Training communities to set up wireless internet access points using empty tin cans, “taking back the tech!” to combat violence against women and keeping the focus of the world’s governments on the importance of affordable internet access.
“APC’s approach to open access is people-oriented. We believe that the information, content and tools found online should be available to everyone. Bandwidth costs less now than ever before,” said executive director Anriette Esterhuysen in her introduction. “The Tunis Agenda adopted at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 highlighted the importance of infrastructure and recognised the need for more financial resources. But very few international ICT initiatives address the infrastructure gap systematically.” In the WSIS aftermath, APC reviewed the policy terrain, to see what dynamics were coming into play, working to ensure that access and infrastructure were squarely on the agenda of the new Internet Governance Forum, and regionally in Africa, around lowering the cost of connection to the internet.