[gu-l] DIGOPP discussion forum of Markle Foundation
Tak Utsumi
utsumi@columbia.edu
Wed, 7 Mar 2001 03:03:43 +0000 (GMT)
<<March 6, 2001>>
Archived distributions can be retrieved as clicking Correspondenc" line in
our home page at <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/>.
For those after 2/27/01, visit
<http://www.friends-paartners.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi>, and click any of gu
group to find the place of archives in the following page.
Karen Lynch <klynch@markle.org>
James B. Steinberg <JSteinberg@markle.org>
Dennis Gilhooly <denis.gilhooly@undp.org>
Kate. Raworth <kate.raworth@undp.org>
Peter T. Knight, Ph.D. <ptknight@attglobal.net>
Francis J. Method <fmethod@erols.com>
Ben I. Haraguchi, J.D. <haralaw@cs.com>
Dr. Janice Brodman <JaniceB@edc.org>
Steve McCarty <steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp>
Takahiro Miyao, Professor <miyao@glocom.ac.jp>
Prof. Eli M. Noam <noam@columbia.edu>
John Senyo C. Afele, Ph.D <jafele@plant.uoguelph.ca>
Dear Karen, Jim, Dennis and Kate:
=================================
(1) Albeit very belated, many thanks for your time when we (Peter, Frank,
Ben and I) visited you on 2/12th (ATTACHMENT I) to describe our Global
Service Trust Fund (GSTF) project. We enjoyed our fruitful
discussions.
Dear Karen:
===========
Sorry to say that Donald Noonan's phone number does not work.
If you have his email address, pls give it to me. Thanks.
Dear Frank and Peter:
=====================
Many thanks for your msgs (ATTACHMENT II and III).
Dear E-Colleagues:
==================
(2) Pls visit <www.dotforce.org> of the Digital Opportunity Task (DOT)
Force of the UNDP.
This is the outgrowth of the Okinawa Charter of Global Information
Society which my following previous list distributions mentioned;
(a) Summary of G8 Education Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo, 4/1-2/00 -
April 3, 2000"
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/early-2000/index.html
(b) JICA seminar & Japan's digital divide plan for July Okinawa
Summit - May 24, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(c) "Rescue Iridium" workshop and GSTF project - May 24, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(d) Helping Internet Society's report to UNESCO - July 10, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(e) Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society akin to GSTF -
July 23, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(f) Conference/workshop of OOSA and UNIDO in Vienna - July 24, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(g) Greetings for Guam workshop - July 29, 2000
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(h) Invitation Committee for Global Summit of GSTF project -
September 4,
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
(i) Dr. Utsumi's April-May travels vis-a-vis Nicaragua Seminar -
February 2, 2001
http://www.friends-partners.org/utsumi/gu-l/early-2001/index.html
(j) Proposal for Creating the Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF)
(k) Paper for InterMedia of International Institute of
Communications (IIC)
(l) Second Tampere Conference on Disaster Communications, 28-30 May,
2001
The above Item (2)-(j) to (l) can be retrieved at Mailman
listserve mentioned at the top of this msg.
(3) I also strongly suggest that you visit
<http://www.markle.org/dotforce.html> to join in discussions of DIGOPP
electronic working group of Markle Foundation which is moderated by
Janice (one of our list members for many years) -- ATTACHMENT IV.
Janice wants to have your inputs for her composing a policy
recommendation for closing the digital divide, which is to be
submitted to G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy in July.
Dear Peter:
===========
Many thanks for your posting to the DIGOPP about our GSTF
project (ATTACHMENT VII).
(4) I am very delighted to see the activities of DIFOPP as the culmination
of my effort made in Japan for the past thirty years -- introduction
of Internet, deregulation of telecom policies for the use of email,
and an appeal of $10 billion (10 years) after consulting Late Dr.
Hiroshi Inose, the Laureate of the Medal of Culture and the highest
authority on Internet in Japan and Dr. Taro Nakayama, a former
Japanese Foreign Minister, three years ago (which turned out to be $15
billion (3 years) pledged by Mr. Mori, Japanese Prime Minister, during
the Okinawa Summit last July), etc.
Dear Steve:
===========
(5) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT V).
