Information Society Watch

October 20, 2006, Garth Graham, Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum

This note from a panel on telecommunications and the public good discusses issues around Internet governance and community networking. The Internet has evolved from a repository of information to a means of linking people together and allowing them to more effectively communicate, thus building social networks. Community networks which focus on using ICT for the benefit of society at large are today facing a difficult future, as government policy is tuned towards supporting major telecommunication companies. The author makes the case that this trend needs to be reversed and this can be achieved by the spread of awareness regarding the essential role of community networks in social development

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