WATCH : Global Stage @ the UN: Reimagining Tomorrow: Breakthroughs in Data and AI

Make internet affordable, but not free for all

Make internet affordable, but not free for all
Free internet for everyone sounds great, but what's really important is for it to be accessible, says Vickie Robinson, head of Microsoft's Airband Initiative to expand broadband access throughout the developing world. The problem, she explains, is that it costs money to build and maintain networks, so no costs for end users could have unintended consequences. "If you have a framework in which the internet is free for all, do we lose some freedoms? Do we lose innovation? Do we lose the use of the internet as a tool for empowerment?" Instead, Robinson would focus only on giving access to people who really need it and can't afford to be online.

Robinson weighed in during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly.

Learn more: Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate

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Reimagining Tomorrow: Breakthroughs in Data and AI for a More Resilient World  Thursday, September 21, 10am ET

Watch today's livestream: Reimagining Tomorrow: LIVE from the UN General Assembly

Watch our virtual livestream, Reimagining Tomorrow: Breakthroughs in Data and AI for a More Resilient World, LIVE from the United Nations General Assembly today at 10 am ET. Hosted by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative, the event will bring together global leaders and change-makers to envision a world where the power of data, analytics, and AI is harnessed to pave the way for a sustainable and resilient future.

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Digital Equity