During my spring break traveling through Northern India, one of our local guides proudly informed me that soon, all of India would have access to wireless internet. Passing a backdrop of crumbling buildings and slums, I made the man repeat himself, sure that I had heard incorrectly. Sure enough, in June 2015, the first phase of government initiative, Digital India, will provide WiFi access to 25 cities, with the goal of eventually offering wireless internet throughout the entire country (Government of India, n.d.)
The motivation to invest in infrastructure for wireless internet seems straightforward. Digital skills are increasingly a requirement for employment in any field, making it an economic imperative that all citizens are able to gain skills to become more viable candidates. Although merely providing free Internet won’t eliminate the digital divide, it at least begins to lay the groundwork for social mobility of digitally isolated citizens.
The motivation to invest in infrastructure for wireless internet seems straightforward. Digital skills are increasingly a requirement for employment in any field, making it an economic imperative that all citizens are able to gain skills to become more viable candidates. Although merely providing free Internet won’t eliminate the digital divide, it at least begins to lay the groundwork for social mobility of digitally isolated citizens.
Nevertheless, cities who have attempted to offer municipal WiFi access have been largely unsuccessful the United States. In 2004, Philadelphia officials embarked on one of the first initiatives to provide citywide Internet access. The project aimed to make Philadelphia more digitally inclusive by allowing disadvantaged communities to get online. However, telecommunication companies immediately stepped in to dismantle these efforts, concerned about the impact on their revenues.
Bills arrived on local government members desks, and spokespeople took the task of convincing the public that public WiFi was nothing more than a drain on taxpayer resources (Levy, 2004).
Bills arrived on local government members desks, and spokespeople took the task of convincing the public that public WiFi was nothing more than a drain on taxpayer resources (Levy, 2004).
The campaign telecommunications companies put forth seems to have stuck. The Economist described municipal WiFi as “doomed to failure”. Citing the number of public places that offer WiFi, the article concludes that widespread access is entirely unnecessary (The Economist, 2013, p.3). This argument, however, fails to consider the number of individuals across the country who live in rural and low-income communities.
Meanwhile, across the globe in a developing country, leaders have recognized the importance of access to the Internet in achieving long-term growth. As the global economy continues to run on information, providing widespread access will be critical in maintain a globally competitive workforce. Over the coming years, these issues and recent calls for net neutrality will force the United States to confront the role corporate interests have played in stagnating digital literacy.
Levy, M. (2004). Telecoms’ lobbyish push to quash Philadelphia’s municipal WiFi p. Pittsburg Post-Gazette, p. B17.
Works Cited
Government of India. A programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Government of India.
Levy, M. (2004). Telecoms’ lobbyish push to quash Philadelphia’s municipal WiFi p. Pittsburg Post-Gazette, p. B17.
The Economist. (2013). Whatever happened to municipal Wi-Fi?. Retrieved 28 April 2015, from http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/07/wireless-networks
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