• Ana Serrano, Director Habitat, Canadian Film Institute, Canada
• Alexander Felsenberg, CEO DMMV, Internet and Multimedia Association, Germany
• Christian Bauer (Moderator), ICNM, Austria

One could think that technology is everywhere and that billions of people have the world right at their fingertips. But this is not the case: Kofi Annan, UN's Secretary General, states: "The new information and communications technologies are among the driving forces of globalization. They are bringing people together, and bringing decision-makers unprecedented new tools for development. At the same time, however, the gap between information "haves" and "have-nots" is widening, and there is a real danger that the world's poor will be excluded from the emerging knowledge-based global economy." One example to illustrate this: There are more phone lines in Manhattan than in the entire continent of Africa.[1]

Technologies provide opportunities to acquire knowledge, and that knowledge is translated into power. With the technological/economic revolution changing the scope of knowledge and power, more and more jobs are now based on the research and development of knowledge, and how that knowledge is implemented to further economic development. "Knowledge is the new asset: More than half of the GDP in the major OECD countries is now knowledge based."[2] So when a country economic and social situation is so impacted by having - or not having - these technologies available, it becomes an important issue.

BRT13 is exactly addressing this "knowledge gap", but names it – in accordance with the ACTeN overall mission – a "content gap". Some tables and charts (see point 2) indicate clearly the existence of this vast gap between developed and least developed countries, as it is the case with many other vital resources and as it is with the global distribution of income. As described in point 5 "Conclusions", is one way trying of initiate welfare, to support developing countries with ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure and know-how and thereby, causing positive side-effects for the countries economy as such.

It is hard to define Europe's position in that effort[3], as ICT support is mostly not a declared part of the overall developing support. The EC states to be the largest supporter of developing countries by contributing EUR 6,5 billion per year[4], but the contribution to ICT is not defined.

The reactions on the first summit were polarized respectively showed a whole spectrum of opinions: From the rather pessimistic or politically demanding standpoint that WSIS was a failure (since there is a lack of concrete results[5]) and on the other side of the spectrum were voices saying that the first WSIS event was an important step towards a better future, since the first thing to do is to talk, and that happened in Geneva certainly. The BRT in that regard, was exactly such a discussion taking place at WSIS, and was therefore just another contribution in the problem and solution finding.