Image courtesy of Jane Munga
When I served in the Peace Corps from 2004-2006, I lived in the rural town of Pokrovka, Kyrgyzstan. There was no internet access in the town then. I had to travel 30 minutes by taxi to get to an internet cafe. The world has certainly changed since then! The internet has spread much farther and wider, and at the same time it has become an ever more important part of daily life. Still, much of the world remains unconnected, either because of a lack of infrastructure or because it’s too expensive or difficult to go online.
My latest story for Science News Explores looks at new technologies that could help rural areas get online. But it doesn’t ignore the fact that technology alone is not enough. We need to bridge societal and financial barriers as well.
Will the internet soon reach the one-third of people without it?
Science News Explores, January 5, 2023
