Recent developments in wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies are raising new hopes for sustainable Internet diffusion in the rural areas of the developing world. These technologies allow drastic reductions in network deployment costs, particularly for last-mile connectivity in low-density areas. More important, the technologies make possible an infrastructure development model based on community-shared resources, small-scale investments, and user experimentation. This paper argues that the new generation of WLAN technologies can significantly alleviate the constraints that limit Internet connectivity in Latin America to the wealthy, urbanized areas. Yet for this potential to be realized governments must rethink current assumptions about spectrum management and universal service policies. (c) 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Based on the assumption that increased access to internet services boosts economic growth and improves the well‐being of the poor, governments in both developed and emerging regions are heavily investing in internet connectivity projects. This article reviews the existing evidence as to the impact of internet technologies on various development dimensions, and articulates the empirical evidence into an analytical framework that seeks to identify the micro‐linkages between internet adoption and poverty alleviation. The review suggests that the development pay‐offs of internet technologies are ambiguous due to two interrelated effects. First, because effective appropriation requires a range of skills as well as complementary investment in human capital and organizational changes. This tends to favour well‐educated workers and firms with more innovative capacity and access to finance. Second, because the positive effects of internet dissemination on market co‐ordination and political institutions grow exponentially with adoption levels. As a result, while the evidence indicates that advanced economies are reaping significant benefits from internet investments, the returns for less advanced economies, and in particular for the fight against poverty in these regions, remain uncertain.

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This study explores mobile phone use among people experiencing homelessness in downtown Los Angeles. It explores usage patterns and connectivity challenges, and how these affect access to social services as well as opportunities for information seeking, skills building, and social capital formation. To characterize the unreliable conditions under which this population uses mobile phones, we introduce the concept of access instability to capture not simply the obstacles to technology access imposed by poverty but more broadly those stemming from a combination of poverty, housing insecurity, and discrimination. The study is primarily based on a survey among adults experiencing homelessness (or at risk of) conducted over a span of 5 months, complemented by findings from a participatory research intervention carried out in collaboration with a local advocacy organization. Among the key findings is that reliable access to electrical power represents a fundamental yet understudied barrier to mobile use among marginalized populations, including (but not limited to) those experiencing homelessness. Lacking a safe and reliable place to charge their devices, the unstably housed must activate coping strategies that limit digital engagement and constrain use. Overall, access instability disrupts the expectation of constant reachability that underpins modern economic and social relations. Ultimately, this narrows pathways out of homelessness by limiting the ability to gain or sustain employment, to connect with healthcare providers and other vital resources, and to maintain networks of personal support.