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Digital Divide 6/2000 [6]
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Digital Divide 6/2000 [6]
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Gene Sperling's Subject Files
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FOIA Number: 2019-0203-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
National Economic Council
Series/Staff Member:
Gene Sperling
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
20706
FolderID:
Folder Title:
DIGITAL DIVIDE 6/2000 [6]
Stack:
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Section:
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Position:
S
17
7
5
3
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62878
yes
NEWMARKET
Facsimile
Date: 3/6/00
To:
Gene B. Sperling
The White House
Phone: 202-456-6630
Fax:
202-456-2223
From:
Nicholas Dowling
Vice President, The Newmarket Company, Inc.
Phone: 202-298-6300
Fax: 202-298-6276
Pages:
10
Invitation to June Thesen Event in Washington DC on
Thafri.
Subject:
"Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies"
Dear Mr. Sperling:
The technology revolution is dramatically changing business, culture, governance and
society. It enables new economic opportunities, connects and creates new communities,
and breaks down borders and isolation. Yet the uneven progression of international IT
growth is creating a gap between wired and non-wired societies. While many economies
are embracing the latest innovations in communications, information management, and E-
Commerce, much of the world is failing w keep pace.
Barriers to entering the information economy include infrastructure, policy and regulatory
issues, economic or government structural wcaknesses, or even political backlash to a
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path toward rapid change. Understanding these barriers as well as the implications of a
continuing digital divide are essential for both technology companies and policy makers
around the world.
To address these critical issues, The Newmarket Company has joined forces with Oracle,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, and other leading technology companies to organize a three-
part series of events will convene leading policy, technology, and economic experts from
around the world to consider these critical issues in both a global and regional context
The Newmarket Company is the global intelligence and advisory firm founded by former
US National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, former CIA Director John Deutch, and
former Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce David Rothkopf.
On behalf of Tony, John and David, I would like to invite you to be a featured participant
at our "Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies" (EMET) inaugural event in
Washington, DC on June 22-23, 2000. You would be one of approximately ten
distinguished experts that will lead discussions with CEOs, regional leaders, and
technology executives on the prospects for technological growth in international markets.
A description of the event and issues to be addressed is attached.
EMET will convene the most interesting and influential international technology figures
from around the world. Other participants will include leading policy makers such as
U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, former Cable and Wireless Chair Lord David
Young. Singapore Minister of Trade and Industry George Yeo, and former US National
Security Advisor Anthony Lake, We have also invited international technology gurus
such as Nathan Myhrvold, Masayoshi Son and Vint Cerf.
Please contact me at the information below if you have any questions about the program.
In addition, please have your staff contact Elaine Sanderlin, our coordinator for the event,
to confirm your participation.
Thank you for your consideration.
Points of Contact
For questions about the program:
To RSVP or for other event questions:
Nick Dowling
Elaine Sanderlin
Vice President
Event Coordinator
The Newmarket Company
The Newmarket Company
Phone: (202) 298-6300
Phone: (202) 298-6300
Fax: (202) 298-6276
Fax: (202) 298-6276
[email protected]
[email protected]
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NEWMARKET
THE NEWMARKET COMPANY
PRESENTS
EMERGING MARKETS, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
A : eries of Three International Events Addressing the Opportunities and Challenges of
Bringing Technology to New Global Markets
Eme ging technologies and the integration of global markets have created a volatile, fast-
grow πg new economy with explosive implications for emerging markets around the world.
Yer nany regions and countries may be left bebind. Barriers to entering the information
econ. my include infrastructure, policy and regulatory issues, economic or government
stru tural weaknesses, or even political backlash so a path of rapid change.
Unc. rstanding these barriers as well as the implications of a continuing digital divide
are ssential for both technology companies and policy makers around the world.
The three-part series of events will convene leading policy, technology, and economic
exp. its from around the world to consider these critical issues in both a global and
regi. nal context.
Art: :hed are materials summarizing the three Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
(EM: ET) events:
EM. IT I: Global Perspectives
Was nington, D.C.
June 22-23, 2000
EM ET II: Asia - The Fragile Phoenix
Tair ei, Taiwan
October 23-24, 2000
EM :T III: Americas 2001 New Growth and New Models
Rio le Janeiro, Brazil
December 7-8, 2000
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EMERGING MARKETS, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Scenarios for Bridging the Global Digital Divide
Global Scenarios Series Event
Washington, D.C.
June 22-23, 2000
If the e is one issue that touches all others in the world today, it is how the information revolution is
chang ny business. economies, societies and the lives of individuals. Yet many regions, countries or
local. ies atc not yet wired into the new economy.
The Jewmarket Company, internationally known for its scenario exercises, will bring together world
gover ment and business leaders to examine this issue in a three-event scries looking at emerging markets
and nerging technologies. This event will cover the range of technology sectors, from chips and cable to
softw are and e-solutions.
New market will convenc 60-90 leaders from the world's most important developing and developed
ecoL mies cabinet ministers, technology policy makers, legislators, chief executives, entrepreneurs and
expe CS in Washington, D.C. for a two-day, closed-door discussion on this set of crucial global issues.
How can regional policy makers harness the global information revolution and bridge the growing gap
betw :en rich and poor within their borders, within their regions, within the world at large? What
gove ning policies and structures are necessary to attract IT investment? What regulatory hurdles or
harn onization must be addressed before real competitiveness can be achieved? What infrastructure
requirements are necessary to attract technology investment? What is the promise of e-commerce and "-
gon, ament? What will be the political, economic, security and social consequences for the country that
eml Ices the information revolution. or does not? How can information technologies offer policy
solu uns?
The = and other questions will be addressed in Newmarket's unique, interactive format whereby
part cipants game-out alternative futures and work together to understand implications, drivers,
opp. runities, and risks involved.
Sce. arios to be explored during the event include:
-be Global Disconnect: Bridging the Global Digital Divide
Regulatory Chaos: Governing Challenges and Opportunities of E-World
LYN Stability: Social and Political Backlash 10 the New Economy
Vext Generation Disruptive Technologies: Biotech, Nanotech, Spacetech and Beyond
The event will convene the key decision-makers who are shaping the technologies, the markets, and the
reg. latery, policy and purchasing decisions that will impact your growth in some of the most important,
rap: Ily growing and complex markers in the world. Because the forum is interactive- everybody always
has in open microphone - participants can raise the issues of greatest significance to them throughout.
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Becar e it will be attended by key ministers, CEOs, policy makers and opinion-leadets, all participants will
play a -ole in shaping outcomes in one of the most important public debates of our era.
Expe. ted attendees include current and furmer senior U.S. policy makers such as U.S. Secretary of Energy
Bill I. chardson and former U.S. National Security Advisor Tony Lake, internarional leaders such as
Singa; ore Ambassador Chan Heng Chee and Inter-Ametican Development Bank President Enrique
Ingle: as, international technology gurus such as Nicholas Negroponte and Masayoshi Son, and other
inter: itional and U.S. officials with expertise and influence on global technology issues.
This vent in Washington D.C. is the first of a three-part series on Emerging Markets, Emerging
Tech. ologies. Part II of the scries will take place in Asia and will focus on the unique challenges and
oppo tunities of technology as Asia emerges from the economic turbulence of the last. decade. Part III of
the Si rics will take place in Latin America and will examine how the "new" economy is changing the shape
of A crican economies and the north-south relationship.
For : uther information about participating in this evcnt contact:
Nich. las Dowling
Vice President
The Jewmarket Company
Suite 200
330- M Street, N.W.
Was: ington, D.C. 20007
(202 298-6300
(202 298-6276
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ASIA 2001: THE FRAGILE PHOENIX
EMERGING MARKETS, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TI
Scenarios for a New Generation of Opportunities, Challenges and Leaders
Global Scenarios Series
Taipei, Taiwan
October 23-24, 2000
Asia as made remarkable progress recovering from the regional and global shocks of the late 1990s.
Refor ns previously unimaginable are afoor across the continent, from the transformation of Korea's
chael is, to the coming entry of the PRC and Taiwan into the WTO, to increased transparency and
politi al change throughout Southeast Asia. A new Asia is emerging.
The using challenge for the next generation of leaders in the region is managing the emergence and
inter- :ction of new technologies and new markets. The reality of a global "new" economy driven by
techn ological changes has created massive opportunities for Asian companies even as it challenges
tradit onal notions of social structure, openness, and international integration.
The Newmarket Company, internationally known for its scenario exercises that bring together world
gove nment and business leaders EO explore alternative futures, will address these issues in an event
expr. ssly created for the next generation of regional leaders and their global counterparts. This event is
the : :cond of a three-part series looking at how emerging markets and emerging technologies are shaping
the " ternational business climate.
New market will convene the most influential leaders from the region - cabinet ministers, future cabinet
mini. tcrs, legislators, chief executives, innovators, and other emerging opinion leaders for a two-day,
class I-door discussion of the most critical challenges they will face. They will be joined by leaders and
expe IS from the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere with a critical interest in Asia's future.
How will the information economy's demand for greater transparency and openness impact the polities of
the ,CW Asia? How will the emerging global digital divide impact relations among the peoples and
cour tries of the region and the world? Where will the capital returning to Asia concentrate and what will
be (i e consequences? What will be the consequences of PRC and Taiwanese entry into the WTO? How
can apan restore economic vitality and what if its efforts remain stalled? Where will the conflicts between
trad: ion and the demands for innovation be the greatest? How will old conflicts like those on the Korean
Pen isula and those across the Straits of Taiwan manifest themselves? What technological innovations
will have the greatest impact on Asian growth? What of rising petroleum prices? What of a nascent
inte: national backlash against globalization?
The e and other questions will be addressed in Newmarket's unique, interactive format in which
part cipants game-out alternative futures and work together to understand their implications, the drivers
that will bring them to pass, the opportunities they create and the risks they entail.
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Scenarios to be explored during the event include:
T. " New Asian Miracle: Innovation, Rapid Change, New Capital and Wbo Will Lead
T if Phoenix Falters: Old Tensions, Fears of the New and the Next Setback
7 18 Global Disconnect: Overcoming the Digital Divide and Regulatory Chaos in Asia
... statech 2001: The Technological Drivers (and their Consequences) Most Likely to Dominate
For P uticipants, this event is a chance to meet with a carefully selected, extremely high-level group in an
exclu: IVC setting focused on issues of great and direct importance to all present. Because the forum is
mter. tive-everybody always has an open microphone, they can raise the issues of greatest significance to
them throughout. Because it will be attended by key ministers, CEOs, other policy makers and opinion-
leade. % they can play a role in shaping outcomes in one of the most important public debates of our exa.
Of sj. cial importance, this meeting is conceived to be of greatest interest to those who will lead the region
and L.C world in the two decades ahead, the young rising leaders who currently do not have a comparable
form to game out the futures they will share. Every element of the program will be focused on the issues
of gr. atest importance to them: technological changes, demographic transformations, global trends and
the n. W paradigms they will stimulate. Others, notably current leaders, will attend this event in an effort to
help nsure a shared vision of the years ahead produces smooth transitions and a clear understanding of
the -going implications of the opportunities and challenges abead.
For 1 rther information about participating in this event contact:
Nich las Dowling
Vice resident
The: lewmarket Company
Suite 200
3307 V1 Street, N.W.
Wasi ington, D.C. 20007
(202 298-6300
(202 298-6276
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AMERICAS 2001: NEW GROWTH AND NEW MODELS
EMERGING MARKETS, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES III
Scenarios for a New Generation of Opportunities, Challenges and Leaders
Global Scenarios Series Event
Rio de Janciro, Brazil
December 7-8, 2000
The mericas have weathered a storm in the last years of the 20th Century. Now new growth is on the
horiz n for many. The turn of the millenium will see these economies embark on new cras with Я new
gener: tion of leaders at the helm. This new generation is rising among the elites of these countries,
conte. nplating a hemisphere in which the old rules don't apply. in which new technologies are more
impo, ant than old family ties, in which the nations of the south and the north are finding new common
mtere L5 and new divisions, and in which the old models no longer apply.
Fund. more, new problems are emerging as serious challenges. The gap between rich and poor is
grow! 1g. as is the digital divide. In some countries, nationalism is seen as a realistic alternative to
globalization. In others such as Colombia, civil war festers on, threatening the entire region.
This I EW reality poses dramatic challenges for the next generation of leaders in the region. The reality of a
globa. "new" economy driven by technological changes has created massive opportunities for Latin
Ame: can companies even as it challenges traditional notions of social structure, openness, and
inten idonal integration for national leaders.
The Newmarket Company, internationally known for its scenario exercises that bring together world
gover ment and business leaders to explore alternative futures, will address these issues in an event
expre. sly created for the next generation of regional leaders and their global counterparts. This event is
the Ti. rd of a three-part series looking at how emerging markets and emerging technologies are shaping the
inten stional business climate.
New: tarket will convene leaders from North and South America: cabinet ministers, future cabinet
minus. èis, legislators, chief executives, innovators, and other emerging opinion leaders for a two-day,
close -door discussion of critical challenges and the new economy. They will be joined by leaders and
exper S from Asia, Europe, and elsewhere with a critical interest in technology and the future of the
Amel cas.
What are the barriets in Larin America to entering the information economy? 1s there a future for FTAA?
How will the information economy's demand for greater transparency and openness impact the politics of
the TI :W Americas? Where will the capital returning to Latin America concentrate and what will be the
conse quences? What will be the consequences of the recent travails of the WIO and the nascent backlash
again t globalization? Where will new political leadership in key countries take us? What technological
inno. rions will have the greatest impact on pan-American growth?
Thes. and other questions will be addressed in Newmarket's unique, interactive format in which
partic :parits game-out alternative futures and work together to understand their implications, the drivers
that ill bring them to pass, the opportunities they create and the risks they entail.
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Scenarios 10 be explored during the event include:
T è FTAA Reborn: From New US Leadership, New Hope for an Old Idea
I' i New Economy: A Volatile Rush Lp the Information Age or Economic Backlash and Setback
/ & Global Disconnect: Overcoming the Digital Divide and Regulatory Chaos in Latin America
Penamtech 2001: The Technological Drivers (and their Consequences) Most Likely to Dominate
This an opportunity to convenc the kcy decision-makets who will shape the technologies, the markers,
and Ll e regulatory, policy and purchasing decisions that will impact growth in some of the most important,
rapidl -growing and complex markets in the world. Because the forum is interactive- everybody always
has 2: open microphone - participants can raise the issues of greatest significance to them throughout.
Because it will be attended by key ministers, CEOs, other policy makern and opinion-leaders, they can play
a role in shaping outcomes in one of the most important public debates of out era.
