Page 85 - Cyberculture and New Media

76 On the Way to the Cyber-Arab-Culture
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access to sensitive political and religious discussion, as well as sex-related
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material. In the Arab world, freedom of speech and information is severely
limited, even on the Internet, with the single common denominator a
perceived need by the region’s governments to protect cultural identity. Arab
countries feel that they are being threatened from the outside. Some of them
see this threat as an attempt by the United States to spread its perceived
neglect of ethics into Arab households. Others fear misinformation strategies
by the Israelis, who are perceived as masters at manipulating information for
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their own ends.

4. Privatization: Arab Telecommunications Policies and
Development
The globalization of media has had a strong influence on the
development, policy, and regulation of communication systems all over the
world. Information technology and the telecommunications industry have
been profoundly influenced by globalization. The convergence of computers,
telecommunications, and information technology is expected to bring new
telecommunication products and services, over time, within reach of ever
larger proportions of the global population. This trend has led to new
demands by customers, suppliers, and operators, and is exerting tremendous
pressure for changes in the traditional policy and regulatory framework of the
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telecommunication sector in most countries of the world.

In today’s world of instant communication and global
media sources, the censorial culture has ceased to have any
reason for existence. Authoritarian regimes are coming
under increasing pressure to allow privatization and
democratization, to respect human rights, and to guarantee
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freedom of expression.

As a result of an increasing vision of telecommunications as a key
factor for Arab economic development, the first International
Telecommunications Union Arab Regional Telecommunication Development
Conference, held in Cairo in October 1992, adopted a resolution on the
restructuring of the telecommunications sector in the Arab states. This
resolution urged countries to study and propose appropriate national policies
for information and telecommunications that will cover the regulation and
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operation of the sector. In Algeria, for example, “with enormous under-
development in the telecommunications sector and a government committed
to economic expansion coupled with higher than average government
revenues in 2000, the sector looks set for a significant overhaul in the
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immediate future.” In Lebanon, the size of the telecommunications market
is estimated at around US$4 billion. Contracts have been signed with Alcatel-