World Dialogue on Regulation

Universal Access: possibilities realm definition and solution

The term Universal Access has often been defined more from a technological point of view rather than a possibilities point of view. This has therefore implied having technological Access rather than Technological Adoption. Let us look at the other obligations that we say we want people to have: Food: its not the  abundance of food that is needed but the ability to eat and have food when one needs it. Water: its not the abundance of water that one needs but the ability to drink water or use it for irrigation when one needs. It is not only the abundance of books one needs but the ability to read and write. Stretching the topic of Universal Service obligation or Access or Service therefore brings forth what I call the possibilities realm: The idea that Universal Access can be re-defined through the looking glass of adoption and usage.

Instead of defining Universal Access as the Computer or the phone or Internet Access or Broadband or whatever other technology you would like to use, how about we move the definition of Universal Access from Technology, to the realm of Usability. In doing so we re-define Universal Access as the ability for a government, telecom operator or any entity to make it possible for someone to use technology to its potential. Universal Access then becomes the ability to empower those around us. or example to: write html, harness the power of the internet, have databases that are networked, and in doing so, use the potential of information for creative solutions to perform every day tasks around us – or what may be termed as Knowledge Management!

No matter how many computers we in Africa have within our government offices or how many computers we supply to our schools or how many phones reach out to the rural community, the end of goal of counting whether we have achieved Universal Access should move from a numerical count of technology to ensuring that those having these technologies know how to harness them effectively to make a difference in their day-to-day work. The potential then ceases to be the technology but the ability to use it creatively! This is the gap in Africa!