{"id":11187,"date":"2017-03-01T07:19:46","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T12:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=11187"},"modified":"2017-03-01T08:52:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T13:52:31","slug":"the-inclusive-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=11187","title":{"rendered":"The inclusive internet"},"content":{"rendered":"

This morning, the Economist Intelligence Unit released a report on The Inclusive Internet<\/a>, an index ranking 75 countries according to performance in four categories: Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness.<\/p>\n

The study was commissioned by Facebook’s Internet.org. A report accompanying the index is said to offer “guidance for policy makers on boosting internet inclusion in their countries. These include encouraging investment in fixed infrastructure, providing teacher training in digital skills, and involving men in discussions around female internet use to tackle negative cultural attitudes.”<\/p>\n

Perhaps most surprising was that Canada ranked number one in the world for Affordability, an indicator that examines the cost of access relative to income and the level of competition in the Internet marketplace. “Price measures the cost of Internet access relative to income. Competitive environment measures the concentration of the marketplace for Internet service provision.”<\/p>\n

Canada was tied for 8th place in the overall rankings, held back by a very low (34th place) ranking in the Readiness category, which examines the capacity to access the Internet, including skills, cultural acceptance, and supporting policy. Despite high digital literacy scores, Readiness also includes factors of “Trust and Safety” and “Policy.” Canada’s Policy score, measuring “the existence of national strategies that promote the safe and widespread use of the Internet,” was ranked 55th.<\/p>\n

Key findings from the study include:<\/p>\n