Universal Digital Services Through Basic Broadband

Abstract: In addressing the universal deployment of digital services it is necessary to decide on the breadth of "universality" and the type of functionality of "digital services". These two decisions are linked: certain desirable functionality does not lend itself to being implemented in some environments or with certain constraints. In this paper we define universality as achieving a level of universality in digital service that can bridge the digital divide not only throughout highly industrialized societies but also across the globe and in the face of disruption. We then argue that some of the characteristics of current Internet broadband service, in particular support for synchronous telepresence such as videoconferencing, is a barrier to implementation strategies that could enable cheap and resilient universal deploymen