The Internet Today

As of January 1997, there were over 16 million host computers on the Internet.  This number is more than ten times as many hosts than in January of 1992.  The numbers of Internet users are substantial and growing rapidly.  The US is home to the largest population of Internet users; however, more than 175 other countries are connected to the Internet.  The Internet market, including network services, hardware, software, enabling services, technical consultants, and web designers, exceeded one billion dollars in 1995 and has continued to grow each year.  Most users access the Internet through either universities, corporate sites, or consumer online services.  As the net grows, these methods of access will expand and become more diversified.

The Internet: A Global Phenomenon

The Internet has become a global phenomenon, which has transformed the way people conduct business, interact, and learn on an international scale. In 1995, fewer than 10 million people used the net; however, as of today, over 140 million people use the Internet.  Internet-based services have an almost unlimited and unparalleled potential to bring people together from across the world, to enhance educational opportunities, to provide health care benefits, to aid in and generate commerce, and to provide entertainment.  The net makes this rapid and cheap communication exchange possible through e-mail, chat rooms, and search engines that allow users to access a wide variety of information.

Government Policies Regarding the Internet

The Internet has significantly changed lives worldwide and will continue to reshape the way people live.  Policymakers have seen the importance of ensuring that all corners of the world participate in and benefit from the Internet and technological advances.  The Internet will drive future economic and cultural growth.  Thus, developing countries must implement flexible policies to encourage technological growth. The regulatory policies of strict and overbearing governments will have a direct negative impact on Internet development and usage in those countries.  The Internet has proved most successful in countries that do not strictly regulate its use.  Limited regulation allows the Internet to develop freely.  Regulatory communication agencies, such as the FCC should refrain from attempting to stifle the Internet’s growth.  In the US, the FCC has adopted a “hands-off” approach to Internet regulation, which other regulatory communication agencies can use as a model as they create their own method for Internet development. 

What is the Digital Divide?

The digital divide is the gap between those countries that receive information by making effective use of computers and other forms of information technology, and those countries that do not socially or economically profit from technological advancements, such as worldwide communication via the web or e-commerce.

Why Bridge the Digital Divide?

Developing countries and successful, industrialized nations can both benefit economically and socially from the Internet expanding and increased worldwide usage of the net. The Internet acts as a gateway that links millions of people use to communicate ideas and act as potential buyers and sellers in a global economy.  The Internet has created a worldwide forum for dialogue and has generated a revolution of innovation and entrepreneurship through E-commerce.

Effects of Establishing Equality and Bridging the Gap

• Globalization that enables less developed countries to:
  • Acquire knowledge
  • Enhance educational and teaching methods
  • Improve government policy-making
  • Promote sanitation standards and increase health care provisions
  • Establish a global community
  • Attract a wider range of investors and tourists
    
• International E-commerce
  
• Free access to information
  
• Enables citizens and businesses in every country, especially developing nations, to make more informed and educated decisions concerning international and national issues.
  
• Potential decrease for terrorism due to increased international dialogue
  
• Stimulates a growth of US political capital and spreads democratic ideals.  Dean Joseph Nye and Professor Robert Keohane coined the term "soft power" to represent the power the US gains through the Internet that enables the US to influence other countries by attraction, rather than coercion. The proliferation of United States ideals such as democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and individual freedom help enhance the acceptance of these ideas in developing countries. Soft power allows the US to spread diplomacy without military force or monetary gifts to less developed nations.  It helps to establish an international community more willing to cooperate to resolve international conflicts.
  
• Unfortunately, the Internet allows terrorist groups to spread their message.  The Afghanistan Taliban banned the Internet, yet maintained their own website to promote their cause on a worldwide scale and gain far-reaching international support.
  
• The Internet could potentially create tension within developing countries by show them the enormous disparities that exist between the developed world and less developed nations.  This tension could possibly increase terrorism.   
  
• Bridging the gap places a heavy economic burden on any country that tries to undertake the task. If these costs are extraordinarily high, it might not be economically feasible for a country to focus on technology before more basic needs are met.

Effects of Maintaining the Current Level of Inequality

• Modernization for some nations
  
• Worldwide stagnation of some foreign markets due to lack of technological tools and an inability to compete economically on an international scale
  
• Limited information access
  
• Limited international dialogue and more restrictive governments in less developed countries that lack Internet access
  
• Potential for increased terrorism due to socioeconomic stress
  
• A continuation of the digital divide could separate the world into two distinct groups: those with the Internet and those countries not able to benefit from technological advancement.  Potentially, this divide could spawn a revolution in less developed countries, in which these countries would demand a redistribution of information and technological resources. 
  
• No foreseen potential for a decrease in terrorism

One Example of How to Bridge the Gap:

This document explains the joint work program for increasing telecommunications between the US’s FCC and India’s TRAI: http://www.fcc.gov/ib/initiative/files/td2000_report/india.pdf