I'm looking forward to an expert jumping in but... I think North Korea is pretty much officially blocked to the Internet. Given the repression, I suspect NK usage would be very hard to gauge as those who have access are most likely not letting anyone else know. I suspect but don't know that Cuba is a bit more open. My understanding is that Cuba is looking hard for the tourist Euro (and Dollar). There are many who will not travel without access to the net. Once the connection is established, it will expand. No matter how repressive the government, those who have the money could connect in a number of ways in "stealth" mode. Satellite phones are expensive, easy to hide, and provide low bandwidth. Dishes provide better access but there has to be a satellite pointing your way and dishes are more visible. I've played a bit with Cantennas which provide many kilometers of focused access if you have friend who was willing to share less repressed access. The extent to which the Internet is changing repressive nations is a fascinating topic. I occasionally meditate on what nationwide firewalls accomplish but I think that is another topic. Charlie Balch -----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Sarah Michele Ford Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:07 AM To: air-l@aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] Access in Cuba and North Korea Hi all, Today in my Internet & Society class a student wondered about the amount and quality of Internet access in Cuba and North Korea. Anyone have any info or know of a good place to start looking? Thanks, Sarah *********************** Sarah Michele Ford Department of Sociology University of Massachusetts - Amherst ford@soc.umass.edu http://snowplow.org/sarah/ _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/818 - Release Date: 5/25/2007 12:32 PM

Hello Sarah One useful place to start looking in relation to Cuba is: http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/11/08/cuba-and-the-internet/ This looks at the issue of access for Cuban citizens in terms of recent Cuban government policy statements and also in terms of the alleged US cyber-blockade of Cuba. Ray Land ***************************************************************************** Professor Ray Land Director, Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement University of Strathclyde Graham Hills Building 50 George Street Glasgow G1 1QE t: 0141 548 2636 f: 0141 553 2053 e: ray.land@strath.ac.uk <mailto:ray.land@strath.ac.uk> w: http://personal.strath.ac.uk/ray.land <http://personal.strath.ac.uk/ray.land> Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge http://www.routledge.com <http://www.routledge.com/> ________________________________ From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org on behalf of Sarah Michele Ford Sent: Tue 29/05/2007 18:06 To: air-l@aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] Access in Cuba and North Korea Hi all, Today in my Internet & Society class a student wondered about the amount and quality of Internet access in Cuba and North Korea. Anyone have any info or know of a good place to start looking? Thanks, Sarah *********************** Sarah Michele Ford Department of Sociology University of Massachusetts - Amherst ford@soc.umass.edu http://snowplow.org/sarah/ _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org <http://aoir.org/> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/