Google Helps Launch Alliance for Affordable Internet; Plans to Provide Low-Cost Internet to the World
ByGoogle has joined an initiative to provide affordable Internet service to parts of the world that would not have it otherwise or be able to afford it if they did, ZDNet reported.
In the first world and even in developing parts, the Internet is readily available and has become nearly as important to education and research as literacy. In the third world, if the Internet can even be accessed, it is not available for an affordable price.
That is why Google joined the brand new Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). Along with at least 30 other members, A4AI began its mission to provide anyone in the world with affordable Internet service Monday.
"A4AI has a specific goal in mind: to reach the UN Broadband Commission target of entry-level broadband access priced at less than 5 percent of monthly income worldwide," Jennifer Haroon, Google's access principal, wrote in a blog post Monday. "According to the ITU, households in the developing world pay roughly 30 percent of monthly income for a fixed connection, so there's a lot of work to do."
In the post, Haroon outlined three main goals for A4AI, which include publishing a best practices policy, the first of an annual affordability report and the engagement of at least ten countries by 2015.
With it, Google brings to the table its "Project Loon," an experiment involving using weather balloon-type devices to provide remote areas of the world with Internet access. A June experiment in New Zealand was successful in providing Internet to a farmer in a remote area. Even though New Zealand is a developed country, it has areas without Internet access.
A4AI will hit the ground running, attempting to reach three to four countries by the end of 2013. The alliance said it plans to work with countries governments, presumably to aid in their existing initiatives to provide Internet access to its citizens.
"Ultimately, A4AI is about making the world a more connected place," Haroon wrote. "Over 90% of people in the 49 least developed countries are still not online. A4AI wants to help people in these countries to get access, to find a door to new information, opportunities, and ideas."