Sorry for my belated posting of this msg, due to the trouble of
our list server made by a vandal's attack as mentioned in my
distribution of Terrible experiences with hacker and virus"
dated February 27, 2001.
Dear John:
==========
Congratulations to your obtaining a grant from CIDA (ATTACHMENT
VI).
(6) Many thanks for your info about UNESCO's web site at
http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/index.html
This is very excellent web.
(7) Pls feel free to link our web site from yours at Inpaku -- also, maybe
DIGOPP's discussion forum -- ask about it to Janice.
(8) Hope to see you again in Tokyo soon, if I will be able to make the
trip.
Dear Prof. Miyao:
=================
(9) It was certainly my great pleasure to have met with you last November
-- I thank you again for your dinner.
Dennis Gilhooly of UNDP told me that your GLOCOMM is the Japanese
counterpart of his DOT Force project. Congratulations!!
As the inceptor of your GLOCOM, I am very delighted to know how
it has grown up!!
Your international symposium (ATTACHMENT V) sounds very interesting.
I presume that it was very successful.
Pls convey my best personal regards to Prof. Eli Noam who is also
receiving our list distribution regularly.
Best, Tak
****************************************
ATTACHMENT I
From: "Lynch, Karen" <KLynch@markle.org>
To: "'unesco1@cais.com'" <unesco1@cais.com>,
"'peter@knight-moore.com'"
<peter@knight-moore.com>,
"'utsumi@columbia.edu'" <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Cc: "Steinberg, Jim" <JSteinberg@markle.org>,
"Green, Nancy"
<ngreen@markle.org>,
"'jbrodman@edc.org'" <jbrodman@edc.org>
Subject: Thanks
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 09:39:53 -0500
I'd like to thank you all for spending the time with us last week to describe
your Global Service Trust Fund. As you say, the international bandwidth
bottleneck is one of the most serious hindrances--among the many that make up
the global digital divide.
I'd like to make a suggestion, and an introduction, and ask you a favor:
Suggestion:
The Markle Foundation has just launched an electronic discussion about ideas
from the US nonprofit sector to take to the DOT Force, and they are currently
discussing infrastructure issues. I would suggest that you go to our DIGOPP
electronic working group site at http://www.markle.org/dotforce.html and see
if you think it's useful to float some of your ideas in this forum, which
will be summarized for delivery to the DOT Force.
Introduction: I have mentioned your organization, generally, to Donald
Noonan, director of bandwidth sales and trading, at Band-X, which is one of
the pioneers in bandwidth trading. (He also had an education in the area of
international development and relations, and so has an interest in developing
nations.) He is available to talk with you, he said. His number is 212 386
6194.
Favor: Could you please tell Joe Pelton I said hello, and give him my contact
details. I knew him when I was a cub reporter in Washington, covering the
satellite industry, and he was at Intelsat.
Thanks again, and I look forward to studying your proposal in more detail.
Regards, Karen
Karen Lynch
****************************************
ATTACHMENT II
From: "Frank Method" <unesco1@cais.com>
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>, <peter@knight-moore.com>,
"Lynch, Karen" <KLynch@markle.org>
Cc: "Joseph Pelton" <jpelton@seas.gwu.edu>, <jbrodman@edc.org>,
"Green, Nancy" <ngreen@markle.org>,
"Steinberg, Jim" <JSteinberg@markle.org>
Subject: RE: Thanks
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 10:45:46 -0500
Karen -- thanks for the encouragement, and the introductions to others who
may be able to help move this forward in some form. We came away feeling
very positive and went on to a good meeting at UNDP with Denis Gilhooly and
Kate Raworth. I'm copying this to Joe Pelton, who will I am sure remember
you.
Peter, Tak -- I assume you agree that we should take up the offer to post a
digest of the GSTF on the DIGOPPS Forum; we should coordinate on this; we
will be communicating with people who are already well-informed and
positively disposed toward acton, so this should be much shorter and more
succinct than the current proposal (which can be linked for those who want
more detail). I think we also should use this as an opportunity to invite
comment on those areas (e.g. the specifics of the criteria and allocation
mechanisms) on which we need further consultations. Peter -- since you were
coordinating the inputs on the current draft, do you want to take first cut
and then have the rest of us react?
