Options to Increase Access to Telecommunications Services in Rural and Low-Income Areas

Options to Increase Access to Telecommunications Services in Rural and Low-Income Areas
Author: Arturo Muente-Kunigami
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 58
Release: 2010-03-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0821381431

Telecommunications sector policy-makers and regulators have a wide range of instruments available to them that can be used to increase access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. The paper provides a review of these instruments, evaluating them against a set of criteria. It then goes on to identify a number of them that are worthy of further consideration by policy-makers and regulators while demonstrating that the effectiveness of the identified instruments can be greatly enhanced by the establishment of a conducive legal, regulatory and institutional framework. The paper concludes by confirming that while no single instrument taken in isolation can provide a full solution to universal access, a mix of the measures identified can be devised to achieve specific policy objectives in a particular country environment.

Budget Options

Budget Options
Author: United States. Congressional Budget Office
Publisher:
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2009
Genre: Budget
ISBN:

Enabling Enterprise Transformation

Enabling Enterprise Transformation
Author: Nagy K. Hanna
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2009-12-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1441915087

Private enterprises in advanced economies have been learning to use information and communication technology (ICT) to innovate and transform their processes, products, services and business models, significantly improving productivity and competitiveness. Moreover, the ICT industry itself has become a major source of job creation and a contributor to economic growth and business transformation. A key question today is whether and how developing countries can learn to benefit from the ICT revolution, and what roles the government and private sector can play. Already, a number of developing countries have been inspired by the example of India and China, and are now seeking to jump on the outsourcing bandwagon. Nevertheless, with few exceptions in the developing world, little attention has been paid by policymakers and practitioners to invest systematically and proactively in ICT-enabled growth, poverty reduction and grassroots innovation. Most communities and small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, for example, face multiple constraints to adopting and leveraging this general purpose technology, and lack the capabilities for maximizing its potential. In "Enabling Enterprise Transformation", Nagy Hanna draws on his rich experience of over 35 years at the World Bank and other aid agencies as a development strategist and ICT policy expert, the most current research, and best practices from around the world to provide practical tools for promoting economic and social transformation through ICT. He assesses various initiatives to develop and diffuse ICT, such as innovation funds, incubators, parks, public-private partnerships, and comprehensive promotion programs. He argues for the strategic options now open for developing countries to participate in ICT production, to deploy ICT to transform industries and services, and to leverage ICT as a new national infrastructure for improving the business environment and enhancing the competitiveness of the whole economy. The challenge for leaders in developing countries is to create such social and institutional dynamics for learning about ICT use and adaptation at many levels. Lessons gained so far from programs to build these social learning and innovation capabilities at the institutional and grassroots levels should be shared among developing countries, and a dialogue among business leaders, policymakers, development agencies, educational institutions, and the general citizenry must be advanced.

The Evolution of Telecommunications

The Evolution of Telecommunications
Author: Ron Legarski
Publisher: SolveForce
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2024-08-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

"The Evolution of Telecommunications: From Analog to Digital and Beyond" is an in-depth exploration of the telecommunications industry, tracing its history from the earliest forms of communication to the cutting-edge technologies that define the modern era. Written by Ron Legarski, a seasoned expert with over two decades of experience in the field, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of the technological advancements, industry shifts, and global events that have shaped telecommunications over the years. The book delves into the transformation from analog to digital communication, the rise of the internet, and the ongoing development of 5G and beyond. It covers critical topics such as the impact of AI, IoT, and edge computing on telecommunications, the role of quantum communication in securing networks, and the challenges posed by global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to historical context, "The Evolution of Telecommunications" provides detailed case studies of major companies and innovations, examining how industry leaders like AT&T, Verizon, and Nokia have navigated the changing landscape. It also explores the societal implications of telecommunications, including its role in driving economic growth, improving quality of life, and addressing global challenges like climate change and digital inclusion. With detailed appendices that include a glossary of key terms, a timeline of significant developments, and additional resources for further study, this book serves as both a comprehensive guide and a valuable reference for professionals, students, and anyone interested in the future of telecommunications. Whether you’re a telecommunications professional, a technology enthusiast, or simply curious about how the world stays connected, "The Evolution of Telecommunications" offers a thorough understanding of the forces that continue to shape our increasingly digital world.

