Digital Inclusion Enhances Equality

Digital inclusion is an initiative that ensures all individuals and communities including most disadvantaged have an access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT). Digital inclusion is a continuous process to meet the challenges that come in the way of embracing the advanced technologies. It requires up-to-date national strategies and investment to eliminate institutional and structural obstacles to the access of advance technology.

It broadly stress access to and lawful use of ICT, which categorically includes internet, hardware and software infrastructure, digital literacy for all people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, geolocation, physical and cognitive abilities, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Digital inclusion helps everyone but primarily targets the disadvantaged or excluded individuals and communities who are still little aware of digital innovation.

Digital equality 

The terms 'equality' and 'equity' are used in a discourse that seeks to overcome digital inequalities and divides facing communities or individuals who have been left behind or could not have access to digital resources. Equity is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities. Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources and opportunities, regardless of their circumstances. Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in inclusive democratic and economic process.

Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning and access to essential services. Equity acknowledges the systemic barriers that must be dismantled before achieving equality for all. If it is accomplished, then equity level will increase. Application and contents of digital world like education, health, online job portals, digital libraries, virtual communication sites, etc. should be easily available for all citizens.

ICT has permeated different aspects of human life. Access to ICT tools is considered as fundamental right of people. Digital inclusion through ICT is the only strategy to close technological and social gaps. By doing so, nation can uplift vulnerable groups, which also complies with one key aspect of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On the other hand, the digital divide refers to a gap in the people's availability, accessibility and affordability to high speed broadband internet. It creates two groups of people – the one who possess required digital skills and have support to engage in digital world and those, who lacks these. As technology constantly evolves, the digital divide deprives the people of equal participation and opportunity in life, disproportionately affecting those with low incomes, living with disabilities, residing in rural areas, and the older people. 

The digital divides exist at three levels: physical (material access) logical (internet and bandwidth) and educational (digital skills and differentiated access). Physical divide occurs due to the lack of affordable access to devices i.e. desktop, laptop, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. While logical level divide arises from a condition in which an individual is unable to subscribe to the seamless internet connectivity. 

Similarly, there are three types of digital skills – fundamentals, advance and extraordinary. Fundamental digital skills enable a person to connect internet, use browser, password protection, send emails, use search engines and segregate useful online contents. Advance digital skills are a capacity of securing data transaction, online goods and services purchase, handling of the secure payment, digital wallets, filling up online forms and keeping the user safe and legal.

Extraordinary digital skills include the ability of using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), fuzzy logics, bug fixing and virtualisation of augmented realities, among others. National digital inclusion policy should focus on five elements - affordable, robust broadband, internet-enabled devices, digital literacy training, quality technical support for applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration.

Overcoming physical level divides, digital devices will be managed and allocated freely to needful individuals and communities. If free allocation is costly, then affordable and subsidised device ownership programmes could be launched. Gap of access level digital divide could be bridged by expansion of broadband availability for residents of unserved and underserved rural areas for broadband equity without digital redlining by federal government. 

Free learning content 

Finally, in order to end educational level divides, it is imperative to ensure free learning contents, free apps modality, digital educational camps for required areas, nationwide digital literacy movement, multilingual digital skill trainings, communicative data and content repository. This will enable maintain an ecosystem for digital inclusion with sustainable ICT programmes and policies.

It is the people's fundamental rights to have a free access to education, health, employment and ICT. So the government must ensure these basic rights. Ensuring digital inclusion means providing all people with an equal ICT access, infrastructure and knowledge. Dynamic digital equality could be attained with firm commitment, with focus on digitally backward individuals and communities. It is essential for the federal government to formulate ICT plan, policies and legislation so as to implement seamless national digital inclusion programme with prolonged usability and durability.

(The writer is retired technical manager at Nepal Telecom.)