THE US Agency for International Development will spend $15 million
over the next five years improving Internet access in 20 African
countries.
鈥淩ight now there isn鈥檛 much except for some e-mail service. People pay a lot
to have full Internet service, and even then it鈥檚 slow,鈥� says Lane Smith, the US
AID project officer overseeing the scheme.
US AID aims to provide cheaper links to the Internet by negotiating a volume
discount on land lines or satellite links. The agency will also provide training
and hardware to set up 鈥済ateways鈥濃�攃omputers linking a country to the rest
of the Internet.
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