Digital Technologies in the Developing World
Basic Concepts of New Media
Dr. Philip N. Howard

Department of Communication
University of Washington

Complete this short code sheet on telecommunications reform in the developing world. Digital technologies have an important role in mediating networks of family and friends in rich and poor countries alike. While rich countries have had access to new information and communication technologies for over a decade, many of these technologies are just now arriving in the developing world. This uneven diffusion is because of the wide variety of telecommunications policies that different governments adopt. In some countries, the President sold the national telephone company to his cousin, while in others, large Western media conglomerates bought the phone company.

Some countries privatize their national phone company by having the government sell its majority stake. Others formally separate the telecomm regulator from the executive branch of government, but the regulatory agency remains a very political institution. For example, in the USA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is formally distinct from the executive branch, but appointments to the FCC are often politically motivated. Some countries not only separate the regulator from the executive branch, but actually de-politicize the job so that it is completely autonomous and is not really a political appointment. Most countries today have open market competition in long-distance telephony. Every country case study will be different, so just report years that you think one of four policy changes happened:

1. What year did the government privatize the telephone company?
2. What year did the government separate the regulator from the executive branch?
3. What year did the government actually de-politicize the regulator?
4. What year did did multiple, competing long-distance calling companies appear?

This information can most likely be found online using Boolean search terms and our library databases. In particular:

• the ICT4D database (user: ict4d, password: ict$Devel) is full of articles and policy documents
• the library page made for our class gives access to many sources
• lots of news articles are in Lexis-Nexis
• the Economist has detailed country profiles (click on "Enterprise Client Access")

Your country assignments are here. Each person is researching two African countries, and several countries are assigned to several people. Enter your data on this form. Here is an example of what the codesheet for Nepal looks like. Complete this form and upload this on E-submit. Provide the citation for the references used in MLA Style.

Assignment Goals.  First, this assignment will teach you about the influence of public policy on how information and communication technologies actually diffuse around the world. Second, through this assigment you will learn to search through the library's electronic databases. Third, through this assignment you will learn to format references according to a standardized style.

Assignment Grading.  This assignment worth 40 points and is due Friday October 20th at 5pm on E-submit. Label the codesheet with your last name, first initial, underscore, and "countries". For example, if Laura Busch submits her assignment, it would be labeled “buschl_countries.doc”.