Gateways to the infosphere

[rishab@dxm.ernet.in]

Here I argue that universal service is unnecessary even for equal distribution
of information age opportunity, if one drops the 'highway' metaphor which, as I
argued in the last episode, is lousy. This one also points out the advantage
and use of demand-driven markets in widening access - Bombay slum-dwellers 
without clean water buy colour TVs and VCRs. For info on back issues, send a
blank message with 'get help' (without the quotes) as the Subject to
rishab@arbornet.org (do NOT 'r'eply to _this_ message).
--------cut here--------
Electric Dreams
Weekly column for The Asian Age by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
#43, 9/January/1995: Gateways to the infosphere

Asimov once wrote of a universe where intelligent life was
intelligence alone, roaming the avenues of pure thought
divorced from all physical form. To reach the infosphere
with your feet still on this planet though, you need a
point of access, a gateway to what could easily become
another world in your life. The nature of these gateways,
their availability and their owners are among the more
contentious aspects of the global information
infrastructure.

The task of developing this infrastructure to the point of
ubiquity has been compared to the construction of road
networks - any place, however remote, must be connected to
every other. As this would make little economic sense for
private investors, the task had to be one for the
government. Present-day governments are poor, so they
insist that subsidies should come from business in the
form of universal service: providing the same thing at the
same prices everywhere.

The rationale for this is noble - equal opportunity to
all. Without roads people can't get anywhere, literally
and economically, and the same must be true for
information highways. But if the info-highway is actually
an information ocean, the situation changes dramatically.
It is no longer necessary to move from place to place, but
simply to dive in.

This is true even in practical terms. On a highway, the
route traffic takes is important, because of the distance,
while on the Internet routing is a very low-level,
technical sort of thing, as data may travel in little
pieces on different paths, ignoring geographical distance.
Moreover, a highway needs a physical connection between
any two points, which affects costs, while the infosphere
floats above waiting to be reached through a satellite
transceiver from just anywhere.

Nor will the lack of universal service lead to a society
of information haves and have-nots. Information is unique
in that one doesn't 'have' it. It is created, and a 'have-
not' can easily become a 'have'. The possible inequality
is in trading information resources, in knowledge
opportunities. However, especially in the field of
information, people are not equally equipped to take
advantage of opportunities, however unequally distributed
the latter may be. Instead of demanding universal service,
governments should encourage the development of
infrastructure where it will be best used, which is in the
interests of business, anyway.

Unfortunately even telecom corporations have an incorrect
perception of who the best users are. They believe in
connecting those who can pay now for services, rather than
the many more who would benefit and therefore be able to
pay the most, once they exploit currently non-existent
opportunities.

Demand-driven markets grow fastest, though companies right
now seem to be more interested in shoving interactive
television down the eyes of the reluctant and rather bored
elite. A demand-driven information market is harder to
work with, as prospective buyers (as also the sellers)
have to be convinced of the benefits of technology. But
the potential markets are huge, if far from the minds of
the vendors of 'convergence' technology, as peoples'
information (or entertainment) needs are often more basic
than their material needs - just look at Bombay slum-
dwellers, who despite limited access to clean drinking
water, buy colour televisions and VCRs. They only needed
to see what TV was good for, first.

An information ocean is cheaper to build than any highway
could possibly be. It needs no legislation to exist
everywhere, this is in its very nature. Gateways to the
infosphere will, governments permitting, sprout
spontaneously wherever needed, as cracks on the surface of
a frozen sea.


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh is a freelance technology consultant
and writer. You can reach him through voice mail (+91 11
3760335) or e-mail (rishab@dxm.ernet.in).

--====(C) Copyright 1994 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED====--
 This article may be redistributed in electronic form only, PROVIDED 
 THAT THE ARTICLE AND THIS NOTICE REMAIN INTACT. This article MAY NOT 
 UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES be redistributed in any non-electronic form,
 or redistributed in any form for compensation of any kind, WITHOUT 
PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION from Rishab Aiyer Ghosh (rishab@dxm.ernet.in)
--==================================================================--

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rishab Aiyer Ghosh                                "In between the breaths is
rishab@dxm.ernet.in                                  the space where we live"
rishab@arbornet.org                                        - Lawrence Durrell
Voice/Fax/Data +91 11 6853410  
Voicemail +91 11 3760335                 H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA