when information is transported rather than delivered 

 e lectronically. 



Modern communication technologies can also offer 

 new opportunities for the delivery of higher education 

 in developing countries. In most of these countries, 

 the greatest obstacle is a lack of adequately trained 

 teachers. Institutions trying to staff new programs 

 typically have two alternatives: attract foreign 

 academicians to temporary visiting faculty 

 appointments, and/or send their own nationals abroad 

 for training. With the advent of expanded 

 communication facilities, such as those discussed in 

 this report, other alternatives for pedagogic 

 assistance and instructional support to educational 

 institutions are now possible. 



Proposed Initiatives 



Here we recommend several specific activities which 

 might enable the United States and developing countries 

 to evaluate the relevance of communications and 

 information technologies to development and to initiate 

 the necessary transfers of technology, where 

 appropriate. 



Rural Telecommunications . We propose that further 

 telecommunications experiments be carried out in a 

 number of countries, including the United States. 

 Different mixes of technology and different types of 

 services (health, education, agriculture, etc.) could 

 be mediated via telecommunications facilities, with all 

 experimenters committed to evaluating their projects 

 and sharing the results with other U.N. member 

 countries. The United States might support such an 

 experimental program in a number of ways, ranging from 

 the gift of telecommunications equipment and services 

 (such as time on a U.S. satellite) to technical 

 assistance, training, and the planning and financing of 

 projects. 



A good vehicle for this purpose would be AID'S 

 proposed program to use the Syncom IV satellite for 

 experiments in rural communications of the Indian type 

 over the years 1980-87, covering countries in the 

 Caribbean, Andes, and Sahel regions. This coverage 

 will demonstrate what modern science and technology can 

 do to bridge the communication barriers of water, 

 mountains, and deserts. The United States has built up 

 strong technical resources that can collaborate with 

 developing countries in these regions in working out 

 the critical problems of software and supporting local 

 service systems. 



Careful analysis of such test projects would 

 provide the information that the World Bank and other 



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