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Michigan State Professor Helps Bring Broadband Internet To Rural Africa (Video)
Roblimo writes "Assistant Professor Kurt DeMaagd, of Michigan State's Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media, runs a program that brings broadband Internet to villages in Tanzania that have never known connectivity better than what they get with non-smart cell phones. Lots of students are involved, and Kurt (who was one of Slashdot's co-founders many years ago) believes the students get as much out of the project as the people in Tanzania who are its primary beneficiaries. Setting up not only computer networks but also satellite communications and solar arrays in areas where you can't zip on down to the local computer or hardware store for parts you forgot teaches how to work under adverse conditions, and how to plan in advance instead of winging everything at the last minute. But we'll let Kurt DeMaagd, who is an engaging speaker, tell the story himself in this long (8:12) video."
I'm all for these sorts of projects, just keep in mind that the idealistic do-gooder mentality of "They're all going to use this wonderful internet for education and uplift" needs to be tempered with a realization that these are real people you're dealing with, not characters in some fairy tale narrative you've created in your own head. Understand that some of them are going to use it for education. But some are also going to use it to scam, surf porn, download shitty Nicolas Cage movies, and play games. So don't throw a hissy-fit and abandon the project the second you find out that you're dealing with real human beings who aren't always going to use your wonderful gift to do what YOU want them to.
Remember that these are real autonomous human beings just like you, and don't idealize them as some abstraction.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
How about bringing broadband to rural Michigan?!
org.slashdot.post.SignatureNotFoundException: ewg
But what about Rural Michigan ?
If they want to impress me they will improve their own back yards before pond skipping.
Hurricane Island Outward Bound
OB
>> Kurt (who was one of Slashdot's co-founders many years ago)
AKA Commander Fajita
So, this explains my increase in emails from African Monarchs who just need my bank account number and $1000 to buy the equipment needed to finish the trek to the vast fortunes they hid when being invaded by terrorists, which they will then deposit into my account after they get it!
What about rural America? Half the people in this country are still on fucking dial-up.
...ll the villagers will read the news on their iPad 2 while milking the goats and gathering honey.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
He's not an English Language professor, anyway!
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Picture a staving subsistence farmer holding one end of an Ethernet cable wondering WTH he is supposed to do with that. This will feed and clothe my family how?
Geez, we still don't have broadband in large parts of Michigan. Dialup is still a reality, not a bad memory (as it should be) for many people - some of whom are nestled within the populous southeastern quarter of the lower peninsula.
Any idea when this will be available in Somalia? That country is listed as "unknown" copyright term. Even Eritrea might be interesting.
It might be interesting to set up a website there...
areas like this, I think they have their priorities wrong. I have been to 3rd world countries and the last thing the people there care about is internet access and a computer. They care about finding a job, getting food and feeding their families. Even if they did implement the technology, that's the easiest part, maintaining and keeping it running for years or even decades is the largest issue.
It's great and all that this guy brought broadband to Tanzania , but why didn't Tanzanians do it?
How about clean water? Antibiotics? Soap even? Internet? Really? I guess they can read how we think they should go about digging a well with tools they don't have or something. Having spent a lot of time in 3rd world countries (living in amongst the locals as a local) I am now reminded why people such as Kurt here are the subject of much fun-making.
Title: MSU professor Kurt [DeMaagd] Helps bring Broadband Internet to Rural Africa
Description: Kurt (who was one of Slashdot's co-founders many years ago) believes his students get as much out of the broadband project as the people in Tanzania who are its primary beneficiaries.
[00:00] <TITLE>
The SlashdotTV logo bar with "Bringing broadband Internet to Rural Tanzania" appears in the bottom over a still image from the interview with Professor Kurt DeMaagd. The backdrop is a white room with a "2001: a space odyssey" poster.
[00:04] <TITLE>
The view fades to that of Robert Rozeboom in front of the "2001: a space odyssey" poster with the SlashdotTV logo bar reading "Robert Rozeboom (samzenpus on Slashdot)
[00:04] Robert>
In addition to perfecting his ping pong game, Professort Kurt DeMaagd spends a lot of his time working on initiatives that bring broadband to rural communities in developing nations.
Today we'll be talking to him about his work in Africa.
[00:16] <TITLE>
The view fades back Professor Kurt DeMaagd with the SlashdotTV logo bar reading "MSU Professor Kurt DeMaagd"
[00:14] Kurt>
I am one of the faculty leads in a project where we have students setting up broadband connections in rural Tanzania.
[00:25] Robert>
How did you get interested in doing that in Africa?
[00:28] Kurt>
Well I've done other research work on the economic impacts of broadband in various countries, and most of it tends to be working with, sort of, country-level economic indicators.
There seems to be a big gap between what these country-level indicators can study and the actual on-the-ground realities.
