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Education for Everyone

Members of the ISP-Streaming Media list discuss sending educational content to areas that lack basic telecommunications facilities. This is a dream of governments and charities—and there may be money in it.

[March 9, 2001]

On the ISP-Streaming Media list in February, MD explained,

"I'm trying to find a way to stream educational media via satellites to hospitals, schools, and telecenters in remote villages that do not have basic communication facilities. Any advice?"

A number of respondents noted that the technology is currently being deployed:

[DB proposed] "The technology is there now. The idea is to broadcast a subset of Internet content to receive-only PCs all over the world for local viewing on community PCs. There's plenty of free bandwidth out there for this kind of thing. On the server side there would have to be a 'webcast server' that grabs web content and package it for distribution using multicast IP—and at the receiving end, a simple DVB card in a PC with a large drive. The user then selects from a subject menu—it's not unlike subscribing to news groups.

There are a few commercial initiatives out there, like rStar networks, Cidera, etc., but they are all there to make money, and will not address the market that needs it most. This is one way to break the digital divide at very low cost: it's important."

[NR agreed] "Another company to check out is servecast.com. They are serving all of Europe with their own servers, they've used some satellites in remote places, and they have a full division devoted to education."

[DM observed] "MTV is doing something along this line as a service project for their RealTV segments. You could check with their PR department, and maybe even gain some assistance. And check with the larger non-profit associations, too."

NU warned that such deployments may not only be unprofitable, but culturally arrogant:

"This may work technically, but from a finance and social perspective, it is an exceedingly stupid idea. There is no way it could make a profit. Plus, on a social level, there is a big misconception out there that the poor are missing out by not having Internet access.

This is nonsense: most of them couldn't care less. In most of the world, people are worried about food, shelter and clothing: if it doesn't benefit them directly in concrete ways, they wouldn't even bother to watch."

DB countered that the effort seems worth it:

"Having done a few projects in the third world, and seeing the penetration of satellite TV, I wish that we could provide more valuable content for the guy at the end of the line. Things like weather information for farm communities, and educational materials for schools. There's a lot of money sent that way in the form of government funds."

—End