Digital Divide - barrier to Digital Bangladesh

Digital divide is a term used to describe great disparities in opportunity to access the Internet and the information and educational/business opportunities tied to this access, between the different classes of people in a society. Many people have been wondering whether Digital Bangladesh will really benefit the disadvantaged of the society or will it further widen the difference between the haves and have-nots. It is a valid question and our approach to Digital Bangladesh will determine which direction it will go. To ensure that the benefits are equitably shared, the government should keep in mind at least the following considerations:

• Priority should be given to automating government services that benefit a large section of the population, such as land record digitization.
• A common pitfall to over-emphasize on technologies such as computers and the Internet should be avoided. It is apparent that these technologies will be out of reach for much of the population in the near future. Instead, emphasis should be placed on other communication technologies such as community radio and mobile devices such as handhelds and mobile phones.
• Development of web, radio and TV content that is comprehensible by large sections of the population should be emphasized and encouraged.
• Special incentives should be given to the private sector and NGOs to develop ICT-based services specifically targeted towards the under-served.

The government has to realize that Digital Bangladesh is a vision that can be turned into reality only through joint efforts by all sectors and that it should benefit most of the citizens of Bangladesh. Only then we will be able to decrease the widening gap between the wealthy and the deprived in the nation.