Thesis (M.M. (ICT Policy and Regulation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, 2014. / The research aimed to investigate the supply and demand side factors that
enables or hinders the effectiveness of rural connectivity provided through
public access points such as the Thusong Service Centres (TSCs). The lack
of broadband and terrestrial infrastructure is often cited as the main reason
why rural people are not able to participate in the information society. The
status of the Mopani District rural connectivity indicates that the digital divide
is not always due to the lack of infrastructure, but due to the etic approach
towards the deployment of connectivity and the failure to locate rural
connectivity within the broader community development goals. The failure to
understand the user requirements contributes to the misconception that Very
Small Apparatus Terminals (VSAT) satellite technology is an inadequate
solution which must be replaced by fixed broadband. On the other hand, the
failure of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA)
blueprint indicates the poor level of e-government readiness within the public
service sector. The status of the Mopani TSCs also shows that there is a lack
of accountability, cooperation and collaboration across the three spheres of
government and that there is a misuse of public funds in cases where
connectivity resources are duplicated and not optimally used.
The separation of the public service connectivity from the public connectivity
creates the digital inequality in the targeted communities. The separation has
resulted in connectivity being available to some and not to all, because
accessibility is based on personal relationships. In other cases there is
constructed denied access due to local politics. 16 years later since the
establishment of the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa
(USAASA), the South African Community Informatics (CI) sector is struggling
to achieve outputs that produce the desired impact in the targeted
communities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/17072 |
| Date | 02 March 2015 |
| Creators | Magoro, Kgopotso Ditshego |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
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