Also, we should coordinate on the call to Donald Noonan, which looks like a
great opportunity. Peter -- can we do this online or do you or Tak want to
coordinate a conference call?
Regards to all -- I note Nancy Green and Janice Brodman on the address line.
Frank Method
****************************************
ATTACHMENT III
From: "Peter T. Knight" <peter@knight-moore.com>
To: "'Lynch, Karen'" <KLynch@markle.org>, <unesco1@cais.com>,
<utsumi@columbia.edu>, "Joe Pelton \(E-mail\)" <ecjpelton@aol.com>
Cc: "'Steinberg, Jim'" <JSteinberg@markle.org>,
"'Green, Nancy'" <ngreen@markle.org>, <jbrodman@edc.org>,
"Denis Gilhooly \(E-mail\)" <denis.gilhooly@undp.org>,
"Kate. Raworth \(E-mail\)" <kate.raworth@undp.org>,
"Peter T. Knight \(E-mail 2\)" <ptknight@attglobal.net>
Subject: RE: Thanks
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:09:11 -0500
Thank you very much, Karen, for your useful suggestions. We will proceed to
follow them. We are also making some revisions to our proposal based on the
discussions with you and Jim Steinberg as well as our meeting with Denis
Gilhooly and Kate Raworth at UNDP.
The current version of the proposal, minus the annexes, can be found at
http://www.knight-moore.com -- you can click through directly to the proposal
from the home page. We will change this as soon as we have an agreed new
draft.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for meeting with us. We feel
our proposal is well aligned with the Okinawa Charter on Global Information
Society, and hope we can fine tune it to take into consideration the useful
comments you have provided and those which we may garner from others to which
you have pointed us.
I am copying this reply to Joe Pelton, which will give you his e-mail. I will
now be calling him as well.
With best regards,
Peter
****************************************
ATTACHMENT IV
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 21:28:36 -0500 (EST)
To: utsumi@columbia.edu
From: Majordomo@phoenix.edc.org
Subject: Welcome to digopp
WELCOME TO DIGOPP
THE U.S. NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS'
WORKING GROUP FOR THE DOT FORCE
(February 12 - April 20, 2001)
Thank you for subscribing to the DIGOPP Working Group for U.S. non-profit
organizations, which provides input into the Digital Opportunity Task Force
(DOT Force). We are delighted you will be taking part in this effort and
look forward to hearing from you on the issues that the list will address.
This discussion grows out of an effort begun at the Group of Eight (G-8)
Summit last summer, which recognized that there are critical challenges and
enormous opportunities in determining how all countries can benefit from new
information and communications technologies. As part of the Okinawa Charter
on the Global Information Society released at the Summit, the DOT Force was
created to mobilize resources and coordinate efforts of governments, the
private sector, foundations, international institutions and others to bridge
the global digital divide and create digital opportunity. The multi-sectoral
composition of the DOT Force gives for-profit and non-profit organizations a
seat at the table alongside governments from both the developed and
developing world, in an effort to leverage each other's resources towards
bridging the divide.
This powerful collaborative effort sets a significant standard for global
policy making entities, and offers an important opportunity for the non-profit community to express its views to the G-8 as it develops a strategy
for ensuring everyone an opportunity to benefit from new information and
communications technologies. It also provides a vehicle to leverage what is
already known about the digital divide into an informed global strategic
framework that can help to direct strategies for activities across sectors.
Toward that end, the Markle Foundation, the U.S. non-profit member of the DOT
Force, is sponsoring the DIGOPP Working Group for the U.S. non-profit
community (foundations, academics, and non-governmental organizations).
This effort is not meant to duplicate or replace the many important and
effective efforts currently in place on this issue. Rather, the DIGOPP
Working Group provides a targeted opportunity for the non-profit community to
participate in shaping the work of the DOT Force as it develops findings and
recommendations to report back to the G-8 at the Genoa meeting, in July 2001.
The DIGOPP Working Group will examine the relationship between the digital
divide and development policies, poverty reduction and reduction of
inequalities at the global level. It will explore priority targets for key
actions by the G-8; links between domestic and international efforts; lessons
learned and best practices; and the appropriate roles for government, the
private sector and non-profit organizations in facing the digital divide
challenge.
The objectives of the Working Group are to:
* Move beyond a discussion of "either/or" in the "technology for development"
debate (e.g., "either" technology "or" healthcare), understanding that ICT
and other development goals can be mutually reinforcing
* Assess the current situation, addressing indicators and existing gaps
* Discuss priority targets for concerted action by the G-8, particularly in
the areas of policy, regulatory and network readiness; connectivity and
access; human capital development; and content and wealth creation
* Identify the scope, successes and failures of existing efforts to bridge
the digital divide, including best practices and lessons learned
The results of the Working Group will provide important input for the DOT
Force's deliberations as it drafts its report and recommendations to the G-8.
While not all conclusions or recommendations from the Working Group will be
included in the DOT Force's report, the DIGOPP Working Group gives U.S. non-profit organizations the opportunity to help shape the DOT Force into an
important policy making entity.
*** RULES OF THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION ***
In order to achieve its objectives, the Working Group will be moderated in
accordance with two rules:
1. Messages should provide concrete suggestions and information that relate
to the Working Group themes and contribute to its objectives, including:
* Cases that offer "good practices" and other "lessons learned" for closing
the digital divide
* Policies, strategies, tools, and partnerships that support efforts to
bridge the digital divide
* "Stories" of efforts to close the digital divide that demonstrate the
impact of ICT on development efforts
* Research results
* Sources of information, e.g., research papers, WWW sites, nonprofit
activities
* Government, NGO, foundation, university, and donor programs
2. Profanity and personal attacks are not acceptable.
Messages that violate these rules will *not* be posted to the Working Group.
*** REQUESTS ***
1. Please briefly introduce yourself in your first posting, including such
information as experience with development, activities in related groups,
etc.
2. Please tell others about this Working Group. Also, let us know of others
we should inform about the Working Group.
3. Please do *not* keep the body of the original text in your replies, except
to the extent absolutely necessary.
4. Make the subject header as descriptive as possible about the message
content. When you respond to a message, keep the original subject heading
intact unless it is no longer relevant to the message content.
5. Please do NOT send attachments, as they cannot be posted to the Working
Group.
6. Please exercise tolerance and respect toward other participants whose
views may differ from your own. Please remain courteous at all times.
7. When you would like to have a personal discussion, or feel offended by a
particular message, please send a message to the individual involved only.
*** SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE WORKING GROUP ***
Send your message to: digopp@mail.edc.org
Please note that all messages sent to the Working Group are considered to be
in the public domain.
*** ABOUT THE MARKLE FOUNDATION ***
The Markle Foundation works to realize the potential of information and
communications technologies to improve people's lives and promotes the
development of communications industries that address public needs. Markle
pursues its goals through a range of activities, including analysis,
research, public information and the development of innovative media products
and services. The foundation creates and operates many of its own projects
using not only grants but also investments and strategic alliances with non-profits and businesses.
The major program areas of the foundation include: Policy for a Networked
Society, interactive Media for Children, and Information Technologies for
Better Health. Additionally, the Markle Foundation's Global Digital
Opportunity Project is comprised of a range of initiatives that include the
Foundation's participation on the DOT Force; the United Nations ICT Advisory
Group; the OpportunITy Initiative, in partnership with UNDP and Accenture;
the Global Network Readiness and Resource Initiative; as well as limited
operational grant making. Further information can be found at
<http://www.markle.org>.
*** ABOUT EDC ***
Education Development Center (EDC), is a nonprofit organization committed to
expanding opportunities for learning, good health, and economic well-being
around the globe and across the lifespan. EDC also has extensive experience
with the use of ICT for sustainable development. EDC moderates and
facilitates DIGOPP, and also draws from the Working Group discussion to
prepare papers regarding effective uses of ICTs for sustainable development.
Further information about EDC can be found at <http://www.edc.org>.
*** FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ***
For further information about DIGOPP, please contact:
Janice Brodman
EDC
jbrodman@EDC.ORG
****************************************
ATTACHMENT V
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 14:07:46 +0900
To: utsumi@columbia.edu
From: Steve McCarty <steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp>
Subject: Mailman system / Broadband
Sensei, I'm glad to know you are well.
