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Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 10:54:12 +0100 (CET) From: Patrice Riemens <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [CSL] Re: Hold the phone Quoting Bram Dov Abramson <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Hold the phone > > > The very generalized critique of pens=E9e unique is one thing. Here, > on the other hand, you're talking about the South and, from the sounds > of it, arguing that the developing country PTTs responsible for > building out main lines were once zealous, acting as the > representatives of an engaged state concerned with installing social > democracy; that under liberalization these apparently benevolent PTTs > -- strongly committed to investing in the country's telephone > infrastructure -- have been replaced with a proliferation of > market-oriented actors, and that that proliferation of actors has > resulted in a decreasing rate of growth for main lines and, more > generally, to narrower access to telecom services. > Seriously? Cause, I know this may be surprising, but there are places > where the state disengaged its responsability toward the majority of > the people quite a while ago, and in ways better described by Chinua > Achebe than by Ignacio Ramonet. No, things are not exactly rosy, but > it helps when you're allowed to put together a telephony project > without working for the government. > > cheers > Bram > Like Bram, I've read the WIRED articles extolling the virtues of small/medium entrepreneurs in Africa, putting up telecom and internet xs against all odds, especially those coming from a suspicious and corrupt bureaucracy. Idem with Grameen Bank's projects to lend money to 'barefoot businessmen' in Bangladesh to purchase a mobile phone, so they can operate as phoneboth on legs. And about more such success stories in various parts of the 'developing' world. I am also perfectly aware of the shortcomings, some of them verging on the criminal (or being squarely that), of the public service provision system in many, many countries. Shortcomings that are only getting worse, and can not all be ascribed to World Bank/IMF imposed 'structural adjustments'. Hence the pragmatic solution seems to be: 'dunk the state, it does not work anyway', just like 'socialism' does not work, 'planning' is a disaster, etc etc. My point is simply that 'the market' will not, *never*, ensure universal access and service. Only political action will do that. How, and in which form, that is the big issue. But there are hints of schemes that might work, collective budgetting in Porto Alegre is just one recently highlighted example. Chinua Achebe? I'd like to read more - may be you can point me to something (of course I can Google him...;-) cheers patrice ************************************************************************************ Distributed through Cyber-Society-Live [CSL]: CSL is a moderated discussion list made up of people who are interested in the interdisciplinary academic study of Cyber Society in all its manifestations.To join the list please visit: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/cyber-society-live.html *************************************************************************************