Of special importance, this meeting is conceived to be of greatest interest to those who will lead the region
and li C world in the two decades ahcad. Every element of the program will be focused on the issues of
greare it importance to them: technological changes, demographic transformations, global trends and the
new aradigins they will stimulate. Others, notably current leaders, will attend this event in an effort to
help . asure a shared vision of the years ahead produces smooth transitions and a clear understanding of
the or -going implications of the opportunities and challenges ahead.
For It rther information about participating in this event contact:
Nich las Dowling
Vice resident
The 1. ewmarket Company
Suite :00
3307 A Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007
(202) 98-6300
(202) 298-6276
INTELLIBRIDGE
Global Intelligence Solutions
Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Confirmed Participants as of June 7, 2000
Donald Abelson, Chief, International Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
Neil Allen, Chairman and CEO, Allen Global Holdings, LLC
J. Brian Atwood, Executive Vice President, Citizens Energy Corporation and former Administrator, US AID
Tengku Azzman Shariffadeen, President and CEO, MIMOS Berhad, Malaysia
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Economist in Residence, The Economist, United Kingdom
Jagdish Bhagwati, Arthur Lehman Professor of Economics, Columbia University
Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, Executive Director, European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and former Prime Minister,
Poland
David Birnbaum, Vice President, Softbank Inc.
Edward Black, President, Computer and Communications Industry Association
José Octavio Bordón, Minister of Education, Technology and Culture, Government of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lael Brainard,* Deputy Director, National Economic Council, The White House
Bradford Brown, Chairman, National Center for Technology & Law, George Mason University
Chan Heng-Chee, Ambassador to the United States, Embassy of the Republic of Singapore
Joyce Chang, Managing Director, Head of International Fixed Income Research, Chase Securities
Jon Cunliffe, Director, International Finance, H.M. Treasury, United Kingdom
Rudolf Dolzer, Director, Institut für Völkerrecht and former Director General, Office of the Chancellor, Germany
Peter Faid Faisal, Director and Co-founder, IslamiQ.com Ltd, United Kingdom
Pate Felts, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Office of the United States Trade Representative
Linda Fisher, Vice President, Pharmacia Monsanto
Charles Fleischman, Co-Chaiman, Criptic, LLC
Shinji Fukukawa, Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Institute for Human Studies and former Vice-Minister of International
Trade and Industry, Japan
John Gage, Chief Science Officer, Sun Microsystems
John Gannon, Chairman, National Intelligence Council
John Gardner, Vice President, AT&T
Lawrence Greenberg, General Counsel, The Motley Fool
Peter Hakim, President, Inter-American Dialogue
James Harmon, President and Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States
Hasnita Hashim, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, IslamiQ.com Ltd., United Kingdom
Adnan Hassan, Senior Knowledge Officer, The World Bank
Benny Hu, President, China Development Industrial Bank, Taiwan
José Miguel Insulza, Minister of the Interior, Chile
Tom Kalil, Special Assistant to the President, National Economic Council, The White House
Mohsen Khalil, Director, Global Information and Communication Technologies, International Finance Corporation
Duk-Choong Kim, President, Ajou University and former Minister of Education, Korea
Sukhan Kim, Senior Managing Partner, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld
David Krawitz, President, Shandwick Public Affairs
Anthony Lake, Co-Chaiman, Intellibridge Advisory Council and former National Security Advisor
H. David Lambert, Chief Information Officer, Georgetown University
Frank Langhammer, Executive Vice President and COO, Taylor-Dejongh, Inc.
Bud Langston, Executive Director Operations, Oracle Corporation
Ricardo Gil Lavedra, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Argentina
Yong-Teh Lee, Chaiman, TriGem Computer Inc., Korea
Eric Lindner, Chief Executive Officer, Capital Transportation, LLC
Ernesto Maceda, Ambassador to the United States, Embassy of the Philippines
Pedro Maisonnave, Chief Executive Officer, GlobalStar Brazil
Matt McHugh, Counselor to the President, The World Bank
Charles Nemfakos, Deputy Under Secretary, Department of the Navy
Neal Ochsner, Chief Business Development Officer, iDefense, Inc.
Othman Yeop Abdullah, Chairman and CEO, Multimedia Development Corporation, Malaysia
Jack Pellicci, Vice President, Global Public Services, Oracle Corporation
Alexander Pentland, Academic Head, MIT Media Lab
Frank Ponzio Jr., President, Symbolic International
Clyde Prestowitz, President, Economic Strategy Institute
John Rendon, President, The Rendon Group
Bill Richardson, Secretary of Energy, United States
Donald Roth, Managing Partner, Emerging Markets Partnership
R. Joseph Schlosser, Global Leader Learning Education, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Julian Schweitzer, Director of Strategy and Operations, The World Bank
Jaime Serra Puche, Senior Partner, Serra Asociados Internacionales and former Minister of Finance, Mexico
William Shaw, Senior Economist, The World Bank
Michelle Siren, Deputy Director, International Business Networks, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Gordon Smith, President, Gordon Smith International and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
Gene Sperling,* Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director, National Economic Council, The White House
Robert Stillman, President, Milbridge Capital Management, LLC
John Tonelli, Principal, International Venture Partners, LLC
Yoo Chong-ha, Professor, Sogang University and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Korea
Chung-bun Yoon, President, Korea Information Society Development Institute, Korea
Zhang Xiaoli, Director, Foreign Affairs College, China
* Confirmed in principle, subject to schedule availability
See p.d for Gene's Event
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE CORPORATION PRESENTS:
THE GLOBAL SCENARIOS SERIES
"EMERGING MARKETS, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES"
June 21-22, 2000
Washington DC
Four Seasons Hotel
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception and Remarks
"International Power and Policy in the Internet Age"
Following an opening reception, participants will
hear opening remarks from senior global experts in government and
business that will frame the next day's scenario sessions.
Panelists:
Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, Director, EBRD and former Prime
Minister, Poland
Ken Courtis, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs
John Gannon, Chairman, National Intelligence Council
Gordon Smith, President, Gordon Smith International
Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
and Director, National Economic Council
THURSDAY, JUNE 22
7:30-8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast and Registration for Delegates
8:30-10:00 a.m.
Opening Plenary Session
"Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies: Global Technology
Drivers of the Next Decade"
Key technology leaders from the United States and around the world will
highlight the major developments and trends of 2000 and what they see in
store for the coming decade. A special focus will be on those trends that
will have a particular impact on emerging markets growth patterns,
distributions of wealth and political power and other issues that are likely to
be central to economic and political dynamics between the emerging and
developed worlds.
Discussion leaders:
John Gage, Chief Science Officer, Sun Microsystems
Y.T. Lee, Chairman, Trigem Computer, Inc., South Korea
Elliott Masie, President, The Masie Center
Global Perspectives 1.1
Intellibridge Corporation
Othman Yeop Abdullah, Chairman and CEO, Multimedia
Development Corporation, Malaysia
Alexander Pentland, Academic Head, MIT Media Labs
PLEASE NOTE: THIS OPENING PLENARY SESSION WILL BE
OPEN TO THE PRESS. ALL OTHER SESSIONS WILL BE
CLOSED TO THE PRESS AND STRICTLY OFF THE RECORD.
10:15-12:15 p.m.
Scenario I
"Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and Opportunities"
In this scenario, participants will review and consider how to overcome the
growing gap between countries and regions in investment and growth of a
digital economy. The discussion will analyze the forces behind the digital
divide and what political leaders and companies need to do to bring these
new technologies into new markets. Two scenarios are presented. In the
first scenario, the policies and private sector actions that lead to technology
serving as an integrative force in the world and one which bridges and
reduces gaps will be explored. How did technology empower greater
numbers of people, alleviating economic and social ills, and offering new
models of development? In the second scenario, current trends continue
and the digital divide grows worse. Technology fails to reach all segments
of society, which ultimately widens existing cleavages. Economic and
political chaos erupts. Fault-lines are defined. That country finds itself
further behind in its technological development. How did that society fail
and what choices did the government, business and society make that
resulted in failure?
Discussion leaders:
Gene replaces
Donald Abelson, Chief, International Bureau, FCC
Tom
Brian Atwood, Executive Vice President, Citizens Energy Corp.
and former Administrator, USAID
Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador, Embassy of Singapore
Tom Kalil, Special Assistant to The President, The White House
John Kerry, United States Senator
Scott Yeager, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development,
Enron Broadband Services
Chung-bun Yoon, President, Korea Information Society
Development Institute, South Korea
12:30-2:45 p.m.
Luncheon
"Infrastructure for the Information Economy: Prerequisites to
Growth"
This luncheon roundtable discussion will focus on how a new generation of
policy makers around the world is reacting to rapid changes in technology,
1.2 Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Global Scenarios Series
what policies are being considered and adopted to attract technology
investment and stimulate technology growth, and how new public-private
partnerships are being fostered to accelerate the development of the needed
technological infrastructures that are the essential prerequisite for national
competitiveness in the information age.
Discussion leaders:
Hattie Babbitt, Deputy Administrator, USAID
John Gardner, Vice President, AT&T
James Harmon, Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United
States
Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen, President and CEO of
MIMOS Berhad, Malaysia
Tom Kalil, Special Assistant to the President, The White House
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Scenario II
"New Economies in Search of New Models"
In this scenario, top international business leaders and policy makers will
address the lingering sense that while the private sector has ushered in the
era of a "new economy" our models for creating growth, ensuring social
equity and managing trade, fiscal and monetary issues are antiquated and
useless. Is the Fed overly cautious of growth rates that are to be the norm
in this new environment? What are the consequences for emerging
markets? Should e-commerce be regulated differently from old fashioned
commerce? Are multilateral institutions promoting old industrial growth
models in an era in which new approaches are needed, where the focus
needs to be on new kinds of training, entrepreneurship, access to venture
capital, etc.? In the scenario session, we will explore the logical conclusions
--and occasional shortcomings--of existing models to their logical
conclusions. We will also explore the implications of some new models
with a special eye toward which regions are best positioned for growth and
how the dynamic between developed and developing regions is likely to
change in this new world.
Discussion leaders:
Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University
Lael Brainard,* Deputy Director, National Economic Council
Rudolf Dolzer, Director, Institute for International Law and
former Director General, Germany
Clyde Prestowitz, President, Economic Strategy Institute
Ira Shapiro, Partner and Head of International Trade Practice,
Long, Aldridge & Norman
Dorothy Yu, Executive Vice President, Nextera Enterprises
5:00 -6:30 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
Global Perspectives 1.3
Intellibridge Corporation
6:30-9:00 p.m.
Dinner and Concluding Discussion
"Winners and Losers in the New Cyber-Order"
Distinguished economic and international affairs experts will talk about
how technology is driving globalization and changing the international
environment. How are countries competing against each other to draw high
tech investment and business? How are high-tech firms helping to intensify
the trend of globalization? Specifically: who looks likely to end up in the
technological winners circle, who is most likely to be left behind, and why.
(Dinner hosted by Multimedia Development Corporation, Malaysia and Trigem
Computer, Inc., South Korea))
Panelists:
Jose Miguel Insulza, Minister of Interior, Chile
Mohsen Khalil, Director of Global Information and
Communications Technology, International Finance Corporation
Anthony Lake, Co-Chairman, Intellibridge Advisory Council and
former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Othman Yeop Abdullah, Chairman and CEO, Multimedia
Development Corporation, Malaysia
Y.T. Lee, Chairman, Trigem Computer, Inc., South Korea
Jack Pellicci, Vice President, Global Public Services, Oracle
Corporation
Yoo Chong Ha, former Foreign Minister, South Korea
9:00 p.m.
Adjournment
FRIDAY, JUNE 23
AT THE REQUEST OF PARTICIPANTS AND SPONSORS, FRIDAY HAS BEEN
RESERVED FOR MEETINGS AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AMONG
PARTICIPANTS. IF INTERESTED IN RECEIVING ASSISTANCE IN ARRANGING
MEETINGS WITH FELLOW PARTICIPANTS, PLEASE CONTACT ELAINE SANDERLIN
AT (202) 298-6300
* Invited
1.4 Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
MEMO
TO: Gene Sperling
FR: Sean Dobson
RE: Format of Your Panel at International Digital Divide Conference
DT: 6/21/00
Your panel is entitled "Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and Opportunities".
The organizers of the conference will begin the panel with a PowerPoint presentation in which
two scenarios are unfolded (see next subtab in this book for the presentation itself): (1) the digital
divide narrows thanks largely to market forces; (2) the digital divide grows wider, leaving
developing countries, rural areas and working families behind.
Each of the panelists gets asked a question about one of these scenarios and may spend five
minutes or so delivering his response. Considering your position, it is reasonable to assume that
you will be asked a question like: "In the event that the digital divide worsens, what should the
U.S. government and its G-7 partners do to close it?"
Global Scenarios Series
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
!!!!! NAIY
The Global Scenarios Series
i Emerging Markets. Emerging Technologies"
202 298 6276;
Power Point
6:16PM;
Jun-21-00 6:1 6PM;
Page 2
Global Scenarios Series
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Scenario I: Bridging the Digital Divide
Challenges and Opportunities
202 298 6276;
Jun-21-00 00 6:16PM;
Page 3
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Key elements of the digital divide:
Wires: the phone divide
Economics: the cost of connecting
202 298 6276;
English: language of the net
Other:
do
Government barriers
Urban VS. rural
Literacy and science education
Jun-21-00 6:17PM;
Page 4
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE
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INTELLIBRIDGE
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Grobal Intelligence Solutions
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Phonelines per 1000 Population
Sub-Saharan Africa
Emerging East Asia
N.Africa/Middle East
Latin America
Japan
Euro-zone
USA/Canada
202 298 6276;
D
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Mobile Phones per 1000 Population
Sub-Saharan Africa
N. Africa/Middle East
Emerging East Asia
Latin America
Jun-21-00 6:17PM;
Euro-zone
USA/Canada
Japan
Finland
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Page 5
Sources: IDC, ITU, Forrester Research
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE
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INTELLIBRIDGE
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Percentage of Population Online
Sub-Saharan Africa
N. Africa/Middle East
Emerging East Asia
Latin America
Japan
Euro-zone
USA/Canada
202 298 6276;
0
10
20
30
40
50
Total IT Spending by Region (1999),
$billions
Eastern Europe
Middle East/Africa
Latin America
Asla-Pacific
Jun-21-00 6:17PM;
Japan
Western Europe
North America
0 100 200 300 400 $00 600 700 800 900
9 Page
Sources: IDC, ITU, Forrester Research
Global Scenarios Series
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Global Incelligence Solut ons
INTELLIBRIDGE
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Global Interligence Solutions
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Internet Hosts per 10,000 Population
N. Africa/Middle East
Sub-Saharan Africa
Emerging East Asia
202 298 6276;
Latin America
i
Euro-zone
Japan
USA/Canada
Jun-21-00
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
6:17PM;
Page 7
Global Scenarios Series
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Intellibridge Global Infotech
Development Index
Kenya
I
indonesia
Egypt
India
Thailand
Philippines
China w/o MK
Mexico
Braxil
South Africa
202 298 6276;
Turkey
Argentina
Russia
Malaysia
Polend
Creoh Republic
Spain
France
Korea
lersel
Germany
U.K.