========================================
<<February 16, 2001>> Removed here by T. Utsumi,
========================================
3. Also concerning broadband, GLOCOM in Tokyo will try streaming video of the
following event (I'm sure you remember Prof. Miyao):
>Here is an announcement of an international symposium
>hosted by a group of GLOCOM members, i.e., the WWVi
>(World Wide Vision Initiative) group.
>For more details, please see the following websites:
>
>English site:
>http://www.wwvi.org/2001/symposium-en.html
>Japanese site:
>http://www.wwvi.org/2001/symposium.html
>
>We plan to post summaries of main presentations at this
>symposium on our web (www.glocom.org) in March.
>
>Takahiro Miyao
>Professor, GLOCOM
>GLOCOM Platform Managing Committee chairman
>---------------------------------------------------
>(ANNOUNCEMENT)
>WWVi International Symposium
>"Communication and Broadcasting in the Age of Internet 2001"
>The Mori Administration has established an IT Strategy Council,
>which aims at enabling 10 million households in Japan to have
>access to ultra high-speed Internet within five years. Japan,
>however, remains far behind the goal. Will broadband Internet
>ever come to Japan? What is required to achieve the goal?
>The conference also will be delivered live via the Internet.
>
>Date and Time: February 26, 2001 (10:00 - 17:30)
>Place: Tsuda Hall (Sendagaya, Tokyo)
>Registration Fees Full day: 10,000 yen (One session: 5,000 yen)
>* Students and teachers in educational institutions are eligible for
>academic discount. (Full day: 5,000 yen; One session: 2,500 yen)
>
>Program
>B!JSimultaneous translation will be available for the entire conferenceB!K
>
>B!|Session One: Televison in the Broadband Age.
>Keynote speaker:
>Eli Noam (Professor, Columbia University)
>Panelists:
>Masaharu Takano (President, Bitmedia) *Under negotiation
>Kazuhiko Nishi (Visiting Professor, MIT)
>Kazu Matsui (Music Producer)
>Keiko Matsui (Pianist)
>Coordinator:
>Nobuo Ikeda (Professor, GLOCOM)
>
>B!|Session Two: Who Owns the Spectrum?
>Keynote Speaker:
>Hajime Oniki (Professor, Osaka Gakuin University /
>Professor Emeritus, Osaka University)
>Panelists
>Kenji Kohiyama (Professor, Keio University)
>Masayoshi Son (President & CEO, Softbank) *Under negotiation
>Shunsuke Matsuda (CEO/CTO, e-w/you)
>Coordinator:
>Hiroshi Nakajima (Professor, Keio University /
>Editor, Nikkei Business Publication)
>
>B!|Session Three: Telecommunications Policy in the 21st Century
>Keynote Speaker:
>Robert Pepper (Chief, Office of Plans and Policy,
>Federal Communications Commission, USA)
>Panelists:
>Masahiro Yoshikawa (Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs,
>Posts and Telecommunications)
>Yoshihiko Miyauchi (Chairman, ORIX Corporation)
>Koichiro Hayashi (Professor, Keio University)
>Coordinator
>Shumpei Kumon (Director, GLOCOM)
>
>Online registration is available now.
Best wishes,
Steve
****************************************
ATTACHMENT VI
Subject: Dot Force / Visit Softbank & Benesse?
Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2001 12:24 AM
From: Steve McCarty <steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp>
To: <jafele@uoguelph.ca>, <utsumi@columbia.edu>
At 1:45 AM +0900 01.2.22, John Afele wrote:
>Dear Steve-san:
>The Director of International NGO Division of CIDA (the Canadian
>equivalent of JICA and USAID) has given me a small contract to identify
>some of the governance mechanisms that would facilitate knowledge
>flows and building knowledge communities, until the end of this fiscal
>year, at least. This
>project relates to the Digital Opportunities Task Force of the G7/G8
>declaration last year in Okinawa. He would like me to design a system in
>which universities in small communities, such as Guelph (population
>90,000; 60 minutes from Toronto), could serve as knowledge hubs in the
>transition of the immediate environment into a knowledge-based economy.
>I am looking at the mechanisms that facilitate or impede knowledge flows.
