Discussion of all things related to Public Domain

[tom poe <tompoe AT amihost.com>]

Larry Press:  Your article, "Refuting Objections to a Global Rural
Network (GRNet) for Developing Nations", in the First Monday edition:
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_8/press/ 
was most interesting and certainly well-thought-out.  That, of course,
is my personal opinion.

The cost of building such a network is troublesome, though.  Over the
last several years, I have thought a lot about how to bring Internet
access, computers, to developing nations.  Generally, my feeling has
remained consistently in favor of getting the computers to the villages,
then figuring out how to connect.  

It appears to a small group of individuals, that the cost of shipping
computers from developed nations to developing nations should run about
$700 per village, if you want to send one computer to each village
within a developing nation.  This figure has no economic research data
to support it, though.  It would be nice to gather such data support.

Computers, as you are acutely aware, empower the individual.  If a
village has a computer, the community has the ability to harness that
empowerment in many ways.  For example, take a look at Open Studios,
which assists communities in building and operating community-based
recording studios.  While you read some of what is presented, think
about the possibilities a community-based recording studio might offer
the residents of the community:
1] nonprofit agencies can create world-class fund-raising campaigns
2] small businesses can create world-class marketing programs
3] individual residents can pursue educational exploration of computer
multi-media communications skills and business-related skills

Supposing a village had a community-based recording studio, one can
quickly generate revenues:
1] Create a CD/DVD that can be purchased through donations/payment that
displays the local cultural information and highlights the village holds
for travelers
2] Create arts recordings for purchase through donations/payment that
generates income for the creators

One CD that is sold at $10, to 100 people, generates $1,000 in revenues
that otherwise would not occur.  The economic impact of a sudden influx
of tens of thousands of computers to one country, is measured in tens of
millions of USDollars, if not hundreds of millions of USDollars.

Whenever I think about the topic of computers in developing nations, I
am always reminding myself of the interesting man in South America, that
put a computer on a cart drawn by a donkey, and traveled from community
to community, providing the Internet experience for those communities on
his "circuit".  Given a computer, there are unlimited possibilities.  

The untested idea of creating an event in a developed nation to gather
donated computers in one building, preparing them for shipping, and
selling the marketing rights to corporate interests, just seems to make
sense for reducing the costs involved.  The shipping of the computers is
the obstacle that requires money out-of-pocket and must somehow be
accounted for by the community receiving the computer.  Other than that,
the cost of loading a computer with state-of-the-art software, and
eventually "hooking up" to a Global Rural Network for maintenance and
technical support, should be economically attractive to all parties.

Of course, once Bangledesh obtains a computer for every village in the
country, the potential market of some 300,000,000 users should be
attractive to corporate interests that stand to benefit from making a
network connection available, wouldn't you agree?
Respectfully,
Tom Poe
Open Studios
Reno, NV
www.ibiblio.org/studioforrecording/