Digital Divide Redefined
The term “digital divide” is tied to the regulation of the internet. The definition of that term, coined in 1996, has been the basis of fierce ideological struggle – between those who wanted governments to regulate the internet, and those who wanted to depend on voluntary efforts or market-based efforts to close the divide.
The international movement to close Digital Divide was activated at a specific time and place: November 23, 1999 during the “battle of Seattle” in the eve of the World Trade Organization’s biennial conference.
Since then, the digital divide movement went through three distinct stages leading up to the launch of Meaningful AI in 2023.
“Digital Divide” Defined
“Digital Divide” refers to the gap between those who can benefit from digital technology and those who cannot. ”Closing the Digital Divide” therefore means more than just giving the poor the same technologies already received by the rich. Closing the Divide involves restructuring the telecommunications sectors in each nation. More>
20 Years Of Closing The Divide
To understand the new opportunities to close the digital divide, let’s consider how strategies for closing the Divide have evolved. The movement passed through four phases before stakeholders from all sectors arrived at the current phase. The new consensus: the only way to close the Digital Divide is to meaningfully deploy broadband. More>
Ten Digital Divide Truths
Twenty years of efforts to reduce the Divide have not been for nothing. Here are the lessons learned about closing the Divide even as hundreds of efforts to close the Divide failed. All these lessons have been incorporated into the Meaningful Broadband model being developed by Digital Divide Institute. More>