07 August 2000

G-8 Nations Highlight Need for Universal Internet Access

by Luke Johnson
Washington File Staff Writer

The "digital divide", the division between people who have access to the Internet and those who do not, expands at such a rate that the influential G-8 nations are committing substantial resources to bridging the divide.

The world's largest industrial powers -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Russia -- agreed to the formation of a global task force to address the gap between information "haves" and "have-nots" when they met at the Kyushu-Okinawa summit July 21-23.

As many in the developed world benefit from the Internet's information stream, and tap into the increasing market power of e-commerce, those who do not have access are being left behind in one of the most potent economic and intellectual trends of the age. New information technologies like the Internet could be a boon to education and nascent economic growth in developing countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. These nations, however, account for a miniscule percentage of global Internet activity.

Currently, less than 5 percent of computers with Internet access are in developing countries. While the number of Internet users worldwide will grow from 349 million in 2000 to 766 million in 2005, much of this growth will bypass developing countries, according to data from the Computer Industry Almanac. Although the Middle East and Africa will experience a net increase in users over the next five years, these regions will only make small proportional gains, with their Internet-using population growing a to 3.8 percent of worldwide Internet users.

Data from the International Telecommunications Union demonstrate why the developing world will be slow to enter cyberspace. The developed world has 49.5 telephone lines per 100 people, enabling anyone with a telephone access to the World Wide Web via a modem. But in low-income countries, telephone lines reach into the homes of only 1.4 per 100 people.

This 'digital divide' translates to more than a hindrance in interpersonal communication; there are clear socio-economic consequences for the developing countries' lack of sophisticated information technology (IT). A June 2000 World Bank study offers a powerful illustration of how economic growth in developing areas can be enhanced by IT or stalled without it. According to the study, half of the difference between East Asia's high export levels and Africa's lower export levels -- as a percentage of each area's total gross domestic product (GDP) -- can be attributed to Africa's weak communications networks.

Furthermore, Asia, Africa and Latin America combined share only $18,000 million of the $111,000 million global total of e-commerce revenues for 1999. And, as International Data Corporation predictions put worldwide e-commerce revenues at $1,317,000 million by 2003, developing nations are clearly bystanders to one of the most dynamic trends in the global economy.

The Okinawa Charter on the Global Information Society released during the summit reflects the importance the group attaches to expanding access to IT. The Charter outlines the G-8 nations' commitments to realizing universal access, placing many initiatives in the hands of the Digital Opportunity Task Force. This group, also known as "the dot force", "will mobilize and coordinate the efforts of governments, the private sector, foundations, multilateral and international institutions" to bridge the digital divide, according to the Charter.

The initiatives, which are supported by a wide variety of public and private interests, include efforts sponsored by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the U.S. government. These initiatives focus primarily on creating policies conducive to the spread of information technology and extension of credit specifically for e-commerce and digital divide projects at the international level.

Private sector programs are being supported and administered by some of the most significant corporate names in IT -- Microsoft, StarMedia, Intel, AOL, and Cisco Systems. These efforts tend to concentrate more on supplying hardware and training to developing countries on a grassroots level. The StarMedia Foundation initiative, for example, will expand information technology training for low-income youth throughout Latin America.

These efforts comprise a significant commitment to build IT infrastructure in developing world nations, enable technology transfers, and train technicians and users alike how to establish, maintain, and fully exploit Internet connectivity.

The initiatives emerging from the latest G-8 summit will bolster other efforts already underway to expand the global information infrastructure. Some of the major U.S.-sponsored programs include the Internet for Economic Development (IED) initiative that is coordinated by the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development's Leland Initiative, and the Federal Communications Commission's Kennard Initiative.

The Kennard Initiative aims to provide telecom policy and regulatory assistance to developing countries. The FCC is currently engaged in Works Programs with a number of developing countries including Peru, Uganda, Ghana, and Argentina. USAID's five-year, $15 million Leland Initiative takes a more specific approach, with the goal of extending full Internet connectivity to 20 or more African countries.

Although there is still a great deal to be done, these programs and initiatives offer hope that universal access to information technologies will eventually be made a reality and, in the words of the Okinawa Charter, "everyone, everywhere should be enabled to participate in and no one should be excluded from the benefits of the global information society."

Further information on initiatives to bridge the digital divide may be found at http://www.usaid.gov/regions/afr/leland/ and http://www.fcc.gov/ib/developinitiative/

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