Global Information Summit 2000

Net Conference

Session 1 - "New Businesses Emerging with Mobile Networks and Digital Home Appliances "

Digital Divide Barriers 3
From: Bradley L. Bartz (21) Summary of the GIS 2000 Online Conference in Japanese
Summary of the GIS 2000 Online Conference in Japanese Period : February 17 to 21, 2000 The moderator sought opinions about the prospects and analyses of the marketability of mobile digital consumer electronics from the viewpoint of how much the market is expected to grow over the next three years or so and what the world power map will be like in three years. In reply, a panelist said many systems are aimed at lessening the need of mobility through the development of information and telecommunications and that particularly a worldwide trend is to curb the amount of energy consumed by movement. Since various digital consumer electronics have their special features and utilities which will soon be ubiquitous, it is the great convenience of combined total services that will capture the market. After a panelist said that Stephen Jobs said in an interview, “Game consoles are game consoles after all,” an opinion was given, hinting at the potential of PlayStation2 128-bit video-game console as a digital consumer electronic appliance. A panelist suggested the possibility of setting personalized “digital personal electronics,” not digital consumer electronics, as a concept of development. In response to the suggestion, a panelist proposed adding a new channel instead of isolation. As for high-definition television, to which the topic expanded from digital consumer electronics last week, a panelist from the broadcasting industry said, “Why is HDTV criticized so severely? Is not being able to be linked with the Internet such a great bottleneck? We want you to understand the features of HDTV. In panelist replied harshly that is not reasonable to decide whether or not to introduce new technologies based on whether they will oppress industry management and that the broadcasting industry cannot criticize banks as long as does not reform itself. "Why is HDTV criticized so severely? Is not being able be linked with the Internet such a great bottleneck?" This quote I will save forever! I have two little kids here in California 7 and 5. They spend more time with their interactive computer that with TV. A lot more time. They learn faster and get to have a pretty good time doing it. My guess is HDTV is a museum piece without Internet. I guess this is the real "digital divide".
From: Izumi Aizu (22) Summary of the GIS 2000 Online Conference in Japanese
One short comment before closing down. TV makes people passive, not let them think, but prevents the from thinking. The net makes people active, let them think on their own, and let others think - just like we are doing here. HD or not does not make any difference, but TV or Net does.
From: Nobuo Ikeda (23) Summary of the GIS 2000 Online Conference in Japanese
(21) Bradley L. Bartz I have two little kids here in California 7 and 5. They spend more time with their interactive computer that with TV. A lot more time. It seems universal consensus that HDTV is dead, but TV will die hard. While young people will be active and interactive, more than half of Japan's TV audience is older than fifty! TV will continue to be "couch potato" media in the age of the Internet. It doesn't make sense to "interact" with TV. Those who want to e-mail will buy PC, not WebTV or AOL TV. It is far more important to establish the media by which all video materials in the world are delivered freely, interactive or not. That's our objective called "TV over IP" at World Wide Vision Initiative.
From: Jim Johnson (24) Moderator - Themes
In our wide ranging discussions on many topics we have covered much of cyberspace. Japan has provided us with some interesting developments relevant to our topics: (1) the announcement by NTT that it was lowering rates for Internet access (only to its own customers, and not for interconnect access); and the (2) Ministry of Finance announcement that they want to tariff or tax purchases of online digital products coming into the country. We have heard about the severe limits placed on registration of domain names within Japan. We have heard about the concerns for security and privacy of websites, and the information which potential customers might be giving. We have learned of the barriers to expansion of broadband capacity in many places, including Japan. What are some of the other themes that have emerged? Many of you have contributed significantly on developments in other parts of the world, including the US states on taxation of e-commerce; and the developments in the European Commission, Finland, Germany, etc. What advice should we give to Nikkei on how they can influence, in the March 3 conference in Tokyo, the future of Internet and e-commerce policies in Japan? What editorial positions should they take? What points should be made clearly at the "face to face" conference? I have suggested to the Nikkei organizers, that, with the many talents and experiences represented by all of you on this list, that you all might be willing to be interviewed individually for a series of articles to be published in Nikkei over the coming months. Are any of you interested? Let us know. Keep on speaking out,
From: Waichi Sekiguchi (25) Nikkei - Close of the Online Conference
Dear Global Information Summit Online Conference members, This is Waichi Sekiguchi from Nikkei. Thank you very much for your aggressive discussion. The GIS conference is scheduled on March 3rd in Tokyo. So we would like to close this online conference at 12:00 p.m. at Tokyo time. If there is anyone who did not speak yet, please give us your comments immediately. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Tanemura, thank you very much for your great coordination. If you could sum up the discussion by that time, we would be really grateful.
From: Jim Johnson (26) Summary