Japan
Singapore
Jun-21-00 6:17PM;
Sweden
USA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Page 8
Global Scenarios Series
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
The Urban/Rural Divide
Percentage of Chinese
Citizens Online
Online
1%
202 298 6276;
Percentage of Beijing
Citizens Online
Online
25%
Jun-21-00
6:17PM;
Source: ITU
Page 9
Global Scenarios Series
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The Wealth Divide
Percentage of Brazilians
Percentage of middle- and
Online
upper-class Brazilians
Online
Online
4%
202 298 6276;
Online
32%
Jun-21-00
6:18PM;
Source: ITU
Page 10
Global Stenarios Series
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Intellibridge Regional Infotech
Development Index
Sub-Saharan Africa
N.Africa/Middle East
Latin America
Emerging East Asla
202 298 6276;
E Europe/Russia
Euro-zone
USA/Canada
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Jun-21-00 6:18PM;
Page 11
Global Scenarios Series
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
UK 52.08
Finland 81.72
USA 85.60
Russia 11.90
Japan 52.36
Chile 13.19
202 298 6276;
Korea 46.17
Argentina 11.70
Jun-21-00
India 4.07
Legend
Red = High Connectivity
6:18PM;
Egypt 3.06
Orange = Good Connectivity
Malaysia 12.34
Yellow = Some Connectivity
South Africa 11.05
Green = Little Connectivity
Blue = Low Connectivity
Brazil 10.70
Page 12
Global Scenarios Series
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Sent By: NEWMARKET;
English: Language of the Internet
Online Language Populations
(March, 2000)
202 298 6276;
Dutch 2.0%
Italian 3.3%
Korean 36%
French 4.4%
Chinese
5.2%
Spanish
6.5%
Jun-21-00 6:18PM;
German
6.7%
English
51.3%
Japanese
7.2%
Source: Global Reach
Page 13
Global Scenarios Series
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Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
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The Other Divide: Biotechnology
is
Economic inequality denies access to poorer countries
as
Political distrust blocks access in many wealthier countries
Contrast of views within and among regions
202 298 6276;
EU political hostility and technical innovation
Worldwide Production of
Genetically Modified Crops
Growing Latin American opposition
Nine
others'
1%
Developed vs. developing Asia
Canada
10%
Africa: greatest needs, poorest access
Argentina
17%
Jun-21-00 6:19PM;
Broad acceptance and innovation in US
Australia, China, France, Mexico, Portugal, Romania,
Russia, Spain and Ukraine.
Page 14
Source: Foreign Affairs
Global Scenarios Series
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One Future: A Broader Digital Economy
Digital divide decreases both within and among
countries
Public and private sector cooperate to overcome key
barriers (investment, infrastructure, education
202 298 6276;
and literacy)
Technology spreads to rural areas
Teledensity grows, wireless and satellite
coverage expands
Internet kiosks connect whole communities
Jun-21-00 6:19PM;
Page 15
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE
INTELLIBRIDGE
Global Intelligence so utions
Global Intelligence Solutions
Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Implications of A Broader Digital Economy
Labor graduates to high-technology jobs
Biotechnology advances help overcome key health challenges in
202 298 6276;
developing countries
Global corporations, international institutions, and non-governmental
organizations gain power at expense of national governments
New and old industries utilize technology to expand into emerging
markets, raising living standards globally
Jun-21-00 6:19PM;
The World Bank Group
Page 16
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE
INTELLIBRIDGE
Global Intelligence Solutions
Global Intelligence Solutions
Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Alternative: The Digital Divide Worsens
Educational and macroeconomic
thresholds are too low
Domestic industry and government fail to
202 298 6276;
cooperate
Countries caught in downward spiral are
bypassed
Tech advances benefit current users, not
new entrants
Jun-21-00 6:19PM;
Industrialists and labor hang on to old
ways
Page 17
Global Scenarios Series
INTELLIBRIDGE
INTELLIBRIDGE
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Global Intelligence Solutions
Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
Implications of a Worsening Divide
Wealth/digital divides are reinforced
Nodes of prosperity increasingly
separate
202 298 6276;
Other tech advances come slowly
Rich can afford non-GM foods while
poor cannot
Jun-21-00
Much of the world remains outside
the digital economy or the reach of
6:19PM;
biotechnology advances
Page 18
Global Scenarios Series
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Global Inselligence solutions
Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies
Sent By: NEWMARKET;
The Global Digital Divide: Key Themes
Understanding the digital divide's macroeconomic,
public policy, and technological components, and how
they interact
202 298 6276;
Finding the best formula for
promoting technology investment and growth
Identifying those technologies appropriate
for developing countries
Jun-21-00 6:20PM;
Recognizing the potent implications for
societies on either side of the divide
Page 19
LATEST DRAFT of PRIVATE SECTOR G-8 PAPER
DRAFT
A Framework to Ensure the Global Diffusion of Internet/New Economy
The growth of information technology has sparked rapid economic growth in developed
countries and is changing the way people live, learn and work. Once of the principal
challenges facing the global community is to ensure that advanced communications
services - and the attendant economic, social and political dividends - are spread
throughout the world. Many developing countries have a strong interest in the Internet
and electronic commerce but must address several challenges in order to obtain the full
benefits of the online medium. This presents the global community with an opportunity
to ensure that the Internet, information technology and electronic commerce can close
what some have already begun to characterize as a global digital divide. To be effective,
all stakeholders - - including the G-8, developing countries, multilateral institutions, the
global business community, and foundations - - must work together on a new framework
for action to ensure that the benefits of the Internet are shared around the globe.
Goal
Establish specific goals for key indicators such as connectivity and create a structure that
can be used by any country to obtain support from the key stakeholder communities to
accelerate the growth of information technology in support of country-specific objectives.
Overarching principles
Sustainable success depends on the active participation of all "stakeholders."
Private sector leadership has been critical to the rapid adoption of Internet services
and information technology in the United States and other developed countries. In
order to make the Internet a truly global medium, however, a new set of challenges
must be addressed. A specific, measurable commitment from governments,
multilateral lending institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private
sector will be required.
Each country must tailor its own solution. While the Internet is a global medium,
it must serve local needs and aspirations. Indeed, one of the Internet's most powerful
features is its ability to unite individuals with shared interests and values. The online
medium can be used to help the people of developing countries to preserve their
cultural and linguistic heritage even as it helps break down barriers to economic and
intellectual exchange. In addition, Internet content and services can be adapted to
help meet basic development goals, such as improved education and public health.
With this in mind, countries need to create comprehensive programs that will
effectively advance their identified national information economy agendas.
Infrastructure is critical. The best Internet content and services cannot reach the
citizens of developing countries without communications platforms and devices that
are capable of providing access to the online medium at a reasonable costs. The
availability and cost of communications infrastructure is a critical roadblock to the
Internet in many countries. With legacy telecommunications networks (based on
fixed, circuit-switched technology), low levels of telephone and personal computer
penetration (particularly in rural areas), and few technical resources available,
developing countries should consider innovative alternatives for access as part of any
comprehensive solution.
The policy and regulatory environment must facilitate Internet adoption. Public
policy and regulation is critical to expanded usage of networked information
technology. The policy agenda should be comprehensive, identifying and removing
roadblocks in the e-commerce value chain. These roadblocks begin with access to
affordable telecommunications but extend to such divergent areas as encryption
policies, intellectual property protection, trade barriers in the areas of banking,
express delivery services, and advertising, rights and responsibilities for online
content, and consumer confidence (including privacy and consumer protection law).
In the absence of a predictable, transparent policy environment, capital markets
business, and multilateral lending institutions will continue to be reluctant to
participate in local economies.
Societies must understand how to fully embrace the tools of the new economy. In
order to be successful, any solution will require the understanding and active
participation of the members of society. The tools of the new economy can be made
available, in part, through traditional educational institutions. In places where
educational institutions or government officers are connected, these places could be
the staring points for extending access to broader groups of people and businesses. In
additional, community centers or other centralized public access points my facilitate
access while avoiding the need for massive infrastructure deployment.
The strategy
Create a coordinating mechanism. The G-8 should call for establishment of a global
alliance to both establish key goals (i.e., connectivity as measured by penetration rates for
key technologies and services by a date certain) and better manage the efforts of
stakeholders to maximize the global information technology opportunities available to the
developing world. This alliance should take the form of a "Digital Opportunity
Committee" (DOC) comprised of representatives from major stakeholders: governments
(from the developing and developed worlds), multilateral institutions, private business,
the philanthropic community, academics, and NGOs. The primary goal of the DOC
should be to effectively target existing and new resources to those countries that have a
demonstrated commitment to fostering the growth of information technology in their
societies and that have a well-documented proposal for using the DOC's resources. The
DOC would support both existing programs that are shown to be successful innovative
new projects that will accelerate the spread of information technology and services.
The G-8 should recommend that the DOC have four main responsibilities: (1) goal
setting; (2) administration of a global fund (consisting of $500 million in G-8 government
contributions, as well as in-kind and cash donations from other stakeholders); (3)
coordination of the distribution of those resources; and (4) development of criteria for
allocation of those resources, development of new programs, and a mechanism to
evaluate IT development efforts. The fulfillment of these responsibilities by the DOC
should speed adoption of IT by recipient countries, while providing some guidance on
whether the resources are being effectively used. To carry out this imperative, the G-8
should recommend that several steps be taken by the DOC.
The following subject areas and specific projects illustrate the types of activities the DOC
and stakeholders might choose to address:
Readiness and policy guidance
Readiness assessments. The G-8 should encourage Internet/e-commerce readiness
assessments that will help developing countries to establish plans to full advantage of
information technology. Every country that has an interest should have access to and
training to implement some form of formal or informal "readiness" assessment and
readiness program. The foundation community and the private sector should commit
to working with interested countries to ensure that countries can develop programs to
advance the particular economic, social and political goals of that country. The key
to success will be demonstrating that countries can use the Internet to reinforce local
cultures and values, strengthen local businesses and enhance economic objectives.
Key elements include: support and distribution for indigenous content, including
finding placement opportunities in the international portals; full integration of Internet
and technology assistance into economic development programs; a focus on micro-
enterprise; and assistance in integrating the Internet into existing industrial,
manufacturing and agricultural businesses of developing countries.
Policy/regulatory advice and training. Organizations such as the Global Business
Dialogue on E-Commerce have developed an extensive body of knowledge on the
policies and regulatory structures that can create an e-friendly environment. These
include everything from the optimal type of telecommunications infrastructure and
regulatory bodies to establishment of laws governing content protection to addressing
roadblocks to the e-commerce value chain. This policy expertise can be tailored to
the needs of individual countries. In addition, the U.S. business community (AOL,
Cisco, and major telecommunications carriers) should be encouraged to continue its
work with the FCC to develop a model for foreign regulators to use as they develop
telecommunications regimes that encourage Internet adoption, usage, and
competition. Business and government also should build on their work in
organizations such as the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute to educate
foreign regulators about our regulatory framework and how they might adapt the
lessons we have learned to speed the availability of new services.
The G-8 should publicly commend and highlight those countries and regions that
have taken concrete steps to establish an Internet-friendly regulatory and policy
environment. Role models for the Internet and e-commerce in the developing world
will be crucial to persuade other countries that they can share in the benefits of the
new economy. Candidates to be showcased include ASEAN, Egypt, and Argentina.
Human capital
Technical training. Industry should lead an initiative to establish regional training
centers that build on the model established by the Internet Society's existing
programs. NGOs with expertise in public health, education, and other key
development areas should commit to partnerships with G-8 countries and
corporations to add application-specific training to regional IT training programs. A
foundation should be established to identify the best uses of used computers and to
accomplish the transfer of such equipment to recipients in developing countries.
Funding would come from industry, NGOs and private foundations, with a total
financial commitment of roughly US $2 million.
IT volunteers. G-8 countries should set a goal of sending 5,000 private sector IT
professionals to spend six months each in developing countries, building on the U.S.
government's Global Technology Corps, NetCorps Canada International, and other
existing programs designed to match private sector volunteers with IT development
projects.
Appropriate technology
Information technology development portals. Multilateral institutions should be
encouraged to develop portals to host "digital libraries" for development, with
material on issues such as public health, agriculture, micro-enterprise, and education
and training. These portals also could be used to facilitate a dialogue toward
improved understanding among private sector and government entities of the work of
the multilaterals and how it relates to the culture, entrepreneurial climate and
practices of recipient countries.
Initiative on connectivity and appropriate communications devices. Multilaterals,
foundations and industry should plan efforts to develop and adapt communications
devices and infrastructure, with particular emphasis on linking rural populations
through new communications technologies SO that the lack of landlines does not
become a major obstacle to the diffusion of the online medium. Heightened attention
should be placed on exploring how satellite technology could be developed (and
authorized by regulators) for lower-cost, easy to use communications kiosks that
could be installed in rural areas and provided shared voice and data services.
Centers of excellence for affordable IT. University-based "centers of excellence
could be established to conduct research and development work on low-cost devices,
connectivity, and applications. These centers of excellence would be located in both
developing and developed countries, and they would also provide interdisciplinary
training in skills relevant to IT and development.
Dialogue on application of digital technology. The Markle Foundation, the Gates
Foundation, and the Packard Foundation will work with the World Resources
Institute to organize an international conference on applying digital technology to
sustainable development. The conference will bring together subject matter experts
from government, the private sector, and academia to discuss how information
technology can best be adapted to the needs of developing countries.
Entreprenaurial activity
IT incubators. Local incubators should be established to give those with the
potential to create new technology and Internet related businesses in developing
countries access to necessary know-how and capital. The incubators can also test the
feasibility of applying new technology to developmental challenges in ways that also
may have potential commercial application. Any incubator program should include
components devoted to (1) developing entrepreneurial and financial skills needed to
manage and grow technology businesses and (2) providing the technical background
for Internet applications and services.
Social venture funds. The establishment of IT incubators could be accompanied by
the creation of "social venture funds" that use social as well as financial criteria in
deciding how to allocate investments. These funds might support ventures that are
likely to be self-sustaining but do not provide the large financial return venture
capitalists ordinarily seek when financing new enterprises.
