Internet

The Municipal & Utility Guidebook to Bringing Broadband Fiber Optics to Your Community is a free, comprehensive guide to the economic and quality-of-life benefits of robust fiber infrastructure. It examines in detail four communities that have successfully deployed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services to their citizens and businesses.

“This guidebook helps government leaders build a strong case for investing in FTTH infrastructure,“ said Alan Shark, Executive Director of PTI. “With thorough analysis, interviews and painstaking research, it sets forth strategies that, if followed, will help American communities whose broadband needs are not being met by current market dynamics to prosper in the information age.“

The 136-page book investigates several benefits of FTTH in local sectors, including transportation and healthcare, both of which face intensifying pressures to become more efficient and less costly. It also examines the value a municipal fiber network can bring to wireless mobile services

Do you want to use multimedia, online or offline tools to advance your cause?   Creatively and effectively? To reach the broadest possible audience?

Do you want to create and distribute audio programmes, comic books, posters and newsletters? Set up a website or a blog to champion your issue?

Tactical Tech's "Message in-a-box" is a set of strategic guides to using communications tools for social change, together with a suite of open source tools to get you making your own media. The toolkit is designed for small and medium-sized NGOs, advocates, and citizen journalists to help them create and distribute content for their advocacy efforts while exploring the constantly evolving world of campaigning and communications.

The Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) is a space for collaborative monitoring of implementation of international (and national) commitments made by governments towards the creation of an inclusive information society.

It focuses on monitoring progress made towards implementing the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) action agenda and other international and national commitments related to information and communications. It also provides analytical overviews of institutions involved in implementation. GISWatch aims to make governments and international organisations accountable for meeting the commitments they make through contributing to building a strong and sustainable global civil society policy advocacy network.

The GISWatch 2007 and GISWatch 2008 reports are the first in a series of yearly reports covering the state of the information society from the perspectives of civil society.

GISWatch is not only a publication, it is a process. The long term goal of the project is to build policy analysis skills and ‘habits’ into the work of civil society organisations that work in the areas of ICT for development, democracy and social justice.

About us
The Global Information Society Watch is a joint initiative of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (Hivos) and the Third World Institute (ITeM), and follows up on our long-term interest in the impact of civil society on governance processes and our efforts to enhance public participation in national and international forums.

Association for Progressive Communications (APC) www.apc.org
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment, through the strategic use of information and communication technologies, including the internet.
Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (Hivos) www.hivos.nl
Hivos is a Dutch non-governmental organisation guided by humanist values. The work of Hivos aims at structurally alleviating poverty, with an emphasis on civil society building and on sustainable economic development. The efforts of Hivos are focused on nine themes: financial services and business development; sustainable production; human rights and democratisation; HIV/AIDS; gender, women and development; art and culture; ICT & media; advocacy and communication; and the knowledge programme.
Third World Institute (ITeM) www.item.org.uy
The Third World Institute (ITeM) performs information, communication and education activities on an international level, concerning development and environment-related activities. It is a civil society organization, working for civil society, which encourages citizen involvement in global decision-making processes.