The Interdependence of Information Society Measurements and Policies Presented at the 2008 Global Event on Measuring the Information Society George Sciadas Statistics Canada Geneva, May 27, 2008

Are Information Society measurements becoming of age? Overview of national and international experiences Overview of national and international experiences Official and other measurements Official and other measurements Survey measurements and statistical aggregations Survey measurements and statistical aggregations A brief look through a cross-section of experiences A brief look through a cross-section of experiences - in different areas - over time - across countries

Percent of U.S. Computer Households with a Modem US $ (,000)RuralUrbanCentral City < > Source: Falling Through the Net, 1995

In 1997, a range a policies followed - e-rate (for schools and libraries) - Lifeline and Link Up (support for low income) - Rural Health Care (affordable access) - High Cost (rural rates reasonably comparable to those in urban areas). In 1997, a range a policies followed - e-rate (for schools and libraries) - Lifeline and Link Up (support for low income) - Rural Health Care (affordable access) - High Cost (rural rates reasonably comparable to those in urban areas).

-In 2000, the provincial government of Quebec instituted policies for transactional and secure Web sites. - Several national policies followed (promotion, privacy etc.). Business Use of ICTs, Canada Source: Survey of Electronic Commerce and Technology, 1999

Many other cases of parallel developments between ICT measurements and policies - Early quantification of the ICT sector and the Nordic Council of Ministers (Scandinavia) - Detailed S. Korean household measurements and broadband policies - Measurements of people, businesses and farms in Australia, government re-organisation and policies - ICTs in schools and Chile’s ICTs in education policies

Following eEurope 2005, the European Commission launched i2010. Three policy priorities: i) create open and competitive single market for information society and media services, and support technological convergence with policy convergence ii) increase EU investment in research on ICT by 80%. Europe lags behind, investing only €80 per head as compared to €350 in Japan and €400 in the US iii) promote an inclusive European information society and close the digital divide

The Information Society Benchmarking Report provides the first overview of results since i2010 was adopted - checks on progress since the launch of eEurope analyzes the situation in Member States that joined in Source: Eurostat- Community Survey on ICT Usage in Enterprises

Main trends identified in The Information Society Benchmarking Report 2005 Broadband roll-out is a success story. From limited availability in 2002 access is now available nearly to all citizens…there are exceptions in new members and sparsely populated regions. Little evidence of the roll-out of new networks from the 2004 surveys, the PC remained the dominant access device. Disparities across Member States had not reduced between the start of eEurope and Connectivity of enterprises is high throughout EU25 and there has been some catch-up by SMEs…but business use of ICT by business has grown slowly and Europe lags behind in advanced e-business applications. Availability of online public services has continued to grow All Member States are confronted with the challenge of extending the information society to people with little or no formal education, unemployed, and older people.

Source: From the Digital Divide to Digital Opportunities, Orbicom-ITU, 2005 Infostates and the Digital Divide

Monitoring the Digital Divide internationally -numerous national policies to address the digital divide have been instituted in Asia, Africa and LAC -also donor initiatives for community access Monitoring the Digital Divide internationally -numerous national policies to address the digital divide have been instituted in Asia, Africa and LAC -also donor initiatives for community access (e.g. telecentres in Brazil and Bangladesh, Global Libraries - Biblioredes in Chile etc.) -ITU data used extensively (even when other data would be appropriate - but do not yet exist) Quantifying the Digital Divide was not meant to prove its existence - that was known (for something to be measurable, it must be there)… …its magnitude and evolutionare important …its magnitude and evolution are important to customize policies and then monitor progress

Measuring telephone use among the poor (“bottom of the pyramid”) Source: LIRNEasia.net, high use, low ownership - Prevented contemplated policy on luxury tax in Sri Lanka

Linkages between measurements and policies are complex rather than linear Measurements can: - provide support and underpinning to policies - lead to policies - monitor and evaluate effectiveness of policies - prevent policies from happening Linkages between measurements and policies are complex rather than linear Measurements can: - provide support and underpinning to policies - lead to policies - monitor and evaluate effectiveness of policies - prevent policies from happening

The need for statistical measurements - reliable and timely euro area economic, monetary and financial statistics are of paramount importance for the ECB’s decision-making... …European policy-makers need to have at their disposal a wide array of timely, high-quality statistics on which to base their decisions. - communication with the general public and financial markets is crucial for any central bank because it helps to enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy. Euro area statistics play an important role in the ECB’s communication… Source: Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB, April 2008 Monetary policy has a long history…The area of Information Society is much newer and definitely needs statistics to shed light on brand new, cross-cutting and evolving phenomena. Moreover, ready linkages exist for synthesis between ICTs and broader S&T and innovation policies

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