Tech Pundit Says Internet Access Should Be A Basic Civic Right

The internet — just like education — should be provided as a basic service now that it’s become part of global public infrastructure, technologist Nicholas Negroponte said Wednesday during a presentation at the NXP Semiconductors NV users conference in Austin.

Negroponte, the co-founder of the media lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it’s surprising that the internet hasn’t had a more unifying effect on the world and suggested it should be beyond the control of governments and managed by a global organization much like the United Nations.

“The internet is now moving to the realm where it should be part of civic society,” he said. “The movement in that direction is very important because it violates everything we’ve learned about competition. It is possible that we can rethink it.”

Negroponte, who is probably best known for his One Laptop per Child initiative, spoke to conference attendees at the Moody Theater. The four-day event is being attended by about 2,300 people, organizers said.

Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI) acquired Austin’s Freescale Semiconductors Inc. for $11.8 billion in late 2015. Freescale developed microprocessors for several applications and employed 17,500 workers before the deal.

NXP, which posted revenue of $6.1 billion in 2015, ranked No. 15 among the world’s top semiconductor companies, according to Arizona research firm IC Insights Inc. The company ranked No. 7 when combined with Freescale’s business, research firm IHS Inc. reported.

During Negroponte’s 50-minute presentation, not all of the technology at his disposal was up to snuff, and he stopped several times to complain about a balky remote control device used with his accompanying slide show.

During the question-and-answer section, Negroponte said the technology community’s startup culture “has gone a little too far” by focusing too much on developing the latest apps instead of larger, more meaningful projects. He also objected to the “fail fast” approach that’s become so popular with the latest generation of technologists.

“That doesn’t make sense. I always thought when you fail you work harder,” Negroponte said. “Sometimes you just have to buckle down. It’s a different mentality from going from pillar to post than being an entrepreneur.”

Source: Austin Business Journal, Christopher Calnan
Photo: Nicholas Negropante was the keynote speaker at NXP Semiconductors NV’s users conference in Austin. (Arnold Wells, ABJ)