Dr. Afele, after reading Dr. Utsumi's message about the dot force
and checking out their Websites, I understand it better and will
watch for what the Japanese government does. I also joined a list:
U.S. NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS' WORKING GROUP FOR THE DOT FORCE
hosted by the Markle Foundation and moderated by Janice Brodman.
Our WAOE NPO is based at California State University, Sacramento.
If there is any valuable news for GUS, I'll pass it along to Dr. Utsumi and
you.
Regarding your research, just as a long shot, you may be interested
in the UNESCO World Culture Report 2000, which I read during the
winter vacation. It has some frameworks for identifying assets of
countries. There is a nice brief on it at:
http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/index.html
and the country statistics by various indicators are online
in downloadable pdf files at:
http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/html_eng/tables2.shtml
There I could, for example, confirm that UNESCO had missed out
on designating Afghanistan's Great Buddhas and other cultural
treasures as World Heritage properties. Nowadays globalization
is often used as a dirty word, but there are many areas including
education, health, conflict resolution, etc. where globalization
has not gone far enough. If the US would not try to emasculate
international organizations like the UN, the latter might be able
to bring rogue governments into the international community.
Dr. Utsumi, through Dr. Afele's introduction of his acquaintance
who returned to Japan and joined Softbank, we can probably
visit Softbank next time you can make it to Tokyo (early May?).
A Benesse Corporation person will visit me this Saturday, and
I would like to tell her about the GUS EFL project, etc. You could
probably also visit Benesse headquarters in Tokyo if you like.
Dr. Afele's acquaintance Mayumi Tanimoto at Softbank is
sending me and Dr. Afele various messages in English and
Japanese, which I will try to summarize for you later. I'll send
your Power Point slides to Mayumi as e-mail attachments,
since she wanted something like that to show Softbank people.
Glad to hear of all the amazing progress with GUS.
I'll try to learn more about mobile broadband wireless, etc.
The Japanese government finally approved my pavilion
on Global Online Education in Japanese and English for
their Internet Fair Japan 2001, so I'll try to make it a
central point for references and people's input. I can
probably find Chinese and maybe Korean collaboration
to cover all the languages of the Internet Fair (Inpaku).
One of the authors of our Internet Handbook in Japanese
due out in late April is from China, and the authors got
together in Osaka recently. The pavilion site so far is at:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/inpaku/index.html
and in Japanese at:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/inpaku/j.html
Collegially, Steve McCarty, Professor, Kagawa JC, Japan
President, World Association for Online Education (NPO):
waoe@waoe.org - http://waoe.org/president/index.html
Global University System (NGO) Asia-Pacific Framework:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/asia-pacific/
Online Publications (Asian Studies WWWVL 4-star site):
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/epublist.html
In Japanese: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/
****************************************
ATTACHMENT VII
From: owner-digopp@phoenix.edc.org
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 15:41:41 -0500 (EST)
To: "digopp@phoenix.edc.org
From \"Peter T. Knight\"" <peter@knight-moore.com>
Subject: [digopp] Re: Infrastructure and Access, continued
Dear Members of the DIGOPP Working Group,
At the suggestion of the moderators of the Working Group, I'd like to
provide a brief summary of the Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) proposal
referred to by Takeshi Utsumi in his posting of February 15.
The GSTF proposal responds directly to several of the injunctions of the
Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society to:
"..foster an appropriate policy and regulatory environment to stimulate
competition and innovation, ensure economic and financial stability, advance
stakeholder collaboration to optimize global networks, fight abuses that
undermine the integrity of the network, bridge the digital divide, invest In
people, and promote global access and participationôå
and calling on
"..all, within both the public and private sectors to bridge the
international information and knowledge divideô."
(For more information kindly go to:
http://www.g8kyushu-okinawa.go.jp/e/documents/it1.html)
The GSTF would create strong incentives for an improved policy and regulatory
environment in developing and transitional countries, increase bandwidth
available free or at subsidized rates for educational and health projects --
that is projects investing in people -- requiring broad bandwidth, and would
involve collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The GSTF proposal grew out of efforts of its authors who have experience in
obtaining funding for what they feel are worthy education and health projects
in developing and transitional countries. It directly addresses the digital
divide at the international level, and could be so structured as to address
the domestic digital divide within beneficiary countries. The proposal seeks
funding for a participatory process to develop policy conditionality and
operational criteria, as well as for a high-level meeting of global leaders
to launch the GSTF.
