Peacesat and Development in the Pacific Islands

PEACESAT AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS Christopher M. Plant B.A.Hons. University of Exeter 1972 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (COMMUNICATION) in the Department of Communication @ Christopher M. Plant 1979 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December 1979 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Name : Christopher M. Plant Degree : M.A. (~ommunication) Title of Thesis: Peacesat and Development in the Pacific Islands Examining Committee: William H. Melody Professor Senior Supervisor Dallas W. Smythe Professor Robert S. Anderson Associate Professor Noel Dyck External Examiner Assistant Professor Department of Sociology & Anthropology PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for-such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its 'own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission, Title of Thesis /~issertation: PEACESAT AND DEVELOPMENT M THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. (signature) Chrirtophar Plant. (date ) ABSTRACT This thesis presents an historical and empirical analysis of the PEACESAT (Pan Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite) Project in relation to its appropriateness for the development process of the Pacific Islands. In this context, "appropriateness" is defined as the extent to which PEACESAT benefits Pacific Island people. More particularly, appropriateness refers to (1) the extent to which PEACESAT is controlled and used by Pacific Islanders; and (2) how much the system avoids the traditional core-periphery relationship of Pacific Island nation dependency upon Metropolitan nations, to work predominantly in the interests of the Pacific Islands. PEACESAT is the longest-running experiment in interactive satelli,te communications technology. Utilising an old NASA satellite originally used largely for weather-related experiments, it links some 17 different locations in the Pacific Islands and Pacific Rim countries by means of a primarily , audio-conference link. Its major differences ,from other communications satellite systems are that ground station equipment is low-cost and easy to operate, and that information flow on the system is two-way. For these reasons, the PEACESAT concept has been heralded as an approprjate telecommunjcations technology for developing areas such as the Pacific, iii characterised by isolated, impoverished communities scattered over vast geographical areas. The thesis tests PEACESAT0s claim that it is 'appropriate' for Pacific Island development by employing two broad methodological approaches. By means of a detailed historical analysis, the objectives and organisational structure of PEACESAT as an institution are examined, as are certain operational aspects of the system. An empirical analysis is then employed to investigate the predominant users and information flow patterns of PEACESAT. Institutionally, PEACESAT is shown to be centralised in structure, with control vested in Metropolitan locations, PEACESAT0s objectives, and their day-to-day implementation, are denonstrated tc be more In accord with broader US interests than with the authentic development interests of the Pacific Tslands. In the empirical analysis, data on a number of different variables were collected, including the sex and ethnicity of participants; the time that participants spent on air; the initiating and chairing of exchanges; the questioning and response activity of participants; and the predominant patterns of information flow among ground stations. The data demonstrate the overwhelming influence of the Metropolitan nations in the use of PEACESAT, illustrated by the following: that in the amount of time on air used, Caucasian participants dominated Pacific Island participants in a 4:l ratio; that less than 2% of exchanges were initiated by Pacific Islanders, and only 8% of chairpersons were Pacific Islanders; that overall information flow favoured Metropolitan over Pacific Island nations in a ratio of 1.8:l; and that, of the informal networks on the system, the Pacific Island - Pacific Island network was marginal, accounting for only 3.4% of all connections. On the basis of these analyses, the study concludes that PEACESAT as an institution replicates the familiar pattern of the domination of the core over the periphery, represented in this case by the domination of the Hawaii and New Zealand ground stations over the Pacific Island ground stations. As such, PEACESAT is interpreted as reinforcing the conventional pattern of unequal, core-oriented development to the Icxg-term detriment of Pacific Island nations, and is thus inappropriate for Pacific Island development. DEDICATION For the people of the Pacific Islands. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In writing this thesis I have benefitted from the help of a large number of people to whom I am very grateful. At Simon Fraser University, my Supervisor, Dr. William Melody, and the members of my Committee, Dr. Bob Anderson and Dr. Dallas Smythe, have repeatedly prevented my focus from wandering; Professors Pat Hindley and Gail Martin initially gave me the opportunity of working as a Research Assistant, and later as Acting Terminal Manager, with PEACESAT SFU; and Dr. William Richards and Professor Liora Salter provided valuable assistance in formulating the research design for the empirical part of the study. Dr. Nicholas Engler, the bibliographer of NASA's ATS experiments, from the Research Institute at the University of Dayton, Ohio, very kindly gave me access to invaluable documents relating to PEACESAT's history. Dr. John Bystrom, of the University of Hawaii and PEACESAT, Carol Misko O'Keefe of PEACESAT headquarters, Harold Wigran, of the National Education Association in the US, Stuart Kingan, from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, and Dr. John Chick, of the University of the South Pacific, were all good enough to grant me interviews, and Dr. Bryan Farrell, Di-Anne Reid Ross and Mark Viera, of the University of California Santa Cruz, were helpful and'h~s~itableduring my visit to Santa Cruz in 1978. The Terminal Managers of the different PEACESAT ground stations all provided me with valuable information; furthermore, during my active involvement with PEACESAT, I much appreciated the spirit of camaraderie which prevailed in the face of many difficulties. Additionally, the co-operation of Graham Davey, of the International Telecommunication Union's Regional Project in Suva, Fiji, and of various members of Post and Telegraph authorities and/or Ministries of Communication in Pacific countries, is appreciated. Finally, the study could not have been completed without the continued understanding and encouragement of my family to whom I am greatly indebted. 1 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS . A~PROVAL...................................................... 11 LIST OF APPENDICES...........................................xvi 1.0. Brief introduction to PEACESAT....................] 2.0. Hypothesis.. ......................................2 3.0. Objectives of the study... .....................-4 4.0. Orientation and scope of the study.... ............5 1 .0. Development theories: the theoretical context.. .I0 2.0. Communications satellite development: an historical overview...............................l6 3.0. Characteristics of the Pacific Island region .....30 4.0. Telecommunications in the Pacific Islands........39 5.0. The specific context and objectives of the PEACESAT Project ..................................43 111. THE TECHNOLOGY...e...................................48 1.0. The satellite.....................................48 2.0. The original experiments .........................53 3.0. Current experiments.............................. 55 4.0. Ground station equipment ........................ 57 5.0. Applications ..................................... 63 IV* THE EARLY HISTORY OF PEACESAT .........................64 1.0. John Bystrom: biographical background ............64 2.0. The dream: a global communications network .......66 3.0. Laying the groundwork for the project ............73 4.0. Towards operation ................................ 80 V . INSTITUTIONAL AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS ..................93 1.0. PEACESAT organisation ............................ 93 2.0. Financing .......................................101 3.0. Licencing ....................................... 109 4.0. Operational aspects .............................120 VI. GROWTH AND CONFLICT. 1970-1973 .......................131 1.0. The Hawaii position .............................132 2.0. International expansion: 1970-73 ................135 3.0. The 1973 crisis................................. 143 VII . FURTHER EXPANSION. 1973-1978 ........................164 1.0. Planned expansion. 1973......................... 164 2.0. International expansion .........................166 3.0. The controversy between PEACESAT and the USP ....174 4.0. The Extended Experiment .........................179 VITI . INFORMATION. EVALUATION & CRITICISM ...............

Load more