The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies
Broadband access is indispensable for advanced Internet services, because voluminous data transfers have recently become popular in developed societies. Although broadband access has spread to a certain degree in developed countries/regions, geographical gaps in broadband access (the so-called “geog...
Guardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/netcom, |
|---|---|
| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lenguaje: | Anglais |
| Publicado: |
Netcom
2013
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| id |
openedition-oai:revues.org:netcom_453 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
openedition |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:netcom_453 https://doi.org/10.4000/netcom.453 urn:doi:10.4000/netcom.453 en https://journals.openedition.org/netcom/453 2013-06-10T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/ij3d https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies Netcom Netcom Association info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2431-210X info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/0987-6014 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/netcom Arai, Yoshio Naganuma, Sae haut débit télévision câblée fracture numérique politique gouvernementale zone défavorisée broadband cable television less-favoured area governmental policy digital divide Broadband access is indispensable for advanced Internet services, because voluminous data transfers have recently become popular in developed societies. Although broadband access has spread to a certain degree in developed countries/regions, geographical gaps in broadband access (the so-called “geographical digital divide”) remain. Based on three case studies in less-favoured areas of Japan (Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture and Mie Prefecture), we examined how the geographical digital divide is being bridged, and the contributions that national and local government policies make to this process. Several implications were apparent. First, integrating communication infrastructures with manifold digital services, such as cable television services and broadband access, is an effective way to extend broadband to less-favoured areas. The Japanese government has promoted the construction of digital cable television networks, and they have played a significant role in the completion of universal broadband services. The challenge of digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting has been behind these policies. Another effective means of extending broadband has been the pressure exerted by local governments (under the national policy scheme) on private cable television companies to bring their services to even the least populated regions. Finally, in those areas where private digital network services are unprofitable, the establishment of a publicly funded cable business (using a budget-transfer scheme, for example) may be an effective option for extending broadband services. In general, the challenge of bridging the geographical digital divide should be tackled with a broad set of regional promotion policies for less-favoured regions. De nos jours, l’internet très haut débit est devenu indispensable tant les besoins en bande passante sont énormes. Bien que l’internet à haut débit se soit étendu dans la plupart des pays développés, le fossé numérique persiste encore à l’intérieur du territoire national. Le travail a consisté à comprendre la façon dont les politiques locales et nationales peuvent contribuer à résorber les écarts, en étudiant trois régions parmi les moins favorisées du Japon (Hokkaido, la Préfecture de Nagano et la Préfecture de Mie). Plusieurs enseignements ressortent. En premier lieu, l’idée que le déploiement du haut débit dépend en grande partie de la fourniture simultanée de multiples services numériques. La télévision numérique joue, parmi ce bouquet de services, un rôle significatif et repose sur un grand programme gouvernemental. Une autre manière efficace d’étendre le haut débit se situe dans la pression exercée par les autorités locales sur les entreprises privées de télévision câblée, susceptibles d’assurer leur diffusion dans les régions les moins peuplées. Enfin, dans les régions où les services privés de réseau numérique ne sont pas rentables, la création d’une entreprise de câble financée par l’argent public semble être une bonne alternative. C’est dans cet ensemble de solutions que les difficultés numériques des régions les moins favorisées peuvent être surmontées. |
| collection |
OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
haut débit télévision câblée fracture numérique politique gouvernementale zone défavorisée broadband cable television less-favoured area governmental policy digital divide |
| spellingShingle |
haut débit télévision câblée fracture numérique politique gouvernementale zone défavorisée broadband cable television less-favoured area governmental policy digital divide Arai, Yoshio Naganuma, Sae The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| description |
Broadband access is indispensable for advanced Internet services, because voluminous data transfers have recently become popular in developed societies. Although broadband access has spread to a certain degree in developed countries/regions, geographical gaps in broadband access (the so-called “geographical digital divide”) remain. Based on three case studies in less-favoured areas of Japan (Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture and Mie Prefecture), we examined how the geographical digital divide is being bridged, and the contributions that national and local government policies make to this process. Several implications were apparent. First, integrating communication infrastructures with manifold digital services, such as cable television services and broadband access, is an effective way to extend broadband to less-favoured areas. The Japanese government has promoted the construction of digital cable television networks, and they have played a significant role in the completion of universal broadband services. The challenge of digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting has been behind these policies. Another effective means of extending broadband has been the pressure exerted by local governments (under the national policy scheme) on private cable television companies to bring their services to even the least populated regions. Finally, in those areas where private digital network services are unprofitable, the establishment of a publicly funded cable business (using a budget-transfer scheme, for example) may be an effective option for extending broadband services. In general, the challenge of bridging the geographical digital divide should be tackled with a broad set of regional promotion policies for less-favoured regions. |
| author |
Arai, Yoshio Naganuma, Sae |
| author_facet |
Arai, Yoshio Naganuma, Sae |
| author_sort |
Arai, Yoshio |
| title |
The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| title_short |
The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| title_full |
The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| title_fullStr |
The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in Japan: three case studies |
| title_sort |
geographical digital divide in broadband access and governmental policies in japan: three case studies |
| publisher |
Netcom |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/netcom |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/netcom.453 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/netcom/453 |
| _version_ |
1877243556389715968 |