What follows is the executive summary of the proposal, prepared by Frank
Method, Joseph Pelton, Takeshi Utsumi and myself. The full proposal,
including its background and rationale, as well as information about the
authors, is available at www.knight-moore.com -- You can click through to the
proposal directly from the home page.
Global communications have expanded rapidly in recent years, but there still
are at least two billion people that have major unmet needs in education,
health care, and water supply, sanitation, and nutrition. Many of these
people are located in remote rural areas, with limited or no access to formal
educational systems, health care, potable water, electricity, or jobs related
to the new information economy. These deficiencies are at the core of what
has been described as the "digital divide."
Information and communications technologies cannot replace the need for
teachers and health care professionals, but they can expand and magnify
conventional capabilities in powerful ways. As a result of the G-8 meetings
held in Okinawa, Japan, in July 2000, important initiatives have been
started, and this proposal falls clearly within the suggestions for action in
the Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society. Although many countries
(including some developing countries) are now geared to establish broadband
Internet, their initiatives are mainly domestic.
There is no international organization that provides such a network across
national boundaries, oceans, and continents for the use by non-profit
organizations, e.g., tele-education, tele-healthcare, libraries, and local
governments. This international gap is now a major cause of network
congestion, and there is an urgent need to close it in a rapidly globalizing
world society.
What is needed is both high quality audio/video delivery and high quality
interactivity. Although these terms will be understood and applied
differently in various parts of the world, the objective of increasing
quality, interactivity, and system throughput can be seen as a global
objective for improving tele-education and tele-health services. A true
revolution in distance learning and telemedicine requires high-speed access
to the World Wide Web, and the flexibility to offer a variety of media. These
might include two-way audio, full-motion video-conferencing up to MPEG2
quality, television-quality netcasting, and high-resolution image transfer
for tele-medicine. Such capabilities require medium to broad bandwidth.
Developing countries need broadband Internet via international satellite and
fiber-optic cable. The Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) will address the
digital divide by making available broad bandwidth free or at below market
prices for qualifying education and health projects in developing countries.
Ideally, funding would be sufficient to eliminate or greatly reduce the
telecommunications cost for qualified education and healthcare applications.
This might be done by a voluntary international mechanism akin to the "E-Rate" now benefiting schools in the United States. In fact, most developed
countries have used public policy tools of some kind to create a less-than-market rate for education, health, and/or other priority applications.
Another option could be to begin with free bandwidth for qualifying education
and health applications, but raise it toward (expected to be declining)
market prices in gradual steps.
The fund would come from two donor sources: telecommunications companies with
underutilized bandwidth (transponder space, fiber capacity) and organizations
possessing financial resources (foundations; multinational corporations,
international organizations, individual donors, etc.). Funds would be
allocated as grants to qualifying projects and as in-kind assistance with
connections; bandwidth would be allocated in-kind through an auction-like
applications process.
The GSTF could function as a bandwidth aggregator itself or could work with
commercial and non-profit aggregators through business arrangements to be
established. By qualifying projects we mean there would be some policy
conditionality (telecommunications, education, health). This conditionality
will be established in a participatory fashion by working groups convened by
ITU, UNESCO, and WHO. Major stakeholders - nations, international
organizations, private companies, NGOs, etc. - would be invited to help
determine the minimum acceptable policy framework intended to create an
enabling environment for the development of both broad bandwidth
infrastructure and applications of this infrastructure to meet development
needs. The Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Telecommunications and Information
(CITI) will conduct preparatory work, for which funding is being sought. A
minimum infrastructure is required for running the fund. One possibility is
that the World Bank would provide the secretariat, making use of the same
legal infrastructure established for the Information and Development Program
(InfoDev). The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is another possible
host, and others could be envisioned e.g., an independent neutral entity
under the auspices of UNESCO, WHO, ITU, World Bank, UNDP, etc.
