Re: [school-discuss] [Fwd: How could we be part of this]

[tom poe <tompoe@renonevada.net>]

On Sunday 02 June 2002 04:09, David Bucknell wrote:
 I worry about this
> corporate sponsorship thing. Just what are the companies offered in return
> for the  donation?

Hi:  There's a message from Paolo that hits on this point as well, although 
he uses the term documentation.  

The original point was, that there's a "model" of what might be considered, 
when thinking in terms of moving infrastructure to developing countries.  Not 
just switching from Windoz to linux.  This "model" envisions moving huge 
numbers of computers from developed nations to developing nations, and in a 
short timeframe.  The premise is, that without a computer, nothing's going to 
happen.  Without power, communications, financial resources, there's a huge 
digital divide.  However, that digital divide will close rapidly, if the 
computers are there, sitting on the table.  One poignant example being a 
donkey-driven cart with a computer on it.  In other words, get the darned 
computers to the villages, and they'll figure out how to get them up and 
running.

Now, consider the Grameen Project.  Here's a country in a position, through a 
simple, microcredit program, that built infrastructure where there was none, 
and would be none.  If another country wants to do the same, that "model" is 
there, ready and waiting.  Contact Grameen, and they'll assist in building 
one for whoever wants to.  Contact Grameen, and fly under their already 
developed infrastructure until you can get off and running on your own.  
Whatever.

The Kiosk "model" says, let's get computers to developing countries.  Let's 
scale up to however many villages in a given country, figure out what it will 
cost to ship, install and go, then divide that figure by the number of 
villages.  Then, finance it through and under a 'Grameen model'.  The other 
half of the equation, i.e., collecting and preparing donated equipment is 
funded by selling marketing rights to the donated computers.  This will take 
a variety of forms.  For the Bangladesh example, it was arbitrarily figured 
that 68,000 computers could be collected and prepared for shipping for about 
$9 million US dollars.  That's about $150 per computer.  So, offer a 
marketing consultant a 30% commission, and we're looking at a multi-year 
marketing rights contract for about $12 million US dollars.  That puts $3 
million US dollars in the pocket of the marketing consultant for walking 
through the right door, getting the right decision-maker to think it's a good 
idea to nail the marketing rights to an entire country's kiosks, for peanuts!

As to the marketing rights issue.  What is considered out-of-bounds, or 
unacceptable as a term under a marketing rights contract?  Well, for 
starters, any marketing rights contract that states the villagers have to 
watch the commercials, or go to jail for theft, as Jamie Kellner, CEO of 
Turner Broadcast, says, is probably out-of-bounds.  But, whatever is 
negotiated and works for the parties should be considered.  One important 
point, is this.  The local villages own the kiosks.  If the village decides 
the marketing rights contract is breached, they deal with it.  If the sponsor 
decides the marketing rights contract is breached, they deal with it.  

The "model" described above is simply that, a "model".  For example, the 
Philippine government appears to have "choked" at the thought of an entire 
country moving so quickly to bring technology to the villages.  There are 
huge obstacles everywhere.  However, the bottom line is, without the 
computers all the rest of it is "status-quo", "business-as-usual", 
"talk-til-you're-blue-in-the-face", crappolla!
Thanks,
Tom Poe
http://www.studioforrecording.org/
http://www.ibiblio.org/studioforrecording/
http://renotahoe.pm.org/