These days, a villager in South America pulls the daily weather forecast off the Internet and reads it to the fishermen and other residents over a loudspeaker, alerting them to the possibility of dangerous storms.
This anecdote is what Hewlett-Packard's Lyle Hurst likes to point out when discussing his company's decision to launch a for-profit program aimed at providing access to technology in developing countries. "You can extend resources by using [information technology] tools," says Hurst, director of HP's World e-Inclusion program.
Does it make sense to try to sell PCs and Internet access to South American fishing villages? For those who may question the value of focusing attention and resources on closing the "digital divide" in developing nations where many citizens lack basic needs, Hurst and others say such examples show how technology can make a real difference in the lives of those countries' citizens. Furthermore, high-tech industry officials say, providing developing nations with access to technology is not only a way of promoting sustainable development, it can also make good business sense.
"Having access to a phone or other kinds of basic technology becomes really important for productivity and quality of life," says Allen Hammond, chief information officer at the World Resources Institute, a research group focused primarily on environmental protection that sponsored a conference on the global digital divide in Seattle in October 2000.
As world leaders grapple with the question of how to bridge the gap between the technology haves and have-nots, some observers question whether championing information technology is the best use of scarce resources. Even Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has wondered whether providing residents in poor countries with a computer and Internet access is appropriate when they lack health care, education and other basic necessities.
A person with a terrible disease in a developing country is "not going to use a PC," Gates said at the World Resources Institute conference last fall. "You really have to deal with the basic issue of their health."
While many say Gates' points are legitimate, they argue that his conclusions are not. They say that technology can provide the poor with essential information, while also assisting some in improving their economic situations. Technology assistance must be done in conjunction with traditional forms of aid, HP's Hurst says. "If we were just talking about selling PCs, this wouldn't make any sense," he says.
