IBM-UK backs community networks...

[Doug Schuler]

Here is some news from IBM in the UK.  BTW, I'll be seeing 
David Wilcox next week at the European Conference on Community
Networking in Milan.

-- Doug

Date:         Wed, 25 Jun 1997 16:22:48 +0100
From: David Wilcox <david at COMMUNITIES.ORG.UK>
Subject:      IBM report backs community networking
To: COMMUNET at list.uvm.edu

IBM UK yesterday launched a report on social inclusion in the Information
Society, in London,  which backed community networking. UK Communities
Online was invited to present a response. Here's a brief summary of the
report. This text, more on the event and our response is at
http://www.communities.org.uk/insinc

Regards
David
--------------------------

A report on ensuring social inclusion in the Information Society - backed
by IBM - strongly endorses community networking as the way forward.

The Net Result, report of the UK National Working Party on Social Inclusion
(INSINC), recommends two linked models to ensure social inclusion - local
IT community resource centres and community networks.

Between them these initiatives can provide well-organised information,
access, training, and scope for electronic discussion forums. They enable
citizens and community groups to become active participants rather than
passive receivers of information.

The report was launched on June 24 1997 at the headquarters of IBM UK in
London. IBM supported the work of the independent working party, together
with the Community Development Foundation.

David Wilcox, director of UK Communities Online, presented a response to
the report at the launch, and UKCO announced new initiatives to implement
the report.

Networks and resource centres have a 10 year history in North America and
are now developing in the UK and other European countries.

The The Net Result report concludes: 'The development of so-called
'Community Networks' (or c-nets) is critical to the Information Society.
C-nets have huge potential as a stimulus for, and major medium of,
communication and information in local communities.

'If this potential is not fulfilled, then it is likely that some form of
exclusion from the Information Society will have become entrenched. The
debate concerning the nature and role of c-nets, and policy for their
development, has grown enormously during the time of the Working Party.
Here we draw attention to certain key aspects of that debate.

'Local people on their own are unlikely to have the expertise and the
wherewithal to establish the infrastructure for an online network. It
follows that c-nets require the involvement, in partnership, of those who
can contribute in this respect - private companies, local authorities and
academic institutions. The nature of these partnerships is of critical
importance, as we stress in Section 5.28.

'It has been pointed out that in such partnerships 'the default mode is
commercial' (6), and this can lead to conflicts where members of the
community do not feel that their interests are integral in the development
of the local infrastructure'.

The report acknowledges that much has been achieved but adds 'in many cases
the authenticity and openness of partnership is questionable. It is
essential that they are open to the community and voluntary sectors from
the outset'.

The working party's specific recommendations include:

* Urgent measures to raise awareness and provide access to information
technology.
* Concerted efforts in education and training to improve levels of
'information capability'.
*Action to address problems of partnership working in developing networks.
* Analysis, evaluation and dissemination of pioneering experience in the
development of community networks.
* A network of community resource centre established across the UK using
appropriate bases such as schools, libraries, community centres etc. These
centres must be publicly funded and based on sustainable business plans.

The working party warns against the development of a two-speed Information
Society. In this situation council offices, business and some schools will
have high-capacity connections, but community groups and others will have
slow connections making it difficult to handle graphics and moving images.

Another danger is that these 'local intranets' will be commercially driven
' putting he initial emphasis on broadcast entertainment at the expense of
developing local content and interactive facilities'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Wilcox, editor, Communities Online
13 Pelham Square, Brighton BN1 4ET, UK.
 Tel: +44 (0) 1273 677377. Fax: + 44 (0) 1273 677379
david at communities.org.uk  http://www.communities.org.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Wilcox, editor, Communities Online
13 Pelham Square, Brighton BN1 4ET, UK.
 Tel: +44 (0) 1273 677377. Fax: + 44 (0) 1273 677379
david at communities.org.uk  http://www.communities.org.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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