Information resources and cross-disciplinary efforts
Global replication of domestic digital divide initiatives. America Online, Inc., and
other organizations will build on clearinghouse activities directed at the domestic
digital divide by making these resources available to the DOC to help the Committee
and developing countries determine the applicability of comparable projects in other
countries and to secure funding to replicate the best initiatives. The Global Business
Dialogue is involved in a similar effort and will work closely with AOL.
Knowledge sharing between institutions of higher learning. Universities in
developed and developing countries should share lessons about infrastructure
development and integration, deployment models and technology standards, along
with curriculum expertise and research on expert training tools. Institutions of higher
learning should serve as anchors for technology transfer and workforce development
to produce the human capital needed for long-term progress in bringing advances in
communications and information technology to the developing world. In addition,
these anchor institutions will be the most likely places for Internet connectivity and
the benefits of the Internet economy to take root. They are also the places where
leadership and entrepreneurship training should and will occur. Accordingly,
indigenous institutions of higher learning should be enlisted to aid in the diffusion of
knowledge and technology and to act as regional translators of culture.
Expanded public-private partnerships. The G-8 should examine structural
impediments to more active participation of the private sector in multilateral projects
to accommodate public-private partnerships. In many cases, the rules of these
institutions effectively prevent private sector involvement. The UNDP/Cisco joint
project on NetAid and the World Bank/SoftBank projects can serve as a starting point
for developing ways in which multilateral institutions can work with the private
sector on digital issues relating to the new economy.
SUMMARY of U.N. REPORT
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Newsbytes June 20, 2000, Tuesday
Copyright 2000 Post-Newsweek Business Information, Inc.
Newsbytes
June 20, 2000, Tuesday
LENGTH: 497 words
HEADLINE: UN Pressed To Ensure Global Net Access For All
BYLINE: Sylvia Dennis;Newsbytes
DATELINE: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A.
BODY:
By 2005, everyone in the world should have access to the Internet - even of they have to spend four hours to reach
their nearest Internet access point.
That's the message from a report submitted to the United Nations( UN), whose brief was to look at the digital divide
between the haves and have-nots as far as technology and the Internet are concerned.
The report, which was compiled by a 17-member team, is billed as the first authoritative global plan to fully incorporate
public and private sector viewpoints on overcoming the information and communication technology (ICT) lag found in most
developing countries.
The report and action plan was drawn up by a panel of independent experts from government, business and civil society who
have led successful ICT campaigns in developing and transition economies, as well as public and private sector leaders from
Europe and the US.
The report said that the international community, working in concert with national governments, private business and civil
society, is fully capable of reversing the current alarming trend of the growing digital divide.
The study added that it is perfectly feasible to enable Net access in either home, workplace or community by 2004 for the 80
percent of the world's population who are currently unconnected.
However, the problem with getting the bulk of the world's population by 2004 should not be underestimated, the report said,
as the digital divide can only get wider.
The study said that e-commerce is tying individuals, firms and countries closer together. But, it warns, the 1.5 billion Web
pages in existence, with almost 2 million more appearing every day, are produced by less than 5 percent of the world's
population
Under those conditions, "e-commerce is rapidly becoming a trade barrier for those who are not connected," the report
concluded.
The report recommends that the UN should create, under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, but outside the regular
UN organizational structures, an ICT Task Force charged with bringing together international agencies, private industry and
foundations and trusts to facilitate the expansion of the ICT market in developing countries.
In addition, a development fund administered by the Task Force should be amassed from hundreds of millions of dollars
solicited from such sources as the UN Fund for International Partnerships.
Copies of the report, which are now available on the Internet at http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/itforum/expert
will be considered at the UN Millennium Assembly, which opens in September.
The UN said that, more immediately, the report will also be considered at the July high-level meeting of the UN Economic
and Social Council, as well as at the mid-July G8 summit in Okinawa.
The UN's Web site is at http://www.un.org
.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com -
08:11 CST
(20000620/WIRES ONLINE, BUSINESS, LEGAL, ASIA/)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
TYPE: NEWS
LOAD-DATE: June 20, 2000
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FULL u. N. Report
1
A/55/75 - E/2000/55
Report
of the meeting of the high-level panel of experts
on information and communication technology
(New York, 17-20 April 2000)
Table of Contents
I The Challenge
II The Opportunity
III The Mission
IV Summary of Findings
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Why ICT Programmes are Beneficial for Development
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Why now
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Conditions for Effectiveness
- Actions that Worked
- Problems and Obstacles
V Ensuring Fair and Equal Participation in the Information Society
VI An International ICT Action Plan
- At the Policy Level
- Development Initiatives
VII The Role of the United Nations in Promoting ICT for Development
VIII Conclusions and Recommendations
ANNEX
National and Regional Presentations
Other Presentations
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Technology Constraints
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Internet Management
- InfoDev
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A Multi-media Approach
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Members of the panel:
From Africa
Pascal Baba Couloubaly (Mali), Minister of Culture
Nii Quaynor (Ghana), Executive Chairman of National Computer Systems
Sushil Baguant (Mauritius), Chairman of the National Computer Board
Najat Rochdi (Morocco), President of the Internet Society of Morocco
From Asia
Wang Quiming (China), Ministry of Science and Technology
Srinivasan Ramani (India), Director, Silverline Technologies, Inc.
Taholo Kami (Tonga), Manager of the Small Island Developing States Network
From Eastern Europe
Toomas-Hendrik Ilves (Estonia), Minister of Foreign Affairs
Andrei Kolesnikov (Russia), Founder of Russia-on-Line
Orlin Kouzov (Bulgaria), CEO, National Education and Research Network
From Latin America and the Caribbean
Pedro Urra (Cuba), Director of the Medical Network, Ministry of Health
Jose Maria Figueres Olsen (Costa Rica), former President of Costa Rica
Tadao Takahashi (Brazil), Chair, Federal Task Force for National Information Society
Gillian Marcelle (Trinidad), telecommunications policy and gender specialist
Western Europe and Other Groups
Paolo Morawski (Italy), UN World TV Forum and RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
William Sheppard (United States), Vice-President of INTEL
Anders Wijkman (Sweden), Member of the European Parliament
Panelists benefited from presentations by several guests, including Vinton Cerf, Director of the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); John Daly, Acting Work
Programme Administrator of InfoDev at the World Bank; Gabriel Accascina, Regional
Coordinator of the UNDP Asia and Pacific Information Development Programme; Edward
Gelbstein, Director of the United Nations International Computing Center in Geneva; Amir
Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships; and Denis
Gilhooly, Director, Digital Partners.
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I. The Challenge
The world is undergoing a revolution in information and communication technologies
(ICT) that has momentous implications for the current and future social and economic
situation of all countries of the world.
In March 2000 an estimated 276 million persons worldwide were users of the Internet with a
growth rate of roughly 150,000 persons per day, 220 million devices were accessing the
worldwide web and almost 200,000 devices were added each day. Web pages totaled 1.5 billion
with almost 2 million pages being added each day. E-commerce, or business conducted over the
Internet, totaled $45 billion as recently as 1998 and an estimate in January 2000 projected it could
explode to over $7 trillion as early as 2004.
These are astonishing figures, unprecedented by any measure, but they reflect activity by less
than 5% of the world's population. The gross disparity in the spread of the Internet and thus the
economic and social benefits derived from it is a matter of profound concern. There are more
hosts in New York than in continental Africa; more hosts in Finland than in Latin America and
the Caribbean; and notwithstanding the remarkable progress in the application of ICT in India,
many of its villages still lack a working telephone.
The formidable and urgent challenge before national governments and the development
community is to bridge this divide and connect the remainder of the world's population whose
livelihoods can be enhanced through ICT. As each day passes, the task becomes much more
difficult. To give just one example, exploding e-commerce ties individuals, firms and countries
closer and closer together, while those who do not try to catch the "Internet Express" run the risk
of being further and further marginalized. Developing countries have great potential to compete
successfully in the new global market, but unless they promptly and actively embrace the ICT
revolution they will face new barriers and the risk of not just being marginalized but completely
bypassed.
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II. The Opportunity
Members of the panel, coming from all regions of the world and from countries at all stages of
development, are unanimous in their belief that the issue is not whether to respond to the
challenges brought about by the revolution in ICT, but how to respond and how to ensure that the
process becomes truly global and everyone shares the benefits. Experience of a number of
countries¹, including developing and transition economies, some of them working under
conditions of a severe shortage of resources, complex political environments and acute socio-
economic problems, demonstrated that bold actions in bringing their countries into the digital age
paid off and brought tangible positive results in economic, social and political terms. Moreover,
this experience proved that the argument that ICT should only be introduced once progress has
been made in tackling poverty is spurious: ICT brings early, tangible and important benefits to the
poor. These countries, by extensively and innovatively using ICT for their development, were
able to extract value from globalization, rather than watching globalization extract value from
them.
This report seeks to summarize this experience so that other countries could benefit from lessons
learned and find their own approach to bringing ICT to the service of their development. The
report also identifies areas and actions that the international community, in particular the United
Nations, should undertake to support national ICT programmes.
In this report, we share our convictions, formed and tempered by our practical experience, as to
why all countries need to embrace the ICT revolution, and why now. We outline a set of actions
that worked for our countries, discuss important conditions for these actions to be effective, and
identify problems and obstacles that need to be addressed to assure effectiveness and
sustainability of ICT's contribution to development for all.
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See the Annex for summaries of country and regional presentations.
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III. The Mission
We firmly believe that at the national level, governments, the private sector and all segments of
civil society must unite to address this challenge. We also assert that the international
community, especially the United Nations, has a special obligation to assist countries in
maximizing the benefits they can secure from ICT.
In this regard, we present our proposals and recommendations on how to bring greater coherence
and synergy to the many uncoordinated activities currently undertaken, with limited effect, by
individual organizations of the United Nations system, including the World Bank, by the
European Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and numerous
other multilateral and bilateral organizations.
The panel believes that the international community, working in concert with national
governments, private business and civil society, is fully capable of reversing the current alarming
trend of the growing "Digital Divide" and must do it. The panel calls on all actors to unite in a
global initiative to meet the following challenge: provide access to the Internet, especially
through community access points, for the world's population presently without such access
by the end of 2004.
The panel proposed the following action points for reaching this goal:
(a) The United Nations, at the Millennium Assembly in September 2000, should proclaim the
right of universal access to information and communication services such as the Internet as an
important new component of the United Nations principles and conventions on human rights
and development.
(b) The United Nations should create, under the leadership of the Secretary General but outside
United Nations' organizational structures, an ICT Task Force. This Task Force should bring
together multilateral development institutions, private industry, foundations and trusts and
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would facilitate, including by investment, the expansion of the market for ICT in developing
countries, thereby helping to bridge the digital divide.
(c) This Task Force would provide overall leadership and strategy for ICT development. A fund
should be created that the Task Force would administer and for which up to $500 million
would be solicited from sources such as the United Nations Fund for International
Partnerships. This amount would be matched by funds raised from the private sector and
foundations. The fund will leverage additional resources by assisting developing countries in
putting in place their own ICT programmes provided they match the contributions from the
fund.
(d) Organizations of the United Nations system should work with governments and financial
institutions for the writing off of one per cent of the debt of each developing country with the
commitment that the country would allocate the equivalent financing to ICT for development.
In a similar manner, the United Nations should work towards countries receiving
international financing for ICT development on the basis of their progress in carbon-fixation
activities.
IV. Summary of Findings
A number of general conclusions emerged from the presentations and discussions. A basic
premise is that knowledge differs from other factors of production in that it expands when
applied. The challenge of a knowledge-based economy is not a scarcity of knowledge but
inadequacies in diffusing and using it. Unlike capital resources, knowledge cannot easily be
redistributed as a result of political decisions, it needs to be nurtured - by individuals,
communities, and countries. The State has an interest and an obligation to promote this nurturing
and to ensure that its citizens have access to ICT tools and services.
Why ICT Programmes are Beneficial for Development
ICT has been extremely beneficial to those nations that have used it with determination and
enthusiasm as part of their national development strategies to accelerate development, as
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demonstrated by the country examples (see Annex). While benefits from ICT investments may
not be immediately perceptible in all cases (several years passed before such evidence became
available in the United States following investments in ICT in the 1980s), panelists urged nations
that had not yet launched national ICT initiatives to catch the "Internet Express" without further
delay.
Among examples of positive impact of the introduction of ICT were the following:
Direct contribution of ICT sector's output to the economy, in particular to exports. In this
regard, examples of India and Costa Rica are particularly striking (see Annex).
Providing rural communities with convenient on-line access to a full range of government
services was seen as a significant instrument for improving their well-being and enhancing
the sense of belonging, both of which could discourage excessive migration to urban centers.
Voting by computer had alleviated skepticism about the possibility of fraud in elections.
Improvement in public sector administration, in particular that transparency in the
procurement process for public service contracts had reduced corruptive practices.
Tremendous potential for improving education, including distance learning and training, and
for facilitating better gender balance in this regard.
Important improvements in the delivery of services such as health care, including through the
application of tele-medicine.
Employment generation that has been attributed to the ICT sector, especially among recent
graduates from high schools as well as technical colleges and universities.
For small developing and transition economies with limited natural and human resources, in
particular for SIDS, using ICT is perhaps the only way to carve niche markets for their unique
endowments.
Diffusion of best practices and lessons learned, in particular exchange of information on
locally/regionally appropriate solutions.
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Empowering of communities with the resultant easing of the burden on the Government to
provide services.
Enabling countries to monitor ecological situations and maintain environmental stability.
Why now
There are no excuses for lack of action.
Technology is no longer a major barrier for putting ICT in the service of development, since
technological solutions exist for almost any need or situation. The costs of equipment and
materials, currently at one fifth of the levels five years ago, are projected to decrease to only
one fifth of today's prices within five years. At the same time, panelists were emphatic that
no State should use this anticipated decrease in installation costs as an excuse to delay action
since aggregate costs of delay will far out-weight savings on the cost of equipment.
Inadequacy of infrastructure (e.g., for assuring connectivity or access for remote areas) can be
overcome by determined government policies aimed at building demand for ICT, which in
turn leads to expansion of the infrastructure.
Emerging e-commerce is rapidly becoming a new and very significant trade barrier for those
who are not connected.
While costs of ICT projects are, of course, a matter of concern for governments, the panelists'
experience proved that relatively modest investments in key sectors, such as health services,
relying perhaps not on the most modern technology, brought quick and substantial results.
Conditions for Effectiveness
The importance of strong political leadership, of a national leader or champion to lead the
ICT campaign cannot be overemphasized. When leaders such as Heads of State committed
their prestige and authority, rapid progress resulted. But a leader need not necessarily be an
individual - it can be a successful network in health or education, for example. The ICT
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campaign must be part of a clear national strategy and plan for the use and application of ICT
within the country.
To be effective, ICT initiatives require a competitive telecommunications environment or the
certainty that such an environment will shortly be created.
Decision-makers in the public sector need to recognize the valuable contribution the private
sector and civil society can make in the area of ICT. The role and support of the media has
also been important. Some panelists commented that high-level political support needs to be
complemented by support from the civil service. ICT operations both generate and eliminate
jobs and senior civil servants need to make sure that the benefits from computerized
operations are well understood and that training and retraining programmes are offered.
Prominence of local content is necessary to ensure wide diffusion of use of ICT. In this
regard, development of local language character sets for computer interface is critical.
Actions that Worked
From an analysis of the experiences of the panelists, it is clear that there is no one single formula
for a successful ICT programme. Every ICT strategy and plan should be tailor-made to fit a
particular national context. This having been said, a number of actions were seen as important for
the success of ICT initiatives.
Clear focus and narrowly defined, realistic objectives for ICT projects.
Establishing a legal and regulatory framework, including intellectual property rights,
information technology, and telecommunications acts.
Tax and customs incentives and loans at concessional rates to speed up the growth of the
ICT-based services sector.
Early support for ICT initiatives can be gained through the use of entry points such as
education, health, public administration and e-commerce. Outreach campaigns, including
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travelling demonstrations and competitions, have proved to be effective means of raising
awareness and winning support.
Development of local content as a result of national technological initiatives to develop local
language character sets for use in computer interface for the countries where a significant part
of population neither speaks nor reads English.
A determined effort to use ICT to help to integrate isolated rural populations into the national
economy.
De-politicization of the computerization issue by, for instance, establishing an NGO
foundation that received government monies for hardware and software, and was tasked with
determining the order in which communities would be benefited.
The provision of public access points such as cybercafés, community centres and telecenters
has proven very successful and should be a key component of the Action Plan to extend
connectivity.
The issue of affordable access costs should be addressed by the public sector authorities
taking into full account the benefit that ICT brings in improving performance of the public
administration.
A strategic psychological approach whereby, first of all, each recipient of ICT hardware,
software and services was required to contribute up to a half of the costs involved, thus
creating a sense of ownership, and, subsequently, building on the spreading sense of "envy"
in the neighbouring communities without comparable equipment.
Use of defence budgets for the purposes of creating an ICT infrastructure that could in the
interim, security situation permitting, be used as resource for education and provision of other
services.
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Problems and Obstacles
Panelists voiced their concern about several issues connected with ICT development. The cost of
Internet usage is the key issue, with typical charges still far exceeding levels that would permit
popular use. Other issues raised included security of on-line transactions, computer crimes, the
protection of intellectual property rights, feasibility of restrictions of Internet traffic containing
material that could be considered offensive or that might threaten social stability, and lack of
participation of developing countries in the management of the Internet, in particular the
assignment of top-domain names.
V. Ensuring fair and equal participation in the information society
The potential for ICT to contribute to human development, including elimination of gender
disparities, is currently compromised by unevenness in the pace and spread of these technologies
and the differential effect that their rapid diffusion produces across social structures. Urgent
reform and actions are required at both the national and international levels to ensure that ICT
produce their optimal benefits on the basis of fairness:
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Identification and eradication of factors that restrict equal participation of men and women
in the ICT sector, in particular discriminatory and unequal access to education and
training, social pressures that limit women's and girls' access to science and technology
activities in general and limit their access to training and necessary ICT equipment in
particular, and labour market segmentation;
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Encouragement of corporate practices within firms in the ICT sector that ensure overall
fairness in employment conditions, in particular with respect to the recruitment and
retention of women;
Ensuring that the diffusion of ICT produces a positive impact on job creation and
conditions of employment, and in particular for women's employment, employment of
marginalized groups such as the disabled, by providing fair access to retraining and
reskilling programmes;
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Active encouragement and programmes for young people, male and female, to access the
new economy and use ICT in schools and in other educational endeavours;
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Democratization of ICT policy processes that facilitate the active participation and full
integration of advocates of human development concerns. In particular, ICT sector reform
and governance processes should involve the full participation of a wide range of civil
society organizations;
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Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations, including women's
organizations, so they may participate more effectively in the transformations made
possible by the ICT sector;
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Active encouragement of partnership efforts to allocate and direct R&D budgets to design
and development of ICT services and applications that serve social and development
objectives, including applications for non-literate communities, content development,
human-computer interfaces that are non-text based and natural language processing
systems.
VI. An International ICT Action Plan
There is an urgent need to develop and launch an International ICT Action Plan. The Millennium
Assembly would provide an appropriate forum for an initiative of such magnitude. The overall
target should be to bring connectivity to all communities by the end of 2004 drawing on the full
range of available technologies ranging from television to cellular telephones to computers. In
view of the magnitude of the task and of its immense potential benefit to the poorer people of the
world, and in order to gain momentum and move the process forward the Panel believes that
action should be started immediately, where possible, while for those actions that require
preparation specific and early target dates should be set as soon as possible. The Panel expectated
that creative and flexible approaches can be developed and preparatory work begun even prior to
consideration of the Panel's report by the 55th session of the General Assembly. Suggestions
included:
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At the Policy Level
Adoption, in bodies such as the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly
during 2000, of resolutions that, first, recognize the importance of ICT in national
development plans; second, call for a much higher profile for ICT in ODA portfolios;
and third, request all parties, specifically public and private sector initiatives at the
national level as well as bilateral and multilateral programmes, to re-examine their ICT
policies to ensure that equal opportunities are being provided to all sectors of society.
Adoption of national ICT strategy by mid-2001 including, as a first step, setting of
minimal connectivity targets to be reached within a year.
Development, on an urgent basis, of the United Nations system's clear, comprehensive
and coherent policy and strategy for the use of ICT as a tool to improve the delivery of
services to Member States, with a view to an adoption of such strategy no later than by
mid-2001.
Implementing of this ICT strategy, on a priority basis, by ACC, UNDG and individual
organizations of the United Nations system.
Development, on an urgent basis, of a comprehensive programme for transforming the
United Nations into a knowledge organization. Such a programme should contain a
coherent set of training and organizational measures aimed at bringing the Organization's
collective mindset into the digital age.
Development Initiatives
Building on the on-going initiatives of the Secretary General, form, as soon as possible, a
strategic alliance between the United Nations, the private sector and financing
institutions. The alliance, which would be responsible for promoting the International
ICT Action Plan, will be spearheaded by the ICT Task Force (see above). The alliance
should introduce a simplified and very rapid approval process for the allocation of funds
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for ICT projects in developing and transition countries. The alliance should aim to
mobilize a fivefold increase in funding for ICT projects by mid-2001 and a further
doubling by mid-2002.
Prepare, under the auspices of the United Nations TCDC programme, a special
programme to intensify South-South cooperation in ICT for development projects,
including ideas and projects for enhancing direct connectivity among developing
countries.
Start immediately an active exploration of new, creative financing initiatives for ICT,
including a debt-for-connectivity fund and the linkage of the provision of financing for
ICT to actions in developing countries that have a direct positive impact on global
warming.
Start immediately an exploration of measures that would reduce the average cost of
access to the Internet within developing countries by a factor of five by the end of 2001
compared to the beginning of 2000;
Facilitate an increase in the number of computers supplied to developing countries by a
factor of ten by the end of 2001 compared to the beginning of 2000.
By the end of 2001, mobilize 30,000 new ICT trainers, primarily from developing
countries, for training programmes in developing countries. This should be undertaken in
conjunction with the UNITeS initiative announced by the Secretary General in his
Millennium Report.
Facilitate a tenfold increase in national training and education budgets for ICT by the end
of 2001 relative to allocations at the beginning of 2000.
VII The Role of the United Nations in Promoting ICT for Development
Global initiatives such as achieving sustainable development, alleviating poverty, improving
governance, combating HIV/AIDS, gaining gender equality or tackling climate change
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require a broad, integrated response by national, multilateral and bilateral actors. The
potential benefits of the ICT revolution to economic and social development, including the
achievement of the goals mentioned above, are of such magnitude that they warrant a global
action.
Similarly, the present inequities in participation in the ICT revolution dictate the necessity of
coherent action on the part of international community. The global challenge of bridging the
digital divide requires a global response.
The United Nations could potentially become a major force in promoting and fostering the
application of ICT for development and in serving as a possible arbitrator with respect to
certain key legal and policy issues such as security and intellectual property rights.
The United Nations can be instrumental in helping its Member States overcome existing
cultural and mental barriers that are currently among the major impediment in the pursuit of
the benefits of ICT for development. The United Nations should help developing countries
understand challenges and options in this area
The United Nations could compile an inventory of ICT-related activities for development
worldwide to provide developing countries with more informed choices in selecting
technologies, approaches and communication partners and providers.
The panelists were informed about the recent initiatives of the Secretary-General contained in
his Millennium Report, in particular the establishment of a United Nations Information
Technology Service [UNITeS]. They welcomed this initiative and suggested that the
implementation strategy be configured taking into account that:
- Opportunities for mobilizing national human resources should be given priority;
- Training trainers in-country should have priority;
- Every effort should be made to identify national volunteer candidates, including
professors and teachers (both men and women);
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- States could be encouraged to consider the idea of substituting ICT service for military
service; and
- Care should be given to ensuring that this initiative empowers indigenous private ICT
entrepreneurs rather than crowds them out.
The United Nations should lead by example in providing fair and equal access to ICT among
all sectors of society and specifically by addressing present disparities that restrict equal
participation by women and other marginalized groups. No segment of the population can be
left behind, handicapped by the absence of information, knowledge and expertise. But rather
than focusing on the potential divisiveness of a digital gap, the international community, and
especially the United Nations, should look at the situation as a source of opportunities for
economic and social growth, providing "digital dividends". To obtain these dividends,
though, one must accept the view that ICT is a potent tool for bridging the gap between rural
and urban areas, between those who govern and those governed, and between developed and
developing countries.
Regional cooperation in the implementation of ICT pilot programmes and purchase
arrangements for ICT equipment should be encouraged, strengthened and supported. The
international community, and in particular the United Nations system, can provide
information on technological choices and options and in so doing reduce the cost of searches.
The United Nations could also contribute to a more systematic, ongoing identification, review
and dissemination of ICT information, case studies, best practices, and successful models and
become an important "knowledge bank" in this regard.
The panelists, however, believed that for the United Nations to play an active role in a major
global ICT initiative for Member States, the Organization must itself get its own ICT house in
order by, first of all, adopting a coherent ICT strategy that would ensure coordination and
synergy between programmes and activities of individual organizations of the system. The
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United Nations should also review how its outreach activities using television and radio could
be more closely integrated with IT activities.
Organizations which regularly publish indicators that assess development, including the
World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, should reconsider their
treatment of the "connectivity factor". It is rapidly becoming a more significant factor in
economic and social development, and its measurement should factor in connected schools
and universities, libraries, hospitals and even public administration. Treatment of e-commerce
activities may be more controversial, but may likewise become an indicator for measuring
economic activity.
VIII Conclusions and Recommendations
1. ICT is already making an important contribution to economic and social development, but
this contribution can be much more powerful. ICT is fostering a better mutual understanding
among tens of millions of people in countries with different economic and social policies. It is
enhancing appreciation of the challenges that Governments and the United Nations are
confronting as they promote global economic growth, social equity and sustainable development.
In this context it is important that developing countries give priority to developing indigenous
content and that this content be shared with developed countries.
2. In general, the international donor community has not yet implemented a well-coordinated,
forward-looking and strategic programme for the use of ICT in development. There has been
much talk but little action. Some panelists noted that modest, strategic investments in ICT had
yielded big dividends. Unfortunately, the opportunities for rapid growth of some initiatives
continued to be severely hampered by the lack of serious financial support.
3. The private sector is and will remain for the foreseeable future the principal driving force for
the development and use of ICT. Marketing forces and strategies should be outlined whereby
both industry and the member States are placed in a win-win situation.
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4. It is a matter of urgency that the United Nations system adopt a coherent institutional strategy
that incorporates the use and application of ICT in its own work. Failure to quickly do so will
result in considerably increased cost in future and a far greater challenge to catch up.
5. Member States should require the United Nations to move much more rapidly to use ICT to
improve the efficiency of its own services, including for development planning and project
implementation, and the requisite human and financial resources should be allocated to achieve
this goal. The United Nations should provide a structure for continued discussion of the theme of
ICT for development.
6. Member States, particularly developing countries, should evolve a vision of ICT for
development and a suitable plan of action. High priority must be accorded to the following: a
forward-looking regulatory framework; proactive efforts for improved exploitation of ICT,
including efforts to improve the delivery of public services over the Internet; education and
training in ICT and the use of ICT in education and training; commitment to the promotion of
gender equality, particularly in education and training in the ICT area; job creation;
telecommunications regulatory policies that encourage the development and usage of wide area
networks; promotion of the exchange of experiences and sharing of training facilities on a South-
South basis; partnerships with the private sector and civil society; and efforts to provide universal
access to ICT and its applications.
7. The international community should assist developing countries in expanding national and
regional ICT infrastructures by facilitating and expanding access to financial resources for the
importation of equipment and services, arranging and encouraging financial intermediaries to
design creative mechanisms, including supplier credits, insurance schemes, and concessionary
financing.
8. A new strategic alliance should be formed that includes the United Nations, private industry
and financing trusts and foundations. The United Nations should promptly and seriously re-
examine the role it can effectively play in any such alliance and the resultant new ICT initiative
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for Member States. Unless a progressive ICT policy and strategy is adopted in the next two to
three months, the role of the United Nations would be limited to promoting ICT, brokering
transactions on behalf of Member States and possibly serving as an arbitrator with respect to
certain policy issues and activities related to the protection of IPR, security, and preventing crime
on the Internet.
9. The United Nations should find ways to promote and facilitate investment by private ICT
companies in the research and development of technologies, products and services that would
contribute to raising the literacy levels in developing countries. This would create a win-win
situation for all involved since it would not only have immediate social benefits but would also
eventually increase the market for ICT products.
10. The United Nations should quickly establish an effective mechanism for close interaction
with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to ensure that the
claims of Member States concerning issues such as top level domain name policies and
procedures and representation in Internet administrative mechanisms are speedily addressed and
resolved. The purpose of United Nations engagement should be to complement ICANN and other
governance bodies in areas currently not covered by them.