So we thought "Well, let's do a project that actually gets in touch with the people."
In part of doing that we thought "Well, maybe we can also blend this with a student project, and get students to actually go out and do some of the roll-out, get some real world experience in a rather challenging environment."
[01:05] Kurt>
The biggest technical challenge actually is not the original, I guess, start-up technical challenges, but the ongoing support.
So we can come in with our teams, get everything set up, running perfectly and go back home, and a week later things are broken.
So the tech challenge is not so much identifying what's going wrong and how to fix it, but how do we actually find the long-term ongoing support working with community members there - so we started partnering with, for example, the University of Dodoma, we have people nearby our schools that we work with who are somewhat trained in the technology so that we can provide the support there.
But most the stuff is not a brand new technology that we're developing, but often times adapted the technology just for the individual local needs.
[01:53] Robert>
So the biggest problem really is getting the helpdesk.
[01:57] Kurt>
*laughs* exactly - the classic challenge!
We can go in and fix it, but you know I don't want to fly to Tanzania every week when somebody has problems.
[02:03] Robert>
Are you training people specifically for that?
Part of the project?
[02:07] Kurt>
Yeah, exactly.
Part of it is identifying people there who have experience.
So, for example, there are plenty of people there who kind of bill themselves as an electrician.
But finding the electrician who can competently work on our solar charging systems and not create, you know, gigantic health and fire hazards and all that kind of stuff is a much bigger problem.
So, finding first the most competent person, then also working with them in terms of, you know, good quality workmanship is quite a bit of a challenge.
[02:37] Robert>
What sort of challenges do you find from the government there?
[02:42] Kurt>
That was really - you know, when I said that we've been working there about 6 years with only 4 years of really project work, the first two years were a lot of, sort of, government work relationshi
Well they may not have consistent food, water, or healthcare, but by golly we'll give them facebook!
He can bring broadband to rural Africa, but he cant bring broadband to rural Michigan. Most of Michigan has ZERO broadband in the rural areas.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
What a waste of time and money.
Now they just need clean water and medicine
I'm assuming MSU is not footing the bills for the actual equipment.
Perhaps some kudos should go to the financiers here.
I spend time each year in rural Uganda observing grass roots projects in which locals decide WHAT they need and HOW they want to ORGANIZE themselves to fill those needs. Internet access is VERY expensive in much of rural Africa. The model of having western experts parachute in to bring technical resources and expertise and then having everything break almost immediately is a very well-known symptom of "top down" projects. What if the focus of the student engagement project were shifted to developing training materials and curriculum for the local, rural vocational schools, as well as business planning and micro-loans for entrepreneurs who want to get into this business? The organization I work with in Uganda, Uganda Rural Training and Development (URDT.net) has such a vocational school. They teach men and women how to be solar technicians and they provide training in Internet and Computer skills. Nevertheless, the cost in Uganda of accessing the Internet is still quite prohibitive because, other than the mobile suppliers, there isn't sufficient competition and volume to attract multiple ISPs.
Who cares about food when you got porn..I mean Internet.
Please block all outbound connections to port 25.
Why Africa? We can't even get reliable broadband to rural areas in Indiana!
This is a really good ste., All those poor women in Nigeria will have a chance to emails to rest of the world to help with there ransom.
--- Always remember. 99.36% of all statistics are inaccurate.
It's a great buzz idea. I wish for our work (NGO) there that this could be a viable solution to the "last 100km problem." But...the solution isn't scalable in any significant way (cost, training, support) and while he has identified the need for support as the key factor, I didn't see a viable solution. That's why there are so many people interested in cellular networks and tools - check out mPESA in Kenya - 13 million people sending > $400million per month using SMS micropayments. Now there's a solution that was well thought out and that scaled well.
Ever heard of two countries called China and India? Among the most powerful growing economies in the world today? Billions of people lifted out of poverty and beggary? Manufacturing industry beefed up to the point where the west can't compete? Wanna know how they did it? With education. Better information. Embracing new technology. Industrial policy and a skilled workforce. They didn't do it with social programs. Enough of the "b-b-b-but they need to get running water and healthcare and food first" crap. Has it ever crossed your mind that better access to information will help them to farm better? Might help them to learn better practices for plumbing? Might help them to learn what policies work, what don't, and how to vote accordingly? Might help them to learn which of their politicians are corrupt and which are worth voting for?
I find it interesting that the /. groupthink regarding the developing world says "stop investing in technology and business, you should instigate social programs first", but concerning the western world it's "government-run social programs are evil, we should be concentrating on making life easier for business first, the rest will follow." Double standard much?
You make me sick the whole bloody lot of ya.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
The Chinese clearly need more help than the Africans, because every other story here on /. is trying to convince the brain-dead that they need more western style "guidance" and assistance.
So what the fuck?
maybe they can learn how to not be the worlds largest bum population