[Air-l] Access in Cuba and North Korea

[Charles Balch Ph.D.]

I'm looking forward to an expert jumping in but... 

I think North Korea is pretty much officially blocked to the Internet. Given
the repression, I suspect NK usage would be very hard to gauge as those who
have access are most likely not letting anyone else know. 

I suspect but don't know that Cuba is a bit more open. My understanding is
that Cuba is looking hard for the tourist Euro (and Dollar). There are many
who will not travel without access to the net. Once the connection is
established, it will expand.

No matter how repressive the government, those who have the money could
connect in a number of ways in "stealth" mode. Satellite phones are
expensive, easy to hide, and provide low bandwidth. Dishes provide better
access but there has to be a satellite pointing your way and dishes are more
visible. I've played a bit with Cantennas which provide many kilometers of
focused access if you have friend who was willing to share less repressed
access.

The extent to which the Internet is changing repressive nations is a
fascinating topic. I occasionally meditate on what nationwide firewalls
accomplish but I think that is another topic.

Charlie Balch

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Sarah Michele Ford
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:07 AM
To: air-l at aoir.org
Subject: [Air-l] Access in Cuba and North Korea

Hi all,
Today in my Internet & Society class a student wondered about the  
amount and quality of Internet access in Cuba and North Korea.   
Anyone have any info or know of a good place to start looking?

Thanks,
Sarah

***********************
Sarah Michele Ford
Department of Sociology
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
ford at soc.umass.edu
http://snowplow.org/sarah/



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