Preface
Foreword
Table of Contents
Introduction
Mandate and method
Part I. ICT issues in rural areas
Issues and perspectives
Chapter 1. Fundamental issues
Introduction
1. Telecommunications infrastructure and services in rural areas
Introduction
a) Technical and economic obstacles to ICTs in rural areas
b) National initiatives and the increasing role of local authorities
c) Successful examples of local public financing of telecommunications infrastructure
2. ICT development models
Introduction
a) Distinctive approaches to ICT development
b) Endogenous and exogenous regional ICT development models
c) Spatial policy and ICTs
3. Observation and measurement in the field of ICT
Introduction
a) Collecting data on ICT in rural areas
b) Monitoring of projects
c) Best practices and qualitative results on the long term
d) Guidelines
Chapter 2. Societal issues
Introduction
1. Public access points, telecottages and telecentres
Introduction
a) National policies in the field of public access points
b) Fundamental issues concerning public access points
c) Perspectives for public access points
2. On-line access to public services
Introduction
a) Distant education on-line
b) Telemedecine
c) Access to public services through the Internet
3. Local governance
Introduction
a) The potential of e-democracy
b) Local examples of emerging e-democracy practices
c) Risks and opportunities of ICT in local governance from a regional perspective
Chapter 3. Economic issues
Introduction
1. Small and medium size enterprises in rural areas and ICT
Introduction
a) ICT issues for rural SMEs
b) Obstacles to full adoption of ICT by rural SMEs
c) ICT policies for SMEs and examples of successful implementation
2. The creation of new activities through ICT
Introduction
a) Telebusiness and call centres
b) Telework
c) Rural start-ups
3. Conclusion: attractiveness of communities and territories
Introduction
a) Factors common to ICT policies and projects
b) Social factors
c) Economic factors
Chapter 4. Policy recommendations
1. Telecommunications infrastructure
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
2. Implementation of ICT projects
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
3. Observation and measurement of ICT in rural areas
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
4. Public access points
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
5. On-line access to public services
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
6. Local governance
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
7. Implementation of ICT by SMEs
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
8. Creation of new activities
a) Issues
b) Recommendations
Part II. Case studies
Geographical diversity
Regions
Sub-regions
Communities
Case Study 1. The Poitou-Charentes Region and ICTS
1. Background
2. An ICT strategy
a) Four goals for SERISE
b) Five priority themes
3. First initiatives in favour of rural areas
a) SIRCE
b) ARANTIS
c) Outlook
Case Study 2. ICT strategies and projects in the rural areas of Mid-western and Southwestern Ireland
Introduction: Information Society and New Economy in Ireland
1. The Midwest programme for ICT and emphasis on rural areas
a) Presentation of Shannon Information Society Partnership Programme (SHIPP)
b) Shannon Digital Parks flagship project
c) East Clare Telecottage: a local champion for the dissemination of ICT
d) Ennis Information Age Town
2. The Southwest strategy for ICT, societal and rural concerns
a) Presentation of the South West Telematic Area Network Development (STAND), Regional Informatio...
b) The Duagh Family Resource Centre: Information Society Access Point
c) The Boherbue Comprehensive School, a pioneer in access to education for the disabled
d) Bringing public services to remote areas: first application in telemedecine (dentistry)
Conclusion
Case Study 3. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland and ICT
1. Highlands and Islands Enterprise
2. Infrastructure and ICT strategies
a) Infrastructure
b) ICT awareness and implementation
3. Results achieved
a) Telebusiness in Europe
b) Telebusiness in the Highlands and Islands
c) The future of telebusiness
4. The Western Isles
a) Telework
b) Telebusiness and local SMEs
5. Perspectives
a) The emphasis on rural areas
b) The importance of networks
c) An open conclusion
Case Study 4. ICT in Matawinie (Quebec, Canada)
Introduction
1. Community Access Centers (CACs)
2. Economic and social development initiatives
3. SME training initiatives
Case Study 5. Keewaytinook Okimakanak Communities, Northwestern Ontario, Canada and ICT: the Kuh Ke Nah Network...
Introduction
1. Previous ICT projects
2. The Kuh Ke Nah smart community
Case Study 6. Parthenay District, Pays de GÒtine (Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France) and ICT
Introduction
1. Start-up and development of digital age town project
a) METASA (Multimedia European Experimental Town with a Social-Pull Approach)
b) MIND (Multimedia Initiation of the Digital Towns)
c) IMAGINE (Integrated Multimedia Applications Generating Innovative Networks in European Digital...
2. The originality of the Parthenay digital age town project
a) Objectives and ambitions of the project
b) A local network
c) Measures taken to accelerate the spread of ICTs
d) The In-Town-Net
3. Sectoral policies
a) Economic development
b) Local government and public services
c) Social action
d) Education
e) Health
4. La GΓ’tine and ICTs
5. Prospects for ICT in Parthenay and the Pays de GΓ’tine
Case Study 7. A rural ICT training network: βDillon-netβ, Beaverhead, Madison and Silverbow Counties, Montana, USA
Introduction
1. The experience of Dillon-net
2. New perspectives for Dillon-net
Case Study 8. Business and Technology Center in Maddock, Benson County, North Dakota, USA
Introduction
1. Putting it all together
2. New business developments
3. Future projects
Bibliography
Appendix 1. Information and Communication Technologies and their implications for the development of rural areas
Appendix 2. Internet sites consulted for this report
Table 1. Access technologies transmission speed
Table 2. Policies andprogrammes designed tobridge thedigital divide
Figure 1. Internet access in the business sector by firm Figure 1. Internet access in the business sector by firm size