Brazil goes online

The history of the evolution of the Internet in Brazil began with the pioneering efforts of some academic institutions and NGOs, but only taking off when the Federal Government got actively involved, through the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), and several state governments. Strong and determined government support for the Internet in the country, since the initial stages, clearly distinguishes Brazil from most of the other developing nations. A first version of Internet services - with points in 21 states of the country - was implemented by the National Research Network from 1991 to 1993, at a slow rate of speed. Between 1995 and 1996, these services were updated for faster speeds. Concurrently, beginning in June of 1995, a Federal Government decision defined general rules to expand the availability of Internet services in Brazil to anyone interested. The Brazilian Internet disposes today of 446,444 hosts, ranking 13th in the world in volume of hosts. The number of domains in Brazil rose from 7,574 in 1996 to 174,163 in February of 2000, being that the commercial domain is the one that most expanded among first-level domains (FLD), with growth slightly greater than the expansion of all other domains during this period. The Information Society Programme The goal of the Information Society Program is to integrate, coordinate and foster actions for the utilization of ICT, in order to contribute to the social inclusion of all Brazilians in the new society and, at the same time, help the country's economy secure the necessary conditions to compete on the global market. The Program's execution presupposes the sharing of responsibilities between the three sectors: government, free enterprise and civil society. For this intent, the program will unfold along the following broad Lines of Action: Market, employment and opportunities - promote the greater competitiveness of Brazilian companies and an expansion of small and midsize companies Universalization of services for citizens - promote the universalization of access to the Internet, pursuing alternative solutions based on new mechanisms and new means of communication; promote systems for collective or shared access to the Internet; as well as foster projects that encourage a greater sense of citizenship, national pride and social cohesion. Education in the Information Society - render support to projects aimed at learning, continued education and distance education based on the Internet and networks, by fostering schools, the qualification of teachers, self-instruction and certification in Information technologies on a large scale Contents and cultural identity - promote the generation of contents and applications that emphasize Brazilian cultural identity; foster digitalisation systems for the preservation of artistic, cultural and historical heritage and science and technology data Government at everyone's reach - promote the computerisation of government administration and the employment of standards in its applicable systems; R&D, key-technologies and applications - pinpoint the strategic technologies for industrial and economic development and promote R&D Advanced Infrastructure and new services - implement a basic national infrastructure of information, integrating the various specialised network structures - government, private sector and R&D; A basic model of support for an inclusive information society The information society should be the result of collaboration between different partners, on the local, national and international levels. The sharing of responsibilities between government workers, private organisations and civil society is a basic model of support for an information society: The private sector is the one with the greatest capacity to invest and innovate, the sector with the dynamism and conditions necessary for widespread and web-producing actions, which are necessary to turn the concept of an Information Society Program into reality. Subsequently, it's this sector, together with the various groups of users, that should take the lead in investing in technologies and applications. This partnership should also be aimed at the development of high-quality products and innovating services capable of generating opportunities in new markets and improving living conditions for everyone. The Government has the role of assuring universal access to ICT and to the benefits they provide, regardless of where people live and what their income is, guaranteeing basic levels of services and promoting the interoperability of technologies and networks. Furthermore, it's up to the government to make it feasible for and to encourage non-profit organisations, small businesses and the marginalised or minority segments of society to participate. Civil society must make sure the public interest is protected, by organising itself to monitor and systematically influence the decisions of the government and private organisations. For this purpose, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play an important role in the mobilisation of society, assuring that the public's interests and rights are respected. In turn, each individual should act in a responsible and ethical manner in the dissemination and utilisation of contents made available through electronic networks, especially the Internet. Finally, everyone - citizens, the private sector, the academic community, and government - should get involved in the process to create and execute activities capable of turning the joint program for an information society into a concrete reality. The path towards an information society is full of challenges in all countries. However, in each country, the challenge reflects a unique combination of opportunities and risks. All nations are moving, voluntarily or involuntarily, in the direction of an information society. It's up to each to find their own route and establish their own priorities. (Dieser Artikel wird voraussichtlich Mitte Nov. 2001 auf der Webseite des Global Society Dialogue erscheinen: www.global-society-dialogue.org)

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