While university and research networks bootstrapped the Internet in nearly every nation, they are now facing the commercial networking tsunami. He also shows us that the Net is still in its infancy in nations like Laos . Larry Press and his colleagues recently studied the Internet in Nepal , which is also struggling to answer Rao's question, and they came away recommending some possible steps toward finding an answer. What we see in this issue are first the tremendous progress that has been made in bringing the Internet to developing nations and, second, the parallel issues that arise when progress is made. From complex policy issues to overcoming seemingly insurmountable technical barriers, to the requisite training and content questions, attainment of the benefits of Internet access requires patience, resources, and creativity.
Internet access is, after all, part of what it means today to be developed.