'Digital rift is slowing global development'

The first World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) agreed on Friday international co-operation was needed so that poor countries were not left out of the flow of knowledge driving much of the modern economy.

A statement adopted by delegates of 68 states and numerous technology companies at the end of forum held in Vilnius said cooperation between states and public-private linkups to bridge the "digital divide" were crucial to help reduce world poverty.

"Africa is facing severe problems, but in every country there's a gap between 'haves' and 'have-nots', between urban and rural areas, between generations," Yoshio Utsumi, head of the International Telecommunications Union, told the gathering.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw1062245165890B252&set_id=1

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/

Infrastructure is the first step. I find that effective economic use of the internet requires substantial cash expeditures from the user. Where is that supposed to come from if the consumer doesn't have a line of credit from a bank? In poorly developed countries, governments and government supported institutions (health institutions and universities for example) will have to be the main consumers and intermediaries to make information which is bought and sold in advanced economies available to developing economies on a more equitably distributed basis. These costs are well above construction, maintenance and operation costs. Here is where copyright laws like patent laws become a big barrier to development. One thing I noted in Asia characteristic of their explosive development was a certain lack of respect for intellectual property laws. Hint, hint.

Paying for infrastructure only a beginning. Another big barrier is education as the article points out. Education involves additional capital investment in infrastructure and people. Where are the classes of professionals, teachers and intellectuals to mine the internet and build alternative repositories of information (and skills) which can be more readily and equitably distributed to increase the standard of living? Where are these people going to come from?