'DOCOBEIT RESONE ***06,872 IR 009 786 :WHO* . Erdman, 'Ann TITLE IsiginatiVe Use,- flohbrOadcasi Technology Directs SOCial.Services tO Isolated Audiences. INSTITUTION A4encylet International Developient (Dept. of State;, Washington, D,C. Clearinghouse on Development tomitAidation. as -OUR DATE Sep. 61 110TE 18p. 4DOR1it CIT Development Copmunication Report; n35 Sep 1981 !DRS PRICE .spal/pcol Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Communications :Satellites,; *Developing Nations: Edicational Radio: Information Utilization: *International Programs: *Program Evalutiion: *Rural Deveropment: Scripts: *Social Services ABSTRACT The keynoteirticle in thiS.issue summarizes some of lihel.essons 'learned after a. decade of using satellites for public Aservice,.-and after.filie-Years Of experimentation with information -teOhnOlogies designed for specialized audiences: Consubity service prosiaas in the Appalachian Mountain and Rocky /fountain regiOns and in%the state o.:!, Alaska area evaluated, and a series o2 observations ore, made suggesting reasons for' the success or failure of these Satellite projects. The report also includes an outline of projects Ithded b? the teledoimunications demonstration program and lists the *se of the grantee, the technology used, the service rendered, and lEhiv:end-aser of that service: Other articles in this issue pro#de: (1).'a diicussion of satellite communications in rural Peru,(2) a SlossarY of: the language-Of teleconiunications, (3) some practical guidelines for radio scriptwriters and. planners, (4) an examination ofcOmiunications utilization ,in encouraging a hybrid cocoa fataing TrOgra; in Nigeria,. and (0 a dilkussion of the use of interactive 4edia byi the Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) program to Send information on energy to reguegitors, primarily in developing ' countries. INER) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made frOm the originals document. * *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEOUCATION EOUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) reproduced as ?If The: document has, been receercd horn the person ororganization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been madeto improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated inthis doce. ment do not necessarily reptasentoff Kul NIE position or policy. cp IMAGINATIVE USE OF NONEROADCAST TECHNOLOGY, DIRECTS SOCIAL SERVICES TO ISOLATED AUDIENCES by Adn Erdman Development Communication Report No. 35 September 1981 2 gL" lt Imaginative Use of Nonbroadcast Technology Directs Social Services to Isolated Audiences by Ann Erdman The rush to apply.expertmental Recognizing thispotential, the former satellite projects in particular. Many of the new technologies to the social U.S. Department of Health, Education, and lessons learned apply to the Third World as problems of the 70's has left ins- Welfare (HEW) began to examine ways tech- well as to the developed world. On.the plus tory enough and evidence enough nologies could be used for distribution of side, the demonstration may be considered to for the public service community to learn val- social services, which have been estimated to have been successful in four respects: uable lessons. The following article draws on be as much as 75 percent information-trans-_ 1) the technical aspects of the project a decade of using satellites for public service, fer in nature. The prospect of reaching rural worked well, demonstrating that satel- populations with satellite, and urban popula- and on over five years of experimentation liteservice was useful for reaching with other information technologies for spe- tions with cable, appeared especially promis- remote communities isolated from nor- cialized audiences. ing. Of particular interestto service-pro- mal radio (in the generic senseaudio, viders was the possibility of using telecom- video, etc.) reception by distance or Today, everyone is aware that satellite-munications to distribute continuing educa- geographic barrier; tion services, public awareness and consumer delivered communications can span tremen- 2) projects initiated in Appalachia and dous distances. The increased interest in tele- assistance messages, and information and Alaska became so essential to the social. phone and in videoconferencing, the phe-referral services for public assistance. services programs that sufficient sup- nomenal growth in computer networks, and In tile early 70's there was keen national in- port was secured to lease commercial the increasing use of cable television to carry terestin putting technology to work for satellite time for the services. The tran- varied consumer communication services, all public st:rvices. When