For countries that depend heavily on travel and tourism as their bread and butter, it is essential that they have the resources that will allow their transportation and travel providers to tap into this growing market. All of these concepts depend heavily upon one basic factor in order to succeed, and that is widespread, reliable and affordable access to the internet. Hence, participation in the global information economy first and foremost requires deregulation in telecommunications. The experience in countries from the U.S. to Europe to Africa has proven that competition in the telecommunications market has resulted in lower prices, greater innovation, and improved quality of services for consumers. Since local telephone charges can be a significant part of the overall cost of internet usage for consumers, the introduction of greater competition in local access networks can bring about a substantial reduction in internet access fees.
Lower rates stimulate greater usage of the network.
Greater usage enables carriers to finance universal service obligations, spurs investment, and enables newly privatized state enterprises not only to remain financially healthy but to grow in the face of global competition. Governments alone could never afford the enormous telecommunications infrastructure necessary to drive the information economy. But governments can create an environment that spurs competition and private investment. The U.S. is committed to working with other countries to empower all societies to reap the benefits of the global information economy. A software company can be started with a handful of programmers and several personal computers.