Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 21:43:01 -0400
From:Alfredo Armando AGUIRRE <[email protected]>

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A NON EDITED MACHINE TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL IN SPANISH

This message was written by Tere Willard <[email protected]>distributed in the list GKP and correspondent to the Mystic list for Alfredo Armando AGUIRRE <[email protected]>

This posting goes in the same direction as our proposals in the sense that broadcasting must be included as a possible empowering way in the framework of information and knowledge technologies. That is to say that the creative combination of Internet and broadcasting is a significant contribution to the democratization of ICT.

-----Original Message-----

De: Terri Willard <[email protected]>

Para: Sustainable Development Webworks <[email protected]>

Fecha: mi�rcoles 12 de enero de 2000 12:05

Asunto: Radio Browsing the Internet

The following is reposted from the GKP list. It's one example of how the Web content you produce may be making it "the last mile" to users in remote or less-served regions.

Terri L. Willard

Internet Communications Officer

Sustainable Development Communications Network

International Institute for Sustainable Development

SD Gateway: http://sdgateway.net/

-----------------------------------------------

From Wijayananda Jayaweera ([email protected])

UNESCO Regional Communication Adviser for Asia.

Project brief;

"Radio Browsing the Internet"

UNESCO's experimental pilot project implemented at Kothmale community radio in Sri Lanka to use radio as an interface between rural people and the Internet has shown promising prospects. A daily one hour live radio programme in which the announcer together with the panel of resource persons browse the Internet at the requests of listeners has proven to be capable of overcoming linguistic barriers in using the Internet by non English speakers. The listeners phone in or send postcards asking the panel to find specific information from the Internet. The compeer involves resource persons to graphically interpret information gleaned from the Internet Thus those who do not have access to computers and Internet connectivity can depend on their community radio station to tap knowledge resources from the Internet. Aside of the radio programme the Kothmale Community radio station develops a rural database (www.kirana.lk)mostly by packaging public domain information often requested by listeners for off line use. The Radio station has a dedicated 64KB connection and with its server function as a mini Internet Service provider by providing Internet access points at two public libraries located within the radio's target area and maintains an Internet caf� at the radio station.

Kothmale Internet Community radio is a pilot project implemented by UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Media, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and the University of Colombo to asses the potential benefits of new communication technologies to rural areas.

While UNESCO provided computer equipment and training the Government of Sri Lanka through its Telecommunication Regulatory Commission are absorbed by the Government for two year period within which community radio will have to develop an income generation strategy to sustain the facility. This would mean that the community radio would have to generate additional income of US$ 1,000 per month. Some income will come from charging for print outs of the public domain Information retrieved from the Internet. Already work has begun to host a number of commercial WEB sites at the Internet server available at the radio station. The local youth have be en trained to design and develop WEB sites for private sector. The server also has facilities to provide seven additional access points, which the community radio intends to rent for governmental and non-governmental organisations.

http://funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/production/c4/0098.html
Last modified: 18/01/2000