It is a very Japanese characteristic to try to summarize a discussion or discourse of thoughts. The Japanese, our hosts for this discussion, are the world's masters of the art of wrapping things up! However, it is a very Internet characteristic to realize that summarization is sometimes impossible. The very nature of the Internet is to allow everyone, yes, everyone to be his or her own publisher, and without editors! Everyone's voice can be heard throughout the world - without any intervening editing or shaping or modification. To try to combine and distill meaning from these multiple voices is a challenge for both our short discussion, but even a greater challenge for those who envision making the Internet a useful tool in an increasingly democratic world that needs tools for collective and thoughtful decision making. (Many political states are looking at Internet voting in elections, for instance.) One theme that emerged in our discussions was that such freedom of expression is both essential to the success of the Internet, and one of the areas of Internet culture that causes many, even large parts of nations, to shy away from embracing the Internet and the world wide web. We found that you can be assaulted verbally through the web/net. And words, even words through the net, have meaning and power and can inflict harm. Another theme that was laid on the table, indirectly, was the idea that maybe there should emerge a civil culture surrounding the global community of the Internet that says there are valuable and tested ideas, or ethics, or a philosophy of behavior that should guide individuals with wisdom on the best and most mutually beneficial uses of this incredibly powerful tool for global change. Maybe there are behaviors, such as massive spamming, and denial of access attacks, and theft of another's private data, that do damage to others (who are individual people with identify and rights of there own); and that this behavior should be unwanted and not encouraged and sanctioned. One jurist said long ago, "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins!" During our discussion some history was made: NTT announced a reduction in certain of its Internet access charges. More is needed. Nikkei should editorially campaign for greater reduction in costs for access. We also had the Japanese Ministry of Finance tell the world that it wants to tax incoming digital products delivered over the Internet. This in the face of the WTO moratorium on the collection of tariffs on all electronic transmissions crossing international boundaries. I can remember in our earliest G7 nations' discussions on electronic commerce, the MITI representatives insisting that each nation should have a "Home Page" through which all entrants into the country would have to pass, like coming into Narita airport. That idea was dropped in the face of reality. Let's hope that the Finance Ministry does not get itself out too far on the limb! We also heard a striking description of the limitations on entrepreneurial developments on the Internet through the controls placed on domain name registration in Japan. The shadow of the kereitsu extends into cyberspace! Suggestions on alternatives, avenues for changing this old system, the role of the ICANN - are all areas where we still need your contributions to NIKKEI. Our significant contributors produced much useful information on developments from around the world on issues such as this theme of taxation of electronic commerce, and the definitions for digitally delivered products, goods and services. These debates are ongoing in many international fora. You all can continue to move the thinking along. The Governors of the states in the USA just met in Washington, D. C. and, while claiming that they are losing revenues to e-commerce, nevertheless, acknowledged that they need to completely streamline their current tax collection system to fit into the real world of the Internet. NIKKEI can be a champion, through its business reporting and editorial policies, for getting Japan to re-think its own tax system for the 21st century (which is here now). Privacy of information was a central theme. Those online want to maintain the privacy of information which they share over the Internet. The sense of being violated in your person by having sensitive information lost in cyberspace, or worse yet, stolen and used without your permission, or to your detriment, is central to the reason many still remain outside of the global digital community. This is another "digital divide." Broadband - a "pipe" big enough to carry the massive amount of data which we will all demand in an information rich environment - was a theme raised. The problem is more economic and regulatory than it is technological, we seemed to agree. Governments and certain business combinations and models seem to be causing this "digital divide." We heard a clarion focus on the struggles of developing countries around the world, and their need to understand the economic development potential for their own economies arisen from the digital and information economy. We also saw the importance for multi-language materials to be placed on the Internet to enable even the smallest culture and language group to find its own identity in cyberspace. The underlying assumption of world literacy was brought into sharp focus. Being online presumes that everyone is and can be literate in their own language, and literate in the uses of the technology. Those who make the technology should be continuously pressed for simplification, humanization, increasing empowerment, and of course, cost reduction. You are all a fascinating and stimulating collection of great people. Imagine what our parents would think of being able to conduct a correspondence instantly around the world with such a great group of people who are changing the world, and all at once in real time. Now, Imagine the world that our children will be building for themselves in this century. Thank you for your sigificant contributions of thought and imagination! Jim Johnson Moderator, retired return to Digital Divide Barriers 2