Media and Communication Capacities in the Pacific Region

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Abstract

Realities of limited telecommunications and Internet service delivery are putting a restraint on expectations of major impact from new media in Pacific nations. This paper argues that for development tasks at least, a leap forward based on new technology is as yet rather much to bank on, so the widest range of considerations has to be kept in mind – all forms of mass communication media that are available to use and adapt, other opportunity factors, and obstacles to communication.

The paper will examine two cases: the island nation of Tuvalu, and the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea. In Tuvalu, checks on media use include limited net access, slow or congested bandwidth speeds, and lack of access to computer services and repairs. In the Western Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, there is currently little access to the Internet, and what there is tends also to be slow and limited. More traditional forms of media such as radio stand to deliver good returns if developed well.

The method of investigation for the two case studies is principally direct observation by the researcher in each case. During extended visits to the two developing regions in question, the researchers participated in local media production or assisted with training. In each case the undertaking was backgrounded with extensive preparatory work including a review of relevant scholarly literature on regional issues and mass media.