9. Future Scenarios

Michael Gurstein, Director of the Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking at the University College of Cape Breton has developed an argument for going beyond using the Internet as a tool for marketing in small and rural communities. He suggests the possibility of on-line networks for distributed economic development and even production. In a paper prepared for the Victoria Association of Community Information Centres, Gurstein spins scenarios that allow rural communities to expand their Internet access to an economic development strategy that links multiple sites in production and distribution. He points out that the local economy (as opposed to the global economy) will share the fate and future of the local community and respond to local issues and conditions. He also sees the need for a CN or other intermediary access point for low income entrepreneurs or small firms with limited resources.

A viable community does not exist without an economic base, but the extent to which a Community Network can act as a strategy for economic development is yet to be proven. It is obvious that direct low cost access to the Internet is one step towards supporting a local economy. However, as Gurstein points out, the role of information technology in local/rural economical development is yet to be determined. It is equally possibly that the technology can accelerate the decline of small businesses by opening access to the greater selection and cost competitiveness of metropolitan suppliers.

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