Address at Nicholas Negroponte’s lecture

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all I would like to thank you for inviting me to this meeting. The information society is too important to ignore. Few other issues have a stronger impact on our lives than the digital revolution.

The information revolution concerns us all. On television we can watch events as they happen. We can use automatic telephone services to pay bills and transfer money between bank accounts. We can even visit museums by surfing on the net.

My own approach to the information society is foremost the societal aspects. I am not a technology expert, I must admit. Actually, I think politicians should be concerned with the societal and ethical aspects of the information society rather than technology as such. We must make sure the technology is used in the interest of the citizens. Better quality of life is our prime goal.

The technology in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the use of the technology which determines both the nature and extent of the benefits. While some individuals and groups may benefit greatly, others may be seriously disadvantaged, through for example, loss of employment.

The information society should be about people. We must put people in charge of the information, and not let it be used to control them.

New possibilities in the information society

I am impressed by what can be accomplished by the use of the Internet. The emergence of electronic commerce will have a strong impact on the way we live and work. With the development of the Internet, we all truly live in a global village.

The development of the information society will have beneficial impacts on our society. There is a large potential for new forms of employment and new jobs. Information and communication technologies are forming the basis of new industries, notably the multimedia-based industry, which is likely to create many new high-skilled jobs in the future.

A number of social benefits are expected to develop; among them:

• Improved education opportunities. Better access to education and training and new tools such as multimedia software will improve education opportunities for all.
• Improved health-care delivery and social services. The information technology provides great hopes for health services, which are both more cost effective, and of higher quality.
• Improved access to cultural and leisure opportunities by the means of communication networks and digital media.

Challenges and priorities of the Norwegian Government

I would like to, however, to point to a number of challenges of concern to my Government.

First of all, we must ensure IT literacy on all levels. We must approach the information society as a "learning society". Learning and development of knowledge should be a lifelong process, which take place at work and in the home, as well as through education and training.

Further, we must prohibit an increasing difference between those who have access and master the new technology and those who do not. All communities and social groups will need access to the infrastructure and the means to make use of the services which are becoming available.

Of special importance for Norway is to promote cultural and linguistic diversity. We must make sure the Norwegian language is available in the digital media and communications systems.

We must avoid that specific geographical parts of our country are left out. This is critical for Norway with a decentralised population pattern and many people living in remote areas. Therefore we especially welcome the developments in mobile and personal communication and systems. In mobile communication, Norway is in the front rank internationally already.

The Government will support activities for the uptake and use of information technology in smaller enterprises and in particular those located in the more peripheral parts of Norway, as these enterprises constitute important parts of the backbone of our economy.

Knowledge and skills will become even more important in the future. Rapid changes in our society requires need for new ways in educating our population. The educational services of tomorrow will both have to be flexible ones and easily accessible. Education and instruction should as much as possible take place independently of time and location. Therefore we will work for that distant learning should be available countrywide independently of distance to learning institutions.

Also the Government will be concerned with how it best can offer interactive services to our citizens and make services available at natural meeting points, as well as in remote and rural areas as in urban ones.

We will aim for that the information society should reflect and further the values on which our society builds. But experience has showed that also the Internet reflects our society in all aspects - good ones as bad ones. On the Internet we find as well useful as illegal and harmful content. The Government support the principle that what is illegal off net is illegal on net. Censorship is not a solution as we approach the 21. Century. But we welcome technologies that will give the user the opportunity to select and receive only the information required. We will support initiatives and actions, which will secure the protection of minors and human dignity.

Men seem to be quicker than women in taking advantages of the new possibilities for communication provided by technology. This raises a need for a conscious approach to gender equality both at school and at work.

All of these issues will be given high priority by the Norwegian Government. Our goal is to be in the front rank internationally in the use of information technology.

The Government has given IT-policy high priority by giving the Minister of Trade and Industry Mr. Lars Sponheim the overall responsibility and the co-ordinating role in this field. The State Secretary Committee for IT is also headed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

We have a sound base for making progress in the information age:

• We have a population with a high level of education.
• We have a tradition for active co-operation between the public and private sectors.
• Norway is already up front in utilising information technology. We have a fully digitalized telecommunication infrastructure and one of the highest numbers of PCs, Internet-connections and mobile telephones per capita than most other countries.
• Last, but not least, we have a sound economy with low inflation and low interest rates.

Thank you very much for your attention.