News from Around the World

I've always been skeptical about the "technological fix" or the claim that technology itself is inherently democratizing (or inherently anything, for that matter). In fact, I found Bill Clinton's "digital divide" stuff to be completely delusional considering the very real problems so much of the world faces. Yet I do find myself drawn to Andrew Rasiej's plan to cover the City with low-cost wireless internet access. Rasiej is running for Public Advocate on a platform centered on building the infrastructure to make New York City a true twenty-first century city wherein internet access is not a tool of the wealthy or powerful.