Little or no attempt has been made to include civil society in transition planning and policy discussions. However, it raises wider questions about how the public interest is expressed and promoted in broadcasting and broadband, and its relationship with interactive, converged media (delivery of multimedia over the internet). Transition to digital broadcasting has been presented largely as a technical process with the bonus also being additional spectrum for telecoms and broadcast operators – the same institutions that already own or control much of currently available spectrum. Arguably, digital migration is one of the most fundamental changes in broadcasting in decades. Member states of the International Telecommunications Union ( ITU) have committed to migrating to digital broadcast television by June 2015. Raising awareness and building capacity to protect the public interest Read more about our rights work.ĪPC currently works on two projects that focus on radio spectrum: Digital Migration in Africa: Whose Dividend? The distinctions between affordable, quality access, and the expression and realisation of human rights on the internet as well as through the use of the internet are increasingly blurred. We approach access from a human rights perspective.
Open, development-oriented spectrum management has great potential for dramatically improving internet access. While use of wireless internet, particularly through mobile devices, is growing exponentially in the developing world, access to reliable and affordable broadband continues to be a challenge, especially for remote and rural locations.
APC’s efforts to ensure affordable and equitable internet access focus significantly on radio spectrum.