the National Aeronau- sition from experimental to commercial attest to the new technologies' ability to cut tics and Space Administration (NASA) asked satellite systems was relatively smooth; time and cost and offer greater informationthe Department of HEW to sponsor commu- variety than ever before. nity service experiments aboard an Applica- 3) the Public Service Satellite CorlSofticim What is not yet well known is that these tions Technology Satellite, ATS-6; HEW saw (PSSC), an organization de,signed to " nonbroadcast technologies" have increas-in the invitation a unique opportunity. Ao identify potential-social service users of ingly become more accessible and less expen-demonstration devised to test the concept satellite communications and to facili- sive as modes of information delivery. "Non- took place in 1974 in three distinct geographic tate their access to transponder (satellite broadcast" is generally considered to refer to areastheAppalachianMountainand usage) time, was established, and has transmissions intended for reception by aRocky Mountain regions, and 'the State of (continued on page 2) specific audiepce rather than for direct recep- Alaska. The demonstrations resulted in ex-\ tion by the general public. Nonbroadcastperimental projects that provided in-service In this issue... transmissions often require decoders, anten- training for teachers in the Appalachian area,, U.S: Experimental:Projects nae, or other devices to receive and convertcareer educationfor junior high school Us.Notibroadcast Technology 1 Signals for use by the specific user or sub.-students in the Rocky Mountains, and in- Satellite Bolsters Rural scriber. Thus, satellites,cable television,structional programs for village schools in ComMuniCations in Peru microwave, telephone, subcarrier radio andAlaska. Health experiments included two- Glossary:" the Language ,way consultation-at-a-distance with physi- TV channels, and other telecommunications of,TeleCOminimications 4 systems which deliver signals to specific audir cians for patients in rural Alaska, and in- Wriiingriortilueational Radio 6 struction in ences are considered nonbroadcast technol- for medical students states CominiiniCatOr's Checklist 8 ogies. without medical schools. A health project of Co_ cna,andtOrkrthinications During the decade of the -70's the availabil-the Veterans Administration facilitated ex- in Iiigerik ity of commercial satellites, new cable sys-change of medical informationbetween Volunteeri and Satellite tems offering 80 or more channels, and high-remote hospitals and urban medical teaching Send.technical Assistance capacity computer networks all held promise centers. On File atiERIC 13' for offering the public a dazzling array of Evaluation of this satellite demonstration UN Film on Women's Roles 14 new communication systems for specializedprovides interesting insights into the initia- Agricultural Information Services :16 needs at relatively reasonable costs. tion of technology projects in general and of A publication of the Clearinghouse on Development Communication Supported by the Bureau for Science and Technology of the U.S. Agency forintemational Development 2 (continued from page 1) be forestalled to a large extent by effective establishing a Telecommunications Demon- succeeded in developing a substantial early planning. Unfortunately for this proj- stration Program that subsequently awarded uszr community; ect. adequate lead time for planning was not grants totalling $3 million to 15 projects, 4) the Corporation for Public Broadcast- available. which ranged from a computer/telephone ing was convinced by the experiments to Three,servations which may help plan- system for the deaf in Boston to a microwave move ahead with a satellite network for ners avoid similar implementation problems system for migrant farm worker services in interconnection of all public broadcast-can be h.ade about this project: California. 1Vhile the discussion here ad- ing stations. The satellite network is Obseivation #1:Projects intendedfor dresses only problems encountered in im- now operating an effective system. long-terni operation must insure that local plementing the demonstrations, it is impor- On the other hand, the failure of the commuaities consider the proposed service tant to note that the projects eventually Rocky Mountain project to sustain interest in necessary, that they accei t the technology,Achieved a success rate of 75 to 80 percent in and support for continued operation, was a and are prepared to ucal with implementa- reaching their collective system and service disappointment to demonstration planners. tion problems. goals. This failure isgenerally attributed to the Observation #2: Reliable equipment