When regional technology and telecom related conferences are convened and the telecoms and ISPs are glaringly absent, the digital gap gets harder to bridge. Telecoms are notorious for fighting policies that lower prices and increase usage, deeming them unfair to their business practices. These telecoms are oblivious to the fact that many of these policies emanate from such conferences many of them regional, with attendees like government policy makers, influential business persons, who want win-win situations.
The telecoms (including those who are sponsors) however see no business value and therefore will not even send a representative to articulate their views, whereas these same telecoms will send entire contingents to social events where they can show how 'smart they are'. How about smarts at events that have long term value?