Peter T. Knight
------
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List of Distribution
Karen Lynch
Director, Global Digital Opportunity Project
Markle Foundation
10 Rockefeller Plaza, 16th Flr.
New York, NY 10020-1903
212-713-7620
Fax: 212-765-9690
klynch@markle.org
http://www.markle.org/dotforce.html
James B. Steinberg
Senior Advisor
Markle Foundation
10 Rockefeller Plaza, 16th Flr.
New York, NY 10020-1903
212-713-7645
212-713-7628
Mobil: 1-917-539-2877
Fax: 212-765-9690
JSteinberg@markle.org
Dennis Gilhooly
Senior Advisor to the Administrator
Director, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development
United Nations Development Program
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
212-906-6914
Fax: 212-906-5778
denis.gilhooly@undp.org
http://www.dotforce.org/
Kate. Raworth
UNDP
kate.raworth@undp.org
Peter T. Knight, Ph.D.
Board member of GLOSAS/USA
Knight, Moore - Telematics for Education and Development
Communications Development Incorporated (CDI)
Strategy, Policy, Design, Implementation, Evaluation
1808 I Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006, USA
Tel: 1-202-721-0348 (dir/vmail) 202-775-2132 (sec.)
Fax: 1-202-775-2135 (office)
Cel: 1-202-255-7215
IP for CU-SeeMe: 198.77.80.46
ptknight@attglobal.net
peter@knight-moore.com
webmail: ptknight@netscape.net
http://www.knight-moore.com
http://www.cdinet.com
http://www.knight-moore.com/partners/partnerindex.htm -- bio
http://www.knight-moore.com/projects/GSTF.html -- about GSTF
Or
Rio de Janeiro Office
Avenida Atl ntica 4022/302
22070-002 Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Brazil
Tel/Fax: 55-21-522-9167, cell 9752-5972
Francis J. Method
Former Director of UNESCO-Washington
Education Advisor to UNESCO
1775 K St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
Phone:(1)202-454-2182
Fax: (1) 202-331-9121
fmethod@erols.com
Ben I. Haraguchi, J.D.
Secretary of GLOSAS/USA
Former President
Foundation for the Support of the United Nations (FSUN)
809 United Nations Plaza, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1-212-986 8114
Cel: +1-914-656-9737
Fax: +1-212-986 8131
haralaw@cs.com
http://www.fsun.org
Dr. Janice Brodman
Director, Center for Innovative Management and Training Technologies
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02158-1060
617-618-2620
617-969-7100 EXT. 2620
FAX: 617-332-6405
JaniceB@edc.org
jbrodman@edc.org
Steve McCarty
Professor, Kagawa Junior College
President, World Association for Online Education (WAOE)
3717-33 Nii, Kokubunji, Kagawa 769-0101, JAPAN
+81-877-49-8041 (office, direct line), Fax: +81-877-49-5252
steve@kagawa-jc.ac.jp, steve_mc@kagawa-jc.ac.jp
mccarty@mail.goo.ne.jp -- web mail
WAOE: http://www.waoe.org
Website Map: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/
Japanese home page: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/
English home page: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/presence.html
Online publications (an Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library 4-star site):
In Japanese: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/jpublist.html
In English: http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/epublist.html
http://www.asiasource.org/experts/ax_mp_03.cfm?expertid=1944
Fundamental Projects of Dr. Takeshi Utsumi [Japanese-English]:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/asia-pacific/projects-ej.html
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/asia-pacific/projects-j.html (Japanese)
Global University System Asia-Pacific Framework:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve_mc/asia-pacific/index.html
Global University System Mid-2000 Correspondence:
http://www.friends-partners.org/~utsumi/gu-l/mid-2000/index.html
Prof. Eli M. Noam
Director
Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Professor of Finance and Economics
Graduate School of Business
Uris Hall, Room 809
3022 Broadway
Columbia University
New York, NY 10027-6902
212-854-8332
Fax: 212-932-7816
noam@columbia.edu
www.citi.columbia.edu
www.vii.org
John Senyo C. Afele, Ph.D
Director, International Program for Africa
Department of Plant Agriculture
Johnston Hall, Room 136
OAC Dean's Office
Ontario Agricultural College
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Tel: +1-519-824-4120 ext 6419
Fax:+1-519-824-0870
cell:+1-519-831-4862
Fax: +1-519-763-8933
Email: jafele@plant.uoguelph.ca
jafele@uoguelph.ca
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~jafele/aki-bio.htm
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE *
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS) *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 *
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
**********************************************************************