Hi
I agree with comments instead of using "Last mile" we can mile or km.
Most of research papers are talking "last mile access", most of the time it
does not make sense, because we have not defined "last mile access". Thus,
it makes more sense to talk about first square mile.
I would like to talk about accessibility and availability of content that
needs to be provided by WCN in declaration.
With warm regards,
------------------------------------
Ritu Srivastava
Assistant General Manager - Research & Advocacy
Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF)
44, III Floor, Kalu Sarai, New Delhi-110016, India
*Contact Details:*
O: 011-26532786 / 26532787
M: +91-9999369624
Email Id: ritu(a)defindia.net
The “Internet Rights” is an initiative through which DEF is consistently
making an effort to make Internet as a medium to reach the masses, to
create even opportunities and linkages between haves and have-nots so that
the grassroots knowledge reaches the economic prosperity and vice-versa
through information communication technology and digital media.
Join DEF's Internet Rights page at
This is an important point and why I say we have an
economic rather than a
technical problem.
I’m working on a talk now and am going to start by asking why we don’t worry
about consuming sidewalks (or, perhaps, in these cases dirt paths) nor our
quota of steps. But when it comes to communicating – speech – we worry
about using up our quota of words? Very strange. If we simply paid for
those radios as common infrastructure “access” would be assumed.
The other issue is the word “access”? Where is this Internet we are
accessing. We are really trying to interconnect with each other and some of
the “others” are information sources. But people can also be supplying
knowledge and sharing.
As to “mile”. The problem with “first” and “last” mile is that it is based
on the legacy model of telecommunications as a series of pipes rather than
peer connectivity that is about interconnecting locally as well as global.
The term “first square mile” is a play on that that emphasizes this
interconnectivity.
*From:* dc3-bounces(a)listas.altermundi.net [mailto:dc3-bounces@listas.
altermundi.net] *On Behalf Of *Carlos Rey-Moreno
*Sent:* Wednesday, October 26, 2016 00:21
*To:* Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity <
dc3(a)listas.altermundi.net>
*Subject:* Re: [DC3] RES: RES: Declaration on Community Connectivity v.1.0
Hi all, apologies for jumping in late. The declaration reads very well,
congratulations to everyone for the work!
I have one major concern, though:
Concern: The beginning of the document is not entirely true: "Over three
billion people do not have access to communication infrastructure". While
there is common agreement that there are only 3 billion people connected to
(using) the Internet, that does not mean that they do not have access to
communications. For instance, the ITU shows that coverage for both GSM and
3G networks is way beyond that number [1]. Other reasons may explain this
gap, affordability, lack of relevant content, confidence/skills, etc, but
not lack of access. Thus, we may need to rephrase that sentence if we don't
want people to criticize the Declaration right from the start. I suggest:
"Over four billion people remain unconnected to the Internet, including
around a billion who do not have access to basic telephony services".
I hope this can be included despite arriving slightly late.
By the way, in Community Informatics and other academic circles "first
mile" is widely used, and I think we should use it here. Specially, because
it was conceptualized within K-net [2], a successful example of providing
connectivity to communities by communities in the First Nations in Northern
Canada [3]. It would be interesting to know if they would subscribe the
Declaration.
Best,
carlos
[1]
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx
[2]
http://firstmile.ca/
[3]
http://knet.ca/
On 26 October 2016 at 00:27, <dc3(a)bob.ma> wrote:
Just as a reminder about idioms. Making some flight reservations - the
points are called "miles" even on Air France
-----Original Message-----
From: dc3-bounces(a)listas.altermundi.net [mailto:dc3-bounces@listas.
altermundi.net] On Behalf Of Nicolás Echániz
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2016 19:53
To: Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity <dc3(a)listas.altermundi.net
Subject: Re: [DC3] RES: RES: Declaration on Community Connectivity v.1.0
On 10/20/2016 12:00 PM, dc3(a)bob.ma wrote:
This is a question I sometimes ask – are terms
like “last mile”
idiomatic rather than referring to an actual
mile? Even worse is when
you have a naïve translator writing about the
last 1.6 km. If indeed
“last mile” is idiomatic then “first square mile”
works and “first
km^2 ” isn’t quite the same play on meme.
I also think of "last mile" as not referring to an actual mile nowadays.
The "distance" from "last mile" to "first square kilometer"
takes out the
fun in the expression :P
I prefer "first square mile" or even "first mile" when it's
written and
"first square mile" when we are talking and can explain the concept a bit.
I've found the coincidence of many people with an alternative view on the
Internet using the expression "first mile"; it's sort of "already
out
there".
Cheers!
Nico
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--
Carlos Rey-Moreno, PhD
PostDoctoral Fellow University of the Western Cape
Zenzeleni Networks:
zenzeleni.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxTPSWMX26M
Cel: +27 (0) 76 986 3633
Skype: carlos.reymoreno Twitter: Creym
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