The first batch of outdoor Internet pay phones debuted in New York City earlier this week. The phones allow users to make voice calls at the usual rates, but also provides high speed internet access at 25 cents per minute. People can check email, visit websites, though pornography is blocked (it'd be interesting to learn what filtering method they use), and even send digital photos via the built in webcam for an additional charge.
What makes this news relevant here is that (although it wasn't mentioned in the article) access to the City's website is available for FREE through these terminals. There are hardly enough of these terminals to significantly bridge any digital divide. Imagine stopping into one of these phones to check traffic conditions, pay parking tickets immediately after receiving them, always be able to locate the nearest subway station, or any number of other services available on the City's website.
I wish this story about egov initiatives in India was a little more detailed (anyone have a better source for info?), but it does support my continual contention that it is possible for "third world" governments/economies to leap frog over the industrial age into the information age and become strong precences. A government like India's has much more to gain by embracing eGov than most western nations, if only because they've got a wider gap between potential and the current reality. This IT park they mention in the article is an excellent way to begin providing services to those who'd otherwise never be able to interact with government, even if the government were e-nabled, because they personally wouldn't have access to the technology to egage in that interaction. It sounds very exciting, but I'd really love to read more about this.