Information Policy

Online Library Offers 1.5 Million Works And Counting

The Universal Digital Library, a book-scanning project backed by several major libraries across the globe, has completed the digitization of 1.5 million books and yesterday made them free and publicly available. The online library offers full text downloads of works that are in the public domain, or for which the copyright holder has been given permission to make available. Having the backing of prominent institutions such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt, however, the collection goes far beyond the widely available classics, though those are also there.

http://www.news.com/2100-1025_3-6220358.html

Commission opens infringement proceeding because Bulgaria's telecoms regulator lacks independence and effectiveness

The independence of national telecoms regulators is a key element for ensuring the effective implementation of the EU Telecoms Rules. Under EU law certain minimum rules exist covering the independence of the national telecoms regulators. As the Commission has identified serious violations of the EU legal provisions in this respect in Bulgaria, it launched on 28 November infringement proceedings against Bulgaria.

http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1786&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Regulator expects 100% mobile coverage by end-2009

Brazil’s telecoms regulator says the country’s mobile operators are likely to achieve 100% population coverage by the end of 2009, reports BNamericas. Currently the incumbent operators’ networks are limited to cities with a population of at least 30,000 people. However, Anatel expects coverage of underserved areas will be boosted this year as a result of the upcoming auction of mobile licences dedicated to small towns and municipalities. The watchdog hopes to stimulate interest from bidders by pricing the spectrum at a much lower level than it has sought on previous occasions.

In a separate story, the country’s leading cellco by subscribers, Vivo Participacoes, says it expects its CAPEX for 2008/09 to be BRL4 billion (USD2.1 billion) with the lion’s share of the money going into 3G infrastructure. According to Vivo finance director Ernesto Gardelliano, the company’s capital expenditure for the current fiscal year is estimated at BRL1.95 billion.

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=20733

Telecentres.Europe

The TelecentreEurope network runs across 19 NGO’s in 19 countries (with more possible) and provides e-skills to more than 80000 people every year. The training happens through the 600 training centers that these NGOs manage and support. The network aspires to play a prominent role in the development of citizens’ e-skills and the innovative implementation of large scale information technology programmes for e-Inclusion, quality of life and social enterprises in Europe. We see our efforts as completely consistent with the objectives of the Lisbon Agenda’s principles and frameworks.

Telecentres.Europe follows a project-driven approach in its development based on recognizing leadership in different telecentre areas of competence. It is establishing an effective communication and operational environment for national telecentre projects to collaborate, partner, and integrate resources toward achieving the EU strategic goals for building the European Information Society. It is incubating project development and project management capacity to seek project funds and implement international projects with EU and other funding. It will develop a strategy paper on eSkills for Employability and Inclusion with recommendations to the European Commission for utilization of joined telecentre resources and practices. Technology

The technologies used by the NGOs within the network range from very basic to highly sophisticated portals and collaboration tools. State of the art e-learning and more conventional off-line approaches are used to train people in cities, very rural environments or even through mobile classrooms. Similarly, management of the centers is accomplished using both state-of the-art tools and web portals and more conventional means. Consistent across all efforts is recognition that training and using technology successfully does require investment in face to face interaction to maximize the benefits and relevance of technologies’ promise.

http://www.epractice.eu/cases/2443

Boosting European Prosperity Through the Widespread Use of ICT

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation released a report today examining European productivity growth. After a long period over which Europe was catching up to the United States in productivity, this trend has reversed. Indeed, in the last decade productivity growth in the United States has accelerated, from an average of 1.6 percent per year from 1980 to 1994 to 2.7 percent since then. In contrast, productivity growth in Europe has gone in the other direction, declining from 2.3 percent per year to 1.4 percent. This ITIF report examines this reversal of trends and finds that a key driver appears to be in the lower levels and use of information and communications technology (ICT) in Europe. Lower levels of investment in ICT and less effective use of existing ICT explain a significant share of the lower rates of productivity growth in the European Union over the last decade when compared to the United States. The report argues that regaining robust productivity growth will be critical for EU nations over the next several decades as they struggle with a myriad of challenges, including an aging population. To do this, the report recommends that the EU and individual European nations focus on raising productivity across the board, particularly through greater use of ICT; use tax incentives and tariff reductions to spur ICT investment; actively encourage digital innovation and transformation of economic sectors; and avoid laws and regulations that limit organizations’ ability or incentives to employ ICT to raise productivity

http://www.itif.org/files/EuropeanProductivity.pdf