Technologies of Choice?

Technologies of Choice?
Author: Dorothea Kleine
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2013
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0262018209

A new framework for assessing the role of information and communication technologies in development that draws on Amartya Sen's capabilities approach. Information and communication technologies (ICTs)--especially the Internet and the mobile phone--have changed the lives of people all over the world. These changes affect not just the affluent populations of income-rich countries but also disadvantaged people in both global North and South, who may use free Internet access in telecenters and public libraries, chat in cybercafes with distant family members, and receive information by text message or email on their mobile phones. Drawing on Amartya Sen's capabilities approach to development--which shifts the focus from economic growth to a more holistic, freedom-based idea of human development--Dorothea Kleine in Technologies of Choice? examines the relationship between ICTs, choice, and development. Kleine proposes a conceptual framework, the Choice Framework, that can be used to analyze the role of technologies in development processes. She applies the Choice Framework to a case study of microentrepreneurs in a rural community in Chile. Kleine combines ethnographic research at the local level with interviews with national policy makers, to contrast the high ambitions of Chile's pioneering ICT policies with the country's complex social and economic realities. She examines three key policies of Chile's groundbreaking Agenda Digital: public access, digital literacy, and an online procurement system. The policy lesson we can learn from Chile's experience, Kleine concludes, is the necessity of measuring ICT policies against a people-centered understanding of development that has individual and collective choice at its heart.

Taxing Telecommunications in Developing Countries

Taxing Telecommunications in Developing Countries
Author: Ms.Thornton Matheson
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484329279

Developing countries apply numerous sector-specific taxes to telecommunications, whose buoyant revenues and formal enterprises provide a convenient “tax handle”. This paper explores whether there is an economic rationale for sector-specific taxes on telecommunications and, if so, what form they should take to balance the competing goals of promoting connectivity and mobilizing revenues. A survey of the literature finds that limited telecoms competition likely creates rents that could efficiently be taxed. We propose a “pecking order” of sector-specific taxes that could be levied in addition to standard income and value-added taxes, based on capturing rents and minimizing distortions. Taxes that target possible economic rents or profits are preferable, but their administrative challenges may necessitate reliance on service excises at the cost of higher consumer prices and lower connectivity. Taxes on capital inputs and consumer access, which distort production and restrict network access, should be avoided; so should tax incentives, which are not needed to attract foreign capital to tap a local market.

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide

Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide
Author: Lennard G. Kruger
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2011-08
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1437985408

Contents: Introduction; Status of Broadband Deployment in the U.S.; Broadband in Rural Areas; Is Broadband Deployment Data Adequate?; Broadband and the Federal Role: The National Broadband Plan; Current Federal Broadband Programs: Rural Utilities Service Programs; The Universal Service Concept and the FCC: Universal Service and the Telecommunications Act of 1996; Universal Service and Broadband; Legislation in the 110th Congress; Legislation in the 111th Congress: P.L. 111-5: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Other Broadband Legislation in the 111th Congress; Legislation in the 112th Congress; Concluding Observations. Tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find report.

Sustainability, Midwifery and Birth

Sustainability, Midwifery and Birth
Author: Lorna Davies
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2020-07-29
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1000091244

This new edition outlines how sustainability can be incorporated into midwifery practice, education and research. It has been thoroughly revised to include new models of sustainable midwifery practice and new chapters on rural midwives and rural communities, social justice, and compassion. Environmental awareness and sustainability are vitally important concepts and, as a low environmental impact healthcare profession, midwifery has the potential to stand as a model of excellence. This international collection of experts explores the challenges, inviting readers to critically reflect on the issues and consider how they could move to effect changes within their own working environments. Divided into three parts, the book discusses: The politics of midwifery and sustainability Midwifery as a sustainable healthcare practice Supporting an ecological approach to parenting. Sustainability, Midwifery and Birth is a vital read for all midwives and midwifery students interested in sustainable practice.