{"id":142287,"date":"2018-11-14T06:05:08","date_gmt":"2018-11-14T11:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=142287"},"modified":"2018-11-14T06:11:41","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T11:11:41","slug":"ictp-031-internet-affordability-road-achieving-universal-internet-access-dhanaraj-thakur-a4ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2018\/11\/ictp-031-internet-affordability-road-achieving-universal-internet-access-dhanaraj-thakur-a4ai\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 031:  Internet affordability, and the road to achieving universal Internet access, with Dhanaraj Thakur of A4AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>In order to achieve Internet access for all, the Internet must be affordable for all. It is a monumental challenge that requires the support and will of many actors in a country in order to achieve that goal. The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) has been tracking the progress of countries worldwide towards improved Internet affordability. In this podcast episode, we talk with Dr Dhanaraj Thakur on the latest A4AI Affordability Report, and measures countries can implement to make Internet access more affordable.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/529645416&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=true&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>This episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple iTunes<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Increasingly, all of the telecoms services we enjoy, and have come to rely upon, are being delivered via the Internet. And the mobile\/cellular phone, the device which has become an extension of our person, has become an essential channel through which to access the Internet \u2013 ideally anytime and anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>It should thus not come as a surprise that there has been a growing focus worldwide on improving the affordability of Internet services, especially via mobile\/cellular phones \u2013 which essentially, have become ubiquitous \u2013 and with the ultimate goal of realising universal Internet access globally.<\/p>\n<p>However, a huge gap still exists between those who have Internet access, and those who do not have it. Of the nearly 8\u00a0billion people on the planet, and with respect to Internet access, we are expected to reach the halfway mark sometime next year (Source:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scidev.net\/global\/icts\/news\/costs-obstruct-global-internet-access-goals.html\">SciDev.Net<\/a>). In other words, we still have a long way to go to achieve universality.<\/p>\n<p>However, achieving universality is easier said than done. It needs to be achieved country by country, with each country creating the enabling environment that fosters increased access to, and more affordable, Internet services, particularly for those at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/a4ai.org\/affordability-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Affordability Report<\/a>, which is produced by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), an initiative under World Wide Web Foundation, founded by Web inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, examines the internet affordability in middle- and \u00a0low-income countries worldwide. Its latest report was published on 23 October 2018, in which it covered 61 countries, including three from the Caribbean\/CARICOM region \u2013 the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_142289\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-142289\" data-attachment-id=\"142289\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2018\/11\/ictp-031-internet-affordability-road-achieving-universal-internet-access-dhanaraj-thakur-a4ai\/dhanaraj_thakur-source-d-thakur\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?fit=512%2C512&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"512,512\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Dhanaraj_Thakur (Source D Thakur)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Dr. Dhanaraj Thakur&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?fit=512%2C512&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-142289 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?resize=440%2C440&amp;ssl=1 440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Dhanaraj_Thakur-Source-D-Thakur.jpg?w=512&amp;ssl=1 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-142289\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Dhanaraj Thakur<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In our latest podcast episode, we discuss the A4AI\u2019s latest Affordability Report with <a href=\"https:\/\/a4ai.org\/dhanaraj-thakur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr Dhanaraj Thakur<\/a>, the Research Director of the World Wide Web Foundation, who would have been involved in the preparation of the report. Interestingly, Dhanaraj is Jamaican, and so understands not only the Caribbean experience, but that for developing countries.<\/p>\n<p>In chatting with Dhanaraj, our discussion touched on the following areas:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What A4AI does, how it operates and some of its achievements to date<\/li>\n<li>Some of the factors A4AI considers when determining Internet affordability to ensure fair comparison across the countries being examined<\/li>\n<li>Some of the key finding from the 2018 Affordability Report<\/li>\n<li>How would the Caribbean islands examined for the report performed in 2018, and whether they improved when compared with previous years<\/li>\n<li>Whether there will be any major change or improvement in Internet service affordability over the next two years, in light of the Sustainable Development Goals, which call for affordable, universal Internet access by the year 2020<\/li>\n<li>Whether the Affordability Report would be considered representative of what obtains worldwide, since it only examines a relatively small number of countries<\/li>\n<li>Dhanaraj\u2019s thoughts on the impact of disasters, especially tropical storms and hurricanes, and its impact on Internet access and affordability<\/li>\n<li>Two key things a country should focus on in order to improve Internet service affordability.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We would love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\n<p>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> pages, or via Twitter, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@ICTPulse<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Select links<\/h2>\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dhanarajthakur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr Dhanaraj Thakur<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/a4ai.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/webfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Wide Web Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.itu.int\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">International Telecommunications Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li>A4AI \u2013 <em><a href=\"http:\/\/1e8q3q16vyc81g8l3h3md6q5f5e-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/A4AI-2018-Affordability-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2018 Affordability Report<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/infrastructure-industrialization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/a><\/li>\n<li>World Wide Web Foundation report \u2013 <em><a href=\"http:\/\/webfoundation.org\/docs\/2018\/11\/The-Case-For-The-Web-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Case #ForTheWeb<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Financial Times article, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/7dd282e2-d616-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dream of universal internet access remains far off<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode \u2013 <em><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2Ob3il8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICTP 024: Picking up the pieces and rebuilding after a hurricane, with Craig Nesty of NTRC Dominica<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits:\u00a0 Pixabay (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pexels<\/a>), D Thakur<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Music credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In order to achieve Internet access for all, the Internet must be affordable for all. It is a monumental challenge that requires the support and will of many actors in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[291,333,32,281,43,334,15],"class_list":["post-142287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-broadband","tag-fixed-broadband","tag-information-society","tag-internet","tag-internet-governance","tag-mobile-broadband","tag-trends","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Social-media-icons-apps-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C743&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-B0X","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142287"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142329,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142287\/revisions\/142329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}