ANNEX
National and Regional Presentations
As the first step to providing down-to-earth advice and recommendations, panelists outlined their
own ICT experiences in anticipation that it would be possible to identify elements that were
common to success as well as to failure. Fourteen presentations (twelve national and two
regional) confirmed that ICT initiatives have not been confined to countries with high per capita
incomes, well-developed infrastructures, high levels of venture capital and a highly trained labour
force. Remarkable progress is evident where some of these elements have been lacking, as is
illustrated by the experiences described below.
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Donald Abelson
Chief, International Bureau, FCC
Position Description
The International Bureau develops and administers policies and programs to regulate
international telecommunications facilities and services and to license satellite facilities.
Education
Bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College
Master's Degree in International Economics from the School of Advanced International
Studies at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS)
Career
Chief, International Bureau, FCC, July 1999 - present
Served as Assistant US trade Representative (USTR) for Industry and communications
As USTR's Chief Negotiator for Communications and Information, headed the US
delegation to the WTO on basic telecommunications services from 1994 to 1997.
Article
FCC International Bureau Chief focuses on access, competition, Satellite Week 2/14/2000
Donald Abelson
Federal Communications Commission
Chief, International Bureau
Donald Abelson began his duties as Chief of the International Bureau at the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July 1999. The International Bureau
develops and administers policies and programs to regulate international
telecommunication facilities and services and to license satellite facilities. The Bureau
has the principal representational role for FCC activities in international organizations.
Abelson comes to the Commission with extensive experience in international
communications issues. Before being named to his current position, Abelson served as
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for Industry and Communications. In this
capacity, he led USTR's effort to facilitate global electronic commerce over the Internet.
As USTR's Chief Negotiator for Communications and Information, Abelson headed the
U.S. delegation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on basic
telecommunications services from 1994, through their successful conclusion in February
1997. These negotiations resulted in a precedent-setting agreement on basic
telecommunications in which 70 countries made trade commitments covering 95% of
global local, long-distance and international services delivered by wire, wireless and
satellite technologies.
Abelson has a Bachelor's Degree from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master's
Degree in International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at
Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).
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SATELLITE WEEK February 14, 2000, Monday
Copyright 2000 Warren Publishing, Inc.
SATELLITE WEEK
February 14, 2000, Monday
SECTION: THIS WEEK'S NEWS
LENGTH: 561 words
HEADLINE: FCC INTERNATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF FOCUSES ON ACCESS, COMPETITION
BODY:
Outlining priorities for 2000, FCC International Bureau Chief Donald Abelson said his bureau
will focus on promoting universal access, expanding broadband access, boosting competition by
implementing World Trade Organization (WTO)agreement.Detailing Commission efforts to provide
technical assistance to regulators in countries that are opening up their satellite service markets,
Abelson in Feb.10 speech at Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington also called
on U.S.industry to help regulators streamline their bureaucratic processes.
In sign of priority FCC is assigning to World Radio Conference (WRC)in May in Istanbul, Abelson
said bureau will spend 25% of annual travel budget to send 10 staff members to work on
international spectrum planning issues: "There is no issue that is of higher priority." Commission's
priorities at WRC include: (1) Protecting global positioning system integrity. (2) Agreeing on
"sharing criteria" to protect incumbent geostationary satellite orbit systems against interference
while letting nongeostationary satellite orbit systems enter market. (3) Developing tools for earth
stations on Navy vessels and cruise ships to coordinate with terrestrial services. (4) Agreeing
on sharing between fixed service and fixed satellite service around 40 GHz while safeguarding
radio astronomy spectrum.
Abelson said he expects number of foreign satellite operators applying for Disco II "permitted list"
to do business in U.S.to increase competition. Eutelsat and Telesat already have been approved
(SW Feb 7 p2). Four foreign companies have applications pending Embratel Brasilsat, Mabuhay,
New Skies, SatMex. Decisions are expected within 2 weeks, FCC spokesman said. Permitted list is
outgrowth of World Trade Organization agreement to promote global competition and Abelson said
he expects regulators in other countries to treat U.S.service providers fairly. said he doesn't
believe list puts U.S.companies at competitive disadvantage: "We want competition in an open
market place."
Abelson said FCC has made concerted effort to promote DBS as viable alternative to cable, citing
approval of DirecTV acquisition of USSB, EchoStar takeover of MCI News Corp.assets at 110
degrees W and DirecTV acquisition of Primestar assets: "Increased competition in the MVPD market
will benefit consumers through improved product offerings at lower prices." He said satellite
systems have been receiving substantial spectrum in FCC rulings because commissioners want to
see whether technology is better, as many industry experts have claimed, but satellite companies
still must prove themselves: "They can get a lot of spectrum, but if they don't produce they may
not keep it. The jury is still out."
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Privatization of Intelsat and Inmarsat is high priority, Abelson said, since FCC wants to lower prices
by increasing competition. Intelsat privatization could mean saving of up to 71% to consumers, he
said, and would be "a fundamental shift in the global satellite communications arena, away from
the government-controlled companies of the past and toward a market- controlled and
consumer-oriented future."
FCC electronic application system can save satellite service providers time and money, Abelson
said. He said 19% of satellite companies using process had applications processed in 92% less
time.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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Brian Atwood
Executive VP, Citizens Energy Corp. and former Administrator, USAID
Position Description
The USAID administrator directs a pi-run of economic and humanitarian assistance to
countries in the developing world, in Central and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet
Union.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, history and government, Boston University 1964
Graduate work in public administration at The American University
Career
Administrator of USAID, May 1993 - 1999
President, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs 1985-1993
Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee under former Sen.
Lloyd Bentsen 1983-1984
VP in charge of information and analysis at International Reporting and Information Systems
1982
Article
Atwood targets key issues of peacekeeping reform; US AID director takes fire, Worldpaper May
2000
J. Brian Atwood
http://catavencueunato.sfos.ro/database/cvatwoo.html
Curriculum Vitae
J. Brian Atwood
Administrator U.S. Agency for International Development
J. Brian Atwood was sworn in as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) on May 10, 1993.
As USAID administrator, Atwood directs a pi-run of economic and humanitarian assistance to
countries in the developing world, in Central and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet
Union.
Before joining the Clinton administration, Atwood served as president of the National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs from 1985 to 1993. The organization, affiliated
with the Democratic Party, promotes democracy in transitional societies around the world and
achieved notable success in many countries, including Chile, Nicaragua, Namibia, Pakistan,
Panama, The Philippines and the nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Immediately before being nominated as USAID administrator, Atwood had been named - and
was later confirmed as - under secretary of state for management.
Atwood joined the Foreign Service in 1966 and served in the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) and
Spain.
In 1972 Atwood became a legislative assistant for foreign policy and defense on the staff of
former Senator Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.)
He returned to the State Department in 1977 as deputy assistant secretary for congressional
relations and was named assistant secretary in 1979.
In 1981 Atwood became dean of professional studies and academic affairs at the Foreign
Service institute. He also was a member of the Association of Deans of Foreign Service
Colleges.
In 1982 Atwood was named vice president in charge of information and analysis at
International Reporting and Information Systems.
From 1983 to 1984, he served under former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen D-Tx.) as executive director
of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Atwood has written articles on international politics and presented commentaries on foreign
policy on network evening news programs and on National Public Radio.
Atwood was born on July 25, 1942, in Wareham, Massachusetts. He received a bachelor of
arts degree in history and government from Boston University in 1964 and did graduate work
in public administration at The American University.
He is married to Susan J. Atwood and has two children. John and Deborah.
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WorldPaper, May, 2000
Copyright 2000 World Times, Inc.
WorldPaper
May, 2000/June, 2000, International Edition
SECTION: PICKING UP THE PEACEKEEPERS; Pg. 12
LENGTH: 897 words
HEADLINE: Atwood targets key issues of peacekeeping reform;
US aid director takes fire
BODY:
In early March, Secretary-General Kofi Annan formed an international panel to review every aspect
of UN peacekeeping and make recommendations on how missions can be more effective. Panel
member J. Brian Atwood, former head of the US Agency for International Development, led Kosovo
relief efforts in the Balkans for the Clinton Administration. Atwood is fiercely critical of isolationist
Republicans in the US Congress who have withheld UN dues, arguing that this not only hurts
peacekeepers' effectiveness but increases the demand for American troops when UN missions falter
or fail. Here are excerpts from an address Atwood gave in Boston on April 5:
I am privileged to serve on the Secretary General's Panel on UN Peace Operations. The UN is often
the only neutral force capable of preventing conflict or ending it. But the UN, in recent years, has not
performed well.
Reports on the inability of the UN to protect innocent civilians and its own peacekeeping troops in
Srebrenica and Rwanda have discredited UN peace operations. Today, three of four peace operations
in the news are at risk of collapse. I refer to the operations in Sierra Leone, Kosovo and the Congo.
Only East Timor is working because of the willingness of Australia to use necessary force.
Each time UN forces are successfully challenged or overwhelmed by those who oppose a peace
mandate, serious damage is done to the United Nations. Each time the forces of anarchy triumph
over global governance, it is more difficult the next time around to prevent conflict or to preserve
peace. Each time a UN force is underfunded and unprepared, the chances are greater that American
forces will be needed.
Yet the US posture at the UN is to reduce by law the US contribution to peacekeeping to 25 percent
from our treaty obligation of 30.1 percent. This is shortsighted in the extreme. It places us in the
posture of accepting an inadequate UN force, or of using an American force to get the job done.
Since neither is today a politically viable option, the United States often plays the spoiler when
proposals are made to prevent conflict, to end a war or to save people from genocide.
I am hopeful that the airing of these issues will force us all to consider carefully the worth of UN
peace operations and lead us to reassess US interests. Perhaps when the Secretary General's panel
reports to the Security Council, the summit discussion of our recommendations will produce that
essential ingredient -- political will.
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Q Should there be a standby force for the United Nations?
I don't think that's in the cards for the near future. It's not politically realistic. I personally believe
that there should be at least some agreement about how a UN force that has already been deployed
under a UN Security Council resolution can defend itself. This was the issue in both Srebrenica and
Rwanda. There were small UN forces on the ground, too small to handle the problems that they
faced, and the Secretary-General didn't have any means to augment those forces.
When the Dutch troops in Srebrenica called in air power, they were told "sorry, your circumstances
aren't dire enough, we're not going to do it. We don't have the air power to bring in." And the same
is true of the small 2,500-man contingent that stayed in Rwanda throughout the genocide, stayed in
their barracks because it wasn't safe to come out. So I think there have to be standby arrangements
for that purpose. The day when the Secretary General actually has his own military force is probably
not in my lifetime, but it's something that I think should stay on the agenda.
Q I'm concerned by what you said about the UN failures in peacekeeping in Kosovo, in Sierra Leone
and the Congo. I think you have fallen into the trap of describing them as UN operations, which is
how many people who are against the UN paint it. In Kosovo, [for example,] it's a NATO force. It's
not a UN force. How do we change the debate so that it's a more intelligent discussion and not
one where the UN is going to fail?
You're absolutely right, but it's not I that have fallen into the trap, it's unfortunately the United
Nations that falls into the trap constantly and ends up holding the bag.
In the case of Kosovo, there is now a UN mandate with NATO forces on the ground, but it's a UN
civilian operation. And when you hear press reports, it's the UN leader of the civilian group that is
usually in the press and on the television.
In the case of the peacekeeping budget of the United Nations it's a limited budget given the
number of operations that are deployed. And so we find ourselves agreeing to UN resolutions and
deployments and forces that, were it a US force going in there, especially in the post-Somalia period,
it would never be approved.
So the force is inadequate. Then they get into the trouble when the mandate is challenged, and then
it becomes a real political crisis. Do you have the political will to send US troops in to save the force
or not? The United Nations looks once again inadequate. My hope is that this panel, which will talk
about the successes and the failures of UN missions and why, and then make specific
recommendations, will get enough airing, so that when the summit leaders speak they will generate
the kind of political will that's necessary to fix this problem.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (90%); TREATIES (62%);
PERSON: J BRIAN ATWOOD (64%);
ORGANIZATION: UNITED NATIONS (97%); AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (57%);
COUNTRY: RWANDA (55%); SIERRA LEONE (52%); CONGO (52%);
STATE: KOSOVO (69%);
CITY: SREBRENICA (55%);
COMPANY: UNITED NATIONS (97%); AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (57%);
LOAD-DATE: May 24, 2000
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Ambassador's CV
http://www.gov.sg/mfa/washington/wstemb_Ambcv.html
Chan Heng Chee took up her appointment as Singapore's Ambassador to
United States in July 1996. Prior to her appointment, she was the Executiv
Director of the Singapore International Foundation (which creates a Singa
version of the Peace Corps) and Director of the Institute of Southeast Asia
Studies. She was the founder Director of the Institute of Policy Studies. Sh
served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations fr
1989 to 1991 and was concurrently High Commissioner to Canada, and
Ambassador to Mexico.
She has received a number of awards including Honorary Degrees of Doctor of
Letters in 1994 from the University of Newcastle, Australia; and the University of
Buckingham (United Kingdom) in 1998; Inaugural International Woman of the Year
Award 1998 from the Organisation of Chinese American Women (OCAW);
Singapore's first "Woman of the Year, 1991" Award; the National Book Award,
Non-Fiction Section, 1986 for A Sensation of Independence: A Political Biography
of David Marshall; the National Book Award, Non-Fiction Section, 1978 for The
Dynamics of One Party Dominance: The PAP at the Grassroots.
She has served as a member on the International Advisory Board of the Council on
Foreign Relations, New York, the Council of the International Institute for Strategic
Studies (IISS), London and the International Council of the Asia Society, New York.
Ambassador Chan has served on several academic review panels and has
published numerous articles and books on politics in Singapore, Southeast Asia
and international security.
She was educated at the University of Singapore and Cornell University.
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David Marshall
http://www.sintercom.org/Election96/marshall/marshall.html
Singaporean Constitution
Political Parties
Electoral Platforms
Electoral Divisions Map
Timeline
An extract from Professor Chan Heng Chee's
"A Sensation of Independence: A Political Biography of David
Marshall"
A Summing Up
THE post-war political history of Singapore which ushered in the era of mass politics, though short, is
crowded with events of momentous significance. In a span of less than forty years, the British colony
has emerged against all conventional political rationale as a thriving independent republic, one which
has successfully created a mobilized, disciplined community out of an immigrant plural society, a
developmental model for some new states. It has also worked out its constitutional destiny from colony
to independence through merger with the larger territory of Malaysia and finally to independence as an
island nation-state. Beyond dispute, the dominant force in the shaping of modern Singapore is the PAP
under the durable leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye, S. Rajaratnam and C.
V. Devan Nair. These men grasped the political initiative for action once the PAP was formed, although
for two brief phases of the party's history, control of the party organization was only tenuously in their
hands. After 1961 they continuously took the lead to define the political situation and outlined the
blueprints for society at each decisive turn. Against this background of continuity and achievement, how
is one to assess a man like David Marshall and how does one understand his role in the political
development and political process of Singapore?
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David Marshall
http://www.sintercom.org/Election96/marshall/marshall.html
Marshall stumbled into politics at the watershed of the
colonial era, when the vast majority of the population
was politically comatose, yet to be politically awakened.
For this a certain display of daring and audacity was
required to stir the popular imagination and to encourage
the self-confidence needed to engage in the struggle for
independence. Marshall was a man aptly fitted to
perform this role. His ministry was a time of
psychological escalation in Singapore, for his dramatic
and ebullient style kept up the mood of intransigence
giving vivid expression to anti-colonial feeling.
But he was not the only political force on the scene; far
from it. For a much lengthier period, the communists and
their supporters had been stealthily building up a network
of support in strategic sectors, particularly in the trade
unions and in the schools, to mount political action
AM
AND
against the colonial authorities, in order to facilitate their
own takeover of power one day. In the contest of strength
between the colonial authorities and the communists in
the anti-colonial revolution, Marshall was an important
Card Marsha ? Vising
interpolator, a necessary and adequate alternative in the
1950s, to capture support and public attention with his
bold, impulsive and passionate anti-colonial postures,
whether they were against the Governor or the colonial civil service. By putting things starkly, Marshall
forced people to react, to take sides, to join the fledging nationalist movement. This bought time for the
democratic socialists within the PAP to conduct their struggle for ascendancy within their party. Lee
Kuan Yew was not yet ready to take power in 1955 and a more conservative figure than Marshall would
have enacted policies that would have polarized the situation and strengthened the communists' position.
But Marshall could not have sustained his role. His cardinal failure was an inability to build up a team of
men or to attract to himself highly intelligent activists who were either mobilizers or problem-solvers or
both. Perhaps his tendency to an overdramatic style and his subliminal approach to politics naturally
repelled the pragmatic technocrat. And he dangerously mistook form for substance. In any case, the
unfolding of events came in rapid succession and he could do little else but to react in an ad hoc fashion
to every political eruption engineered by the left wing.
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David Marshall
http://www.sintercom.org/Election96/marshall/marshall.html
In the final tally of his achievements in office,
Marshall must be credited with spawning numerous
good ideas which became the bases of policies he
eagerly initiated but could not follow through. Some
of these ideas were shared by the PAP, such as the
creed of multi-lingualism and multi-racialism, an
education policy for nation-building, the
meet-the-people sessions and the development of the
provident fund. These same ideas in the hands of the
more dynamic, disciplined and purposeful PAP
Government were strengthened, embellished and
translated into policies beyond anything Marshall
could dream of or achieve.
Marshall's firm commitment to liberal democratic
values, to the Queensbury rules, was patently out of
tune with the predominantly Chinese electorate of
Singapore. Their enfranchisement in any case would
have led sooner or later to Marshall's displacement
from office, unless he himself could have undergone a
18 Dark Marshall and Within and
change in political culture. The Chinese at all times
respect a strong but honest government, and understand the importance of organization, value
effectiveness and efficiency. Democracy was a word they had learnt but the meaning filtered down in so
many versions, and few understood the version Marshall propounded. But although ineffective as a
figure in power, Marshall was admired out of power for his courage and his integrity, and for his
willingness to stand up to authority on an issue of conscience. In the same way that the masses cheered
him when he stood up against the colonial authorities, in a self-governing Singapore, there were many
who looked to Marshall as a symbol, a glimmer of a liberal alternative to an increasingly all-powerful
and authoritarian government. But he could at best remain only a symbol of opposition, if he chose to
be, for he could not overcome his limitations. In the fast transforming milieu of Singapore, the new
idiom of politics completely eluded him. In the end he no longer stood against the major current. He too
was swept by the tide.
The above summary and cartoons are extracts from
Professor Chan Heng Chee,
A Sensation of Independence:
A Political Biography of David Marshall,
Singapore, Oxford University Press, 1984.
[Singapore Internet Community]
Comments to
[email protected]
Last Updated: 4 February 1996
3 of 3
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Senator John Kerry
Mr. Kerry is a member of the United States Senate from Massachusetts. As a former prosecutor,
he has often concentrated his efforts on fighting crime. Senator Kerry is largely responsible for
the passing of the 1994 Crime Bill where 100,000 new officers were hired and the US crime
budget was increases from 5.9 billion to 22.6 billion. He serves on several committees in the US
Senate. As the chairman of the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee, he is
responsible for working with other Senators to establish stronger partnerships with certain groups
and individuals around the country. This includes citizen groups, advocacy coalitions, alliances
at national, state, and local levels, and state and local elected officials including governors,
mayors, and state legislators. Senator Kerry is also a member of the Senate Commerce and
Foreign Relations Committee. He uses his influence here to try and create new incentives for
investment in start-up companies and to promote advanced and environmental technologies.
The Boston Globe, August 5, 1999
SECTION: OP-ED; Pg. A25
HEADLINE: The leader in the new economy; JOHN KERRY and ROBERT ATKINSON;
John Kerry is US senator from Massachusetts. Robert Atkinson is director of the Technology &
New Economy Project at the Progressive Policy Institute.
BYLINE: By John Kerry and Robert Atkinson
BODY:
Every aspect of life in America is being revolutionized by the forces of technology and
globalization. We live in a high-tech world where Boris Yeltsin goes online from the Kremlin
for a global chat on MSNBC.com. US government officials visit a West African village
accessible only by a dugout canoe - and the village chief connects them to Washington by
cellular phone. College students go from the dorm room to the board room as high-tech moguls.
Order a Saturn on line and a new car shows up in your driveway the next morning. Twenty-five
thousand new eBay subscribers sign up each day for the world's largest auction. Now there is a
way to measure the new economy beyond the anecdotes of everyday life. The "State New
Economy Index" report, recently released by the Progressive Policy Institute, shows that the
"new economy" is more than the latest innovations in information technology and high-flying
Internet companies. It is also a knowledge economy, with a large share of the work force
employed in office jobs requiring some level of higher education. It is a global economy - the
sum of US imports and exports rose from 11 percent of gross domestic product in 1970 to 25
percent in 1997. This emerging economy is driven by innovation in every arena from traditional
manufacturing to health care.
The good news is that Massachusetts is ahead of the other 49 states by a significant margin, a
national leader of the high-tech economy. But that's not the only reason this state is the best-
prepared state for the "new economy" - there are many other factors driving Massachusetts's
success in the post-industrial era.
First, this state has a strong "knowledge economy." Given the large number of students who
come to its colleges and universities and stay after they graduate, it is no surprise that
Massachusetts has the sixth-most-educated work force in the country. Not coincidentally, it ranks
first in the country with the largest share of managers, professionals, and technicians in its work
force - 34 percent. Moreover, because of its strong financial service, health care, and high-tech
industries, it is second in the share of office jobs in its economy - 26 percent.
Second, the Massachusetts economy is globally oriented. It ranks fifth in the country in the share
of jobs in manufacturing companies that depend upon exports - 23 percent - and fourth in the
amount of foreign direct investment: More than 5 percent of the state's work force is employed in
foreign-owned companies.
Third, in an indicator of entrepreneurial dynamism, Massachusetts ranks ninth in terms of the
percentage of our workers - 15.5 percent - employed in "gazelle" companies - companies with
compound sales revenue growth of 20 percent or more for four straight years.
Fourth, Massachusetts has an impressive infrastructure for innovation. The state ranks third in
the country in industry investment in research and development - nearly 4 percent of gross state
product. It ranks fourth in the number of scientists and engineers - collectively, they represent
approximately one out of every 100 workers - and first in venture capital activity as a share of
gross state product. When you add in the number of high-tech jobs in the state's economy,
Massachusetts is the state with the most evolved innovation capacity for the new economy,
ahead of California, Colorado, and a pack of other innovative states.
Finally, the strength of Massachusetts's digital economy comes as no surprise: the state ranks
eighth in the percentage of citizens who are on line - 39 percent - and third in the number of
".com" domain names registered - 35 for every 100 companies. Massachusetts is the
prototypical "new economy" state because it has been able to reinvent itself - to adapt - faster
than other states. It was forced to reinvent itself in the 1950s and '60s as industries from textiles
to metal-working declined. It was to reinvent itself again this decade in the wake of the dramatic
decline in defense spending and the collapse of the minicomputer industry. In both cases the Bay
State was able to adapt because of its highly educated and flexible workers and institutions that
understand and support entrepreneurship.
To maintain and even extend its lead in the new economy, Massachusetts will need to build on
its capacity for innovation and adaptiveness. There is always room for improvement.
We must continue to reinvent the public education system. The education reform initiatives of
the early '90s were important steps forward, emphasizing a balance between accountability,
flexibility, and investment. But there is room for improvement in the use of educational
technology; only 15 percent of public school teachers in Massachusetts have received technology
training, and only 40 percent of the state's classrooms are wired for Internet access.
As we strengthen elementary and secondary education, it is also critical to protect the crown
jewel of Massachusetts's new economy: increasing support for higher education, especially
science and engineering programs. Between 1986 and 1998 there was a 37 percent decline in
bachelor's degrees in engineering in Massachusetts.
We should also work together to leverage the development of new, industry-led and union-led
collaborative approaches to work force development. Economic progress in the new economy
demands that we erase the old demarcations and tensions between government, business, and
labor. To keep our work force ahead of the economic curve requires a flexible and team-oriented
approach to worker training and retraining.
These three challenges can be met in nonbureaucratic ways. Federal, state, and local
governments can forge new partnerships with the private sector to find answers for schools and
workers. Government doesn't have to control or abandon; it can leverage good corporate
citizenship and sound public policy by empowering corporate leadership and relying on
charitable and faith-based organizations to help us put a human face on the global economy and
keep Massachusetts roaring ahead into the next century.
If Massachusetts builds on these foundation areas and continues to adapt, it will continue to lead
the nation in the new economy.
JUN 21 2000 3:49 PM FR ECI ENRON
713 646 8518 TO 912024565802
P.01/01
Scott Yeager
Managing Director
Mr. Yeager is Managing Director of Strategic Development for Enron Broadband
Services, Inc. In 1981, he founded YSA Inc., a systems integrator of fiber optic systems,
which was the foundation for Network Communications, Inc. (NCI), the first competitive
fiber optic network in Texas. In 1989, after MFS purchased NCI, he built the MFS
Houston Fiber Optic network and was instrumental in the role MFS played in developing
the competitive local-exchange-carrier market. In 1991, Scott deployed the industry's
first high-speed Data-Networking services over the MFS fiber infrastructure. In 1992,
Scott became Vice President of Sales for MFS Datanet, which provided high speed data
services to ISP's, content providers and enterprise customers. In 1992, he created the
Metropolitan Area Exchange (MAE) as an MFS Datanet service offering for ISP's. This
enabled the commercialization of the Internet by allowing early ISP's to "Peer" with each
other economically using an open standard. When MFS was purchased by WorldCom,
he served as Vice President of Business Development where he piloted the development
of IP application services (such as streaming, media services) on the WorldCom
bandwidth infrastructure. Mr. Yeager has been an evangelist of the notion of delivering
application layer services via tiered QoS with usage sensitive billing for over 6 years.
** TOTAL PAGE. 01 **
THE WHITE HOUSE
June 15, 2000
MEMORANDUM FOR MARY BETH CAHILL
FROM:
Jonathan Young, OPL Associate Director for Disability Outreach
CC:
Maria Echaveste, Assistant to the President and
Deputy Chief of Staff
Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President and
Director, National Economic Council
Tom Kalil, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
RE:
President Clinton's Digital Divide Disability Trip
INTRODUCTION
On April 18, in Chicago, President Clinton made a public announcement: "in a couple of months
we will have a part of this digital divide tour devoted solely to the potential that web accessibility
offers to disabled Americans to participate more fully in the educational and economic life of the
United States." Information Technology offers unprecedented potential to level the playing field
for people with disabilities and offer greater participation in the education, economic, and social
fabric of our nation. It also improves the likelihood of financial independence and economic
self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
The purpose of this memo is to: 1) provide background information about the digital divide for
people with disabilities; 2) suggest themes for framing the President's trip; 3) discuss possible
destinations and deliverables for the trip; and, 4) suggest a strategy meeting to discuss next steps.
I. BACKGROUND
A. EMPLOYMENT OF ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
Administration Disability Policy currently centers on the need to increase employment
opportunities for people with disabilities. Despite low overall unemployment rates, there is a
staggering rate of unemployment for working-age people with "severe" disabilities - -- in the range
of 73.9% (according to data reported by the Census Bureau, based on the 1994-95 Survey of
Income and Program Participation). The Administration has focused on how a coordinated and
holistic approach is necessary to successfully increase employment rates. The availability of a
job, for example, may be practically meaningless if an individual does not have a place to live, or
transportation to get to a job, or health care, or adequate education and training, or assistive
technology, etc.
The framework for the President's New Markets Initiative dovetails with the employment
challenges for people with disabilities. In fact, the language the President used to explain the
need for the work incentives legislation closely paralleled the way he discussed New Markets.
"Even as we celebrate more than 18 million new jobs and a nationwide unemployment rate of 4.2
percent, the lowest in a generation 75 percent of Americans with disabilities remain
unemployed," the President said on June 4, 1999. "This is not just a missed opportunity for
Americans with disabilities. It's a missed opportunity for America. This is an era now of labor
shortages, where companies go begging for employees they need to stay competitive in the
global economy. And we simply cannot afford to ignore the potential of millions of potential
workers simply because they have a disability."
The difficulty with making a direct link between the New Markets Initiative and people with
disabilities was that they (fortunately) do not constitute geographically-concentrated markets.
People with disabilities instead are a sort of "cyber-community" spread throughout the nation,
who cut across every race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. The New Markets
concept -- of being an untapped resource that could not only empower individuals but also help
the economy -- was directly applicable to people with disabilities, but not concretely
demonstrable. The President's Digital Divide initiative, however, makes a direct integration of
people with disabilities possible.
B. OPL ACTIVITIES REGARDING DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
In January, following the President's State of the Union Address, OPL began facilitating
conversations with disability advocates about the Digital Divide for people with disabilities, and
solicited examples of efforts already taking place to bridge the divide. Community
representatives joined an OPL-wide Digital Divide briefing on February 22, and noted the
specific needs of people with disabilities. OPL subsequently began hosting weekly conference
calls with individuals interested in digital opportunities for people with disabilities, to identify
the nature of the challenges and generate suggestions for how they could be addressed.
On March 10, as part of its outreach efforts to multiple constituencies regarding the Digital
Divide, OPL hosted a briefing for the disability community. The discussion underscored the real
gaps in access to computers and the internet for people with disabilities, and highlighted the
possibilities of accessible information technology. In particular, technology experts noted the
importance of "usability." They explained that when we speak of "universal accessibility" we
tend to mean universal availability -- carrying an assumption that the products made available
could also be used be all purchasers. But the availability of a given type of technology does not
mean it is necessarily usable (more discussion of this concept below).
In addition to weekly conference calls since the March 10 meeting, OPL has met individually
with a variety of groups -- corporate as well as non-profit -- to discuss possibilities for the
President's Digital Divide Tour. Although there was some disappointment that disability issues
did not get more fully integrated into the original tour, the disability community is excited about
the President's announcement of an additional disability-related trip.
On Thursday, June 1, OPL convened a meeting of representatives from federal agencies to
review possible federal initiatives to bridge the Digital Divide for people with disabilities.
C. OVERVIEW OF DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Although the disability community has recognized the benefits and importance of technology for
many years, the Department of Commerce's high-profile consideration of the Digital Divide, has
devoted little attention to the importance of information technology for people with disabilities.
A recent DoED-funded report, "Computer and Internet Use Among People with Disabilities,"
helps fill the disability void in Falling Through the Net. The study "demonstrates that gaps in
computer and Internet use based on disability status are just as large as those based on race and
ethnicity [emphasis added]." Its principle findings, based on Current Population Survey data
include:
32.6% of people aged 15-64 with a work disability have a computer in their home
(compared with 55.6% in same age range of the general population );
15.8% of people aged 15-64 with a work disability have Internet access at home
(compared with 33.9% in same age range of the general population);
15.1% of people aged 15-64 with a work disability use the Internet either at home or
elsewhere (compared with 42.3% in same age range of the general population);
Disparities in computer ownership and Internet access among seniors with work
disabilities parallel the 15-64 population.
The report also explains that, beyond the general gaps between people with disabilities and the
general population, the disability community is similarly affected by general socio-economic
factors:
Disparities regarding computers and the Internet according to level of education
among people with disabilities parallel the general population;
Disparities regarding computers and the Internet according to level of income among
people with disabilities parallel the general population.
The study also indicates similar usage patterns of the Internet for people with disabilities and the
general population:
Reasons for Internet use among people with disabilities are similar to the general
population (e-mail and searching for information the two most common reasons);
17.0% of people with disabilities use the Internet to shop, pay bills, or for other
commercial activity.
D. CURRENT PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES FOR BRIDGING THE DISABILITY DIGITAL DIVIDE
Examples of projects and programs across the country currently attempting to bridge the Digital
Divide for people with disabilities include the following:
ABLE-NET Internet Service specializes in offering affordable, accessible Internet
Access for People with Disabilities in 31 States and Canada;
The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) is collaborating
with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Advanced Educational
Services to make an on-line interactive physics course accessible to students with
disabilities;
The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium is developing
standards for accessible web design;
Bancroft e-Solutions seeks to identify job openings conducive to telecommuting and
match with individuals working out of their home over the Internet.
CAST is a leader in the development of the Universal Design for Learning
educational paradigm, working to make the general educational curriculum accessible
and educationally relevant for everyone;
DPI (Disabled Programmers, Inc.) is a nonprofit agency working in partnership with
Silicon Valley businesses and the community to prepare people with disabilities for
competitive employment. Through adaptive computer access technology and career
transition services, DPI creates opportunities for significant advances in universal
access, social integration, and employment for people with disabilities;
Edapta, a for-profit company, is developing third-party Internet solutions that would
enable customization of Internet information according to one's visual and input
preferences.
e-Transcribe, started by Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, trains individuals with
disabilities to become medical transcriptionists and provide them contract work to
perform from their homes using an array of technology, including computers with
voice activated software, the Internet, and Dictaphone equipment.
High School High Tech, a program of the President's Committee on Employment of
People with Disabilities, seeks to provide high school students with internships with
high-tech companies and agencies, including Goddard Space Flight Center in the
Washington, DC area. The program currently has projects in 10 states.
The Merze Tate Center for Technology and Educational Reform at Western
Michigan University is leading a public-private initiative to develop a national on-line
support center to help facilitate the training of people with disabilities for
employment in the fast growing computer industry.
The Motion Picture Access Project, with initial funding from NIDRR, has
developed digital technology that allows people who are deaf or blind to access
closed-captioning or video descriptions in movie theaters.
Virtual Buddies takes donated computers, and donated Internet accounts, and places
them in the homes of low-income people with different disabilities. The program
gives individuals largely isolated in their homes a way to communicate with others
and enhance their education through distance learning.
II. THEMATIC FRAMEWORK
A. SUGGESTED THEMES FOR potus DISABILITY TRIP
The President's Disability Digital Divide trip will meet with the greatest success if it is situated
in the broader context of employment of people with disabilities, not merely on the specific
technologies that enable many people with disabilities to participate in the digital economy.
Moreover, even the issues of technology access can be presented in the broader context of
usability for all Americans. This framework will help ensure greater collaboration from the
business community, which is in many respects fearful of a regulatory approach, and has even
mobilized efforts against internet accessibility (for example, a February 9, 2000 congressional
hearing on the subject). Two main themes are suggested for the framework for the trip:
Maintaining Economic Growth. The United States has reached its lowest unemployment in
decades by dipping under 3.9%. While this is a great achievement, it also presents challenges for
meeting labor shortages. Congress has issued visas for high technology workers because so
many positions have gone unfulfilled. With unemployment among people with "severe"
disabilities exceeding 70%, not to mention underemployment of people with disabilities
generally, people with disabilities represent an under-utilized reserve of American labor.
Finding ways to encourage companies to hire and to mentor people with disabilities, and to work
with the non-profit disability community to build awareness of job opportunities, is essential.
One of the best ways of reducing the digital divide for people with disabilities is to increase
employment, since income-level, as with the general population, is a strong determinant of
access.
Availability & Usability "Access" is generally discussed in terms of the availability of
computers and the internet. Equally important is "usability," which applies to everyone.
Individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities have a variety of ways of accessing electronic
information. Language, visual, motion, and hearing impairments have all been barriers that have
presented substantial challenges. Some of the technologies originally designed to make
electronic information usable to people with disabilities have wide applicability in the general
population. The tools that have helped people with disabilities will make it easier for all
Americans; developing more of them is the challenge and opportunity. Examples of "usability"
include:
Language translation software for documents;
Speech Recognition software that eliminates the need to use a keyboard;
"Audiotext" where the content of a document is verbally articulated for user to listen to;
"Sticky keys" that make it easier for users who have difficulty using regular keyboards
input information.
B. CONCEPTUAL POSSIBILITIES FOR DELIVERABLES
Ideally, a powerful package of announcements could focus on private-sector hiring commitments
in collaborative partnerships with government and non-profit entities. Such an announcement
would include:
commitments to provide all necessary reasonable accommodations, including
assistive technologies;
commitments to accessible web design;
mentoring/internship programs;
design stage R&D for accessible products and software;
new efforts at data collection and reporting regarding people with disabilities and
information technology;
education and training; and,
efforts to provide hardware and software to people with disabilities.
This announcement could also be linked with implementation of the Ticket to Work and Work
Incentives Improvement Act. Business and government entities could emphasize they want to
make the legislation a reality by providing employment opportunities, and disability
organizations could help by identifying people with disabilities who are able and ready to work.
III. DESTINATIONS AND DELIVERABLES
A. POSSIBLE DESTINATIONS FOR A TRIP
Willow CyberCenter Networks (Miami, FL). Willow is a web-based Network for
telecommuting customer service operations, which is reaching out to people with disabilities to
become an integrated component of its pool of CyberAgents representing people of all ages and
backgrounds.
Web Accessibility Initiative, MIT, and WGBH (Boston, MA). WAI is working to help make
websites more accessible; MIT is developing innovative internet-based, cross-disability
instruction; and WGBH is creating captioning technologies in partnership with MIT and others.
Georgia Tools for Life and Georgia High School High Tech (Atlanta, GA). Georgia Tools for
Life sponsors ReBoot, a computer recycling program for people with disabilities. Georgia's
High School High Tech program is one of the most extensive in the country, providing high tech
internship opportunities for disabled high school students.
Western Michigan University in (Kalamazoo, MI). Western Michigan University in
cooperation with IBM, Smartforce.com and Monster.com along with the Association of
Rehabilitation Programs in Computer Technology (ARPCT) are about to
launch a national on-line support center for preparing people with
disabilities for IT careers.
* More detailed information on each of these possibilities is available as requested.
B. POSSIBLE DELIVERABLES
OPL has been discussing a variety of deliverables with for-profit and not-for-profit entities.
Most of the potential deliverables are still in planning stage, in part because people do not have a
solid grasp of when the President's trip will take place; some lack certainty that the trip will in
fact take place. Likely deliverables, however, include the following entities.
Procurement Central, Inc. wants to announce a major commitment to hire
thousands of people with disabilities for its web-based procurement data management
centers (the CEO is a person with a disability);
Willow CyberCenter Networks is exploring possible ways to build on their
commitment to hiring people with disabilities as CyberAgents;
Members of the Able to Work Consortium, a network of corporate business leaders,
are exploring the possibility or hiring commitments;
NCR Corporation submitted a proposal for the initial trip and is now putting
together a new proposal (OPL met with NCR representatives on Friday, May 26);
The National Rehabilitation Hospital is developing an initiative to provide low-end
computers or web devices to patients with disabilities leaving the hospital and provide
training in information technology;
The President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities is seeking to
expand its High School High Tech program, perhaps announcing new projects in
additional states;
HalfthePlanet.com, an internet portal for people with disabilities, is exploring an
initiative to provide scholarships supporting design-stage engineering projects;
Edapta has proposed using SSA's Access Seniors website as a test site for its Internet
transformations;
*
More detailed information on each of these possibilities is available as requested.
IV. Recommended Strategy Session
The following individuals would be ideal for a strategic planning meeting, tentatively scheduled
for Thursday, June 22, at 11:00 AM.
*Judy Brewer: Director of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative, she
is a leading expert in the mechanics of designing and developing standards for accessible
websites.
Steve Jacobs: President of IDEAL, a non-profit at NCR Corp. dedicated to promoting the hiring
of people with disabilities, he is an expert in a variety of accessible technologies, including
information kiosks.
David Bolnick: Accessibility Program Manager at Microsoft, he is the engine behind the
Microsoft-inspired Able To Work consortium and the Enable educational video about computers
and people with disabilities.
*Greg Vanderheiden: Director of the Trace Research and Department Center in Madison, WI,
he is a leading expert who has worked closely with corporations such as Microsoft to encourage
integration of accessible technologies.
Cynthia Waddell: ADA Coordinator, City of San Jose, she is a well known author and speaker
on the subject of the Internet and the fair and accessible presentation of information for
everyone, including presentations before the Department of Commerce.
Andrew Imparato: President of the American Association of People with Disabilities, he is
working with AOL and others about IT for people with disabilities, focusing not so much on
specialized technologies but the basic income- and education-based divide.
Ed Eckenhoff: President of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, he is developing a web-based
initiative, HealthTown, which will enable patients to communicate with the hospital more
efficiently, and provide discharged patients with computer or web devices.
*Alan Dinsmore: Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind, he is an expert on
the accessibility issues for individuals who are blind and visiually-impaired.
Jane West: Disability consultant working with the Association of Tech Act Projects and
corporations, including Edapta.
* Attended the March 10 Digital Divide meeting.
CONCLUSION
President Clinton's Disability Digital Divide trip provides an outstanding opportunity to
demonstrate the potential of technology in improving the educational, social, and economic lives
of people disabilities, which can result in increased economic independence and self-sufficiency.
Equally important, the New Markets framework offers a way to redefine the relationship
between the disability and business communities. At a time when Clint Eastwood has publicized
an adversarial relationship between people with disabilities (as represented by "parasitic
attorneys") and the business community, the Digital Divide trip can help move both the disability
and the business communities toward a collaborative relationship based on win-win results.
From:
Melissa G. Green on 06/19/2000 03:06:20 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Thomas A. Kalil/OPD/EOP@EOP, Sean R. Dobson/OPD/EOP@EOP
CC:
Subject: Confirmed in RR for 11:00 AM Thursday for Disability Dig Divide meeting
Forwarded by Melissa G. Green/OPD/EOP on 06/19/2000 03:06 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Mary E. Cahill/WHO/EOP@EOP, Gene B. Sperling/OPD/EOP@EOF
CC:
Christine A. Stanek/WHO/EOP@EOP, Melissa G. Green/OPD/EOP@EOP, Rhonda S.
Binda/WHO/EOP@EOP, Thomas A. Kalil/OPD/EOP@EOP
Subject: Confirmed in RR for 11:00 AM Thursday for Disability Dig Divide meeting
Digital Divide Disability Reps Meeting
Date: Thursday, June 22
Time: 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Place: Roosevelt Room
Confirmed Attendance: Mary Beth Cahill, Gene Sperling
Invited Participants:
*Judy Brewer: Director of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative, she
is a leading expert in the mechanics of designing and developing standards for accessible
websites.
Steve Jacobs: President of IDEAL, a non-profit at NCR Corp. dedicated to promoting the hiring
of people with disabilities, he is an expert in a variety of accessible technologies, including
information kiosks.
David Bolnick: Accessibility Program Manager at Microsoft, he is the engine behind the
Microsoft-inspired Able To Work consortium and the Enable educational video about computers
and people with disabilities.
*Greg Vanderheiden: Director of the Trace Research and Department Center in Madison, WI,
he is a leading expert who has worked closely with corporations such as Microsoft to encourage
integration of accessible technologies.
Cynthia Waddell: ADA Coordinator, City of San Jose, she is a well known author and speaker
on the subject of the Internet and the fair and accessible presentation of information for
everyone, including presentations before the Department of Commerce.
Andrew Imparato: President of the American Association of People with Disabilities, he is
working with AOL and others about IT for people with disabilities, focusing not SO much on
specialized technologies but the basic income- and education-based divide.
Ed Eckenhoff: President of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, he is developing a web-based
initiative, HealthTown, which will enable patients to communicate with the hospital more
efficiently, and provide discharged patients with computer or web devices.
*Alan Dinsmore: Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind, he is an expert on
the accessibility issues for individuals who are blind and visiually-impaired.
Jane West: Disability consultant working with the Association of Tech Act Projects and
corporations, including Edapta.
* Attended the March 10 Digital Divide meeting.