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Global reach, local relevance: satellite broadcasting and poverty alleviation

Satellite broadcasting brings excellent sound quality and a variety of channels to the world’s most isolated rural areas. It is therefore considered an important information and communication technology that can contribute to poverty alleviation. With its wide geographical reach, however, it is difficult for satellite broadcasting to provide local content and relevant information.

Worldspace (WS), a satellite broadcasting company, has enormous reach throughout Africa and Asia. It broadcasts up to 40 channels with further information that can be downloaded to computers. Along with its charitable foundation counterpart, its stated aims include information provision to help rural and poor people. Choosing sites in Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya the Intermediate Technology Development Group, UK and the Arid Lands Information Network - East Africa explored whether the technology is, in fact, reaching poor people with information that is relevant and useful to them.

Rural communities and those who work with them such as community development workers feel hampered by a lack of information relevant to their needs. It seems, though, that Worldspace’s ability to fill these gaps is weak, for the following reasons:

Equipment that receives broadcasts is expensive and can only be bought by organisations or well-off individuals. Information dissemination therefore depends on the commitment and skills of those with access to sets.
Additional content available via computer is underused because organisations lack technology and skills.
Most content is in English and other national languages, requiring translation before it reaches the majority of rural people who do not understand these them. Community members prefer face-to-face information, provided in their own language.
Information is one-way: there is no feedback facility or way for people to share their own experiences.
Content is rarely specific enough to meet perceived needs.
The receiver requires a reliable electricity supply or many expensive batteries.
The equipment is a valuable asset: security issues such as damage, theft or inequitable control of access can become problematic.

The great reach and scope of the technology mean that these issues are unlikely to change, even if as planned, equipment costs are significantly reduced. Because Worldspace equipment is expensive and local language content is lacking, information from the broadcasts is only likely to reach the most marginalised people through an intermediary such as a community development worker translating into the local language and interpreting technical information. Most community workers do interpret and pass on information, but this is time-consuming and lack of training and skills means that the full potential of the system is rarely exploited. The internet, where available, holds more information that is simpler to access.

Where Worldspace is successful, in the sense of reaching poor and marginalised people, certain factors are in place:

Local services exist that have exploited all the services it has to offer.
People or organisations use Worldspace to find locally specific information that they interpret and pass on, generally face to face, to communities.
Intermediaries take time and have the skills to pass on information from broadcasts to poor people without access.
There is a reliable power supply.
Local FM radio stations re-broadcast programmes that can then be picked up with a normal, cheaper radio.

Source(s):
‘Pro-poor Satellite Broadcasting Reality or Myth? Final Research Report’. Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) by Robert Aley, Noah Lusaka, James Nguo, Catherine Njuguna, Atonette Miday and Mary Myers, November 2003

Funded by: Department for International Development, UK

id21 Research Highlight: 27 July 2005

Further Information:
Rob Aley
5 Portland Place West
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 7EU
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1926 426240
Contact the contributor: rob@thewaxstudio.com

Practical Action
The Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development
Bourton Hall
Bourton-on-Dunsmore
Rugby, CV23 9QZ
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1926 634400
Fax: +44 (0)1926 634401
Contact the contributor: practicalaction@practicalaction.org.uk

Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), UK

Arid Lands Information Network (Eastern Africa)
P.O. Box 10098
00100 - Nairobi
Kenya

Tel: +254 20 2731557
Fax: +254 20 2737813
Contact the contributor: info@alin.or.ke

Arid Lands Information Network (Eastern Africa)

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