence in every rural village -- a similar strategy to that used by the US National Science Foundation in connecting universities in the late 1980s.
Summary:
1. A decade of pilot studies and projects has shown that Internet
applications can improve the quality of life in rural villages which, as a
side effect, would slow the growth of urban slums. There are many success
stories in commerce, medicine, education, news and entertainment, etc.
2. During the last two decades, we have encouraged a policy of
telecommunication privatization, competition, and independent regulation
(PCR), but the digital divide persists. PCR policy has been beneficial, but
has run its course, and will not raise the capital to bring the Internet to
rural areas of developing nations.
3. Therefore, we should build and operate neutral-access backbone networks
(not access networks) providing high-speed Internet connection points in
every village at public expense. The Internet is a general purpose
communication technology that encourages substantial private investment,
innovation, content creation and the sharing of knowledge by users and
service providers.
4. Building these backbone networks would be a daunting challenge involving
research and development as well as procurement, but we have faced such
grand challenges before in other fields. We can follow the policies that
guided construction of the US National Science Foundation backbone in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
Publisher: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,
Co-Authors: Marie-Elise Dumans
Affiliation: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Website: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Download.asp?docid=6994&lang=1&intItemID=2068
|
|
|
|
October
|
Title: Toward a Global Rural Network: Strategy and Action Plan
Abstract: During the last decade, pilot studies and focused projects have established the efficacy of the Internet in developing nations; however, connectivity remains uncommon and it is generally slow and unreliable. The developing nations are too poor to attract sufficient capital to build modern Internet infrastructure.
The activity of the past decade has had positive results. All governments are now aware of the importance of telecommunication infrastructure and the relationship between infrastructure and social planning. Technology has also steadily improved, dramatically lowering infrastructure cost.
We feel it is time to consider a grand challenge infrastructure project: connecting all the villages of the developing nations within ten years. The World Bank estimates that there are 2,949 million rural people in low and lower-middle income nations, and the average population of a rural village in India, China and Bangladesh is 1,060 people. If we assume this population is representative, a global rural network would have to reach nearly three million villages. This is a daunting challenge, but others, like sending a man to the moon, achieving rural electrification in the US, building our interstate highway system or deploying the global positioning system were also ambitious.
We suggest a strategy for achieving a global rural network, and recommend a plan of action. Bangladesh is considered as the nation for the initial pilot design and implementation.
Journal: Information Technology for Development
|
|
|
|
June
|
Title: Toward a Global Rural Network: Strategy and Action Plan
Journal: Proceedings of the Global Information Technology Management Association World Conference
|
Year: 2004
|
|
October
|
Title: Chairman's report
Abstract: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), together with the Korea Agency for Digital
Opportunity and Promotion (KADO), jointly organized the 1st Digital Bridges Symposium
September 10-11, 2004 in Busan, Korea on the occasion of Asia Telecom 2004. Some
105 participants took part in the meeting, representing a range of regulatory agencies and policymaking
bodies, operators, manufacturers, industry analysts, user representatives academics and
others. Dr Larry Press, Professor of Information Systems at California State University, Dominguez
Hills, chaired the meeting.
The symposium is one of the activities outlined in the Digital Bridges Initiative cooperation
agreement between KADO and the ITU. Its objective is to generate original research and stimulate
debate on ways to expand the benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to
the entire world. The first day focused on issues related to the measurement of the digital divide. It
specifically discussed a number of national and international indices, and compared their
methodologies, strengths and weaknesses. A number of best practice case studies on ICT data
collection and dissemination were presented and discussed. The second day focused on new ICTs
and how these can help expand access and bridge the digital divide. All of the documents and
presentations from the meeting are available on the ITU website at: www.itu.int/digitalbridges.
Publisher: International Telecommunication Union,
Website: http://www.itu.int/digitalbridges/docs/DBChairReport.pdf
|
|
|
|
August
|
Title: Refuting objections to a Global Rural Network (GRNet) for Developing Nations
Abstract: In a previous article, we suggested that it is now time to undertake a Grand Challenge project: providing Internet connectivity for every village in every developing nation. Doing so would require perhaps a decade and billions of dollars for design and planning, procurement, installation and operation. Critics object that such a project would not be worth the effort and investment. This article considers nine objections to such an undertaking.
Internet connectivity would be nice, but it is not a high priority.
Internet service has been offered in rural areas of developing nations, and there is little demand for it.
There are no applications of interest or value to illiterate rural people who do not speak English.
There is no sustainable business model.
Developing nations lack the people and resources to do research.
Even if the world community can justify sponsoring the research leading to a concrete backbone plan, developing nations cannot afford to implement it.
Villagers cannot afford to use the network even if the backbone transport and connection are free.
Developing nations cannot afford highÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂspeed connectivity -- a low-cost store-and-forward technology is more appropriate technology for a poor, developing nation.
We should focus on cities where there is already demand, not rural areas.
We discuss each of these, and conclude with a brief outline of next steps.
Journal: First Monday
Vol: 9
Issue: 8
Website: http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_8/press/index.html
|
|
|
|
April
|
Title: The Internet in Developing Nations: Grand Challenges
Abstract: This is a call for a "Grand Challenge" project for achieving truly global connectivity. For over a decade, we have hypothesized that the Internet could raise the quality of life in developing nations. We have conducted hundreds of studies of the state of the Internet and "eâÃÂÃÂreadiness," done extensive training of technicians and policy makers, run pilot studies, and held local, regional and global conferences and workshops. After all of this activity, Internet connectivity is nearly nonâÃÂÃÂexistent in rural areas of developing nations, and far below that of developed nations in the urban areas of developing nations.
This is not to say the activity of the past decade has been a waste. We have demonstrated the value of the Internet and raised awareness. The United Nations and the administrations of nearly all nations have acknowledged the potential of the Internet. The way has been paved, and it is time to act on what we have learned.
After outlining the work of the last decade, we explore one possible Grand Challenge: Connecting every village in the rural developing world to the Internet using a strategy similar to that used in building the NSFNet. We speculate on wireless technologies that might play a role in working toward that goal: Terrestrial, highâÃÂÃÂaltitude platform, and satellite. We conclude with a brief discussion of alternative Grand Challenges and a call for action.
The time is ripe for an audacious project. What could we achieve with US$15 billion and ten years time?
Journal: First Monday
Vol: 9
Issue: 4
Website: http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_4/press/
|
Year: 2001
|
|
December
|
Title: Framework for Assessing the Global Diffusion of the Internet
Co-Authors: Wolcott, Peter, McHenry, William, Goodman, Seymour, Foster, Will, A
Journal: Journal of the Association for Information Systems
Vol: vol: 2
Website: http://jais.isworld.org/articles/default.asp?vol=2&art=6
|
Year: 2000
|
|
November
|
Title: Computing at the Top of the World
Journal: Communications of the ACM
Vol: Vol.43
Issue: No.11
|
|
|
|
November
|
Title: Editors' Introduction to the Issue on Developing Nations
Co-Authors: Goodman, Seymour, Kelly, Tim, Minges, Mike,
Journal: Communications of the ACM
Vol: Vol. 43
Issue: No 11
|
|
|
|
November
|
Title: International telecommunication Union, Nepal Case Study
Publisher: International Communication Union,
|
|
|
|
September
|
Title: Developing The Internet in Developing Nations, Editors' intro to the issue on Developing Nations
Co-Authors: Rickard, Wendy
Journal: OnTheInternet
|
|
|
|
August
|
Title: A Case Study of Electronic Commerce in Nepal
Co-Authors: Goodman, Seymour, Kelly, Tim, and Minges, Michael
Journal: Proceedings of the American Conference of the Association for Information Systems
|
|
|
|
July
|
Title: The State of the Internet, Proceedings of INET 2000
Journal: International Networking Conference
|
|
|
|
May
|
Title: From P-Books to E-books
Journal: Communications of the ACM, Information Impacts Magazine
Vol: Vol. 43
Issue: No. 5
|
|
|
|
March
|
Title: The Internet In Singapore: A Benchmark Report
Publisher: The Mosaic Group,
|
|
|
|
January
|
Publisher: Aslib/IMI, London
Co-Authors: Nicholas, D. and Rowlands, I.
Journal: Surveying the Global Diffusion of the Internet
|
|
|
|
January
|
Title: The Emerging Technology Scene, Conference Analysis Reports
Publisher: Giga Information Group, Norwell, MA,
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
Title: Optical Storage
Journal: In the Encyclopedia of Computer ScienceNature Publishing group
Vol: Edition: 4
|
|
|
|
N/A
|
Title: The IBM PC
Co-Authors: Reilly, Edwin D.
Affiliation: Nature Publishing Group
Journal: In the Encyclopedia of Computer Science
Vol: Edition: 4
|
Back to Faculty List
|
