Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Thursday announced a new, US$328 million plan to provide computer and Internet services through public libraries in developing nations.Botswana, Latvia and Lithuania won the first round of grants, a total of $17.5 million, the foundation said. Over the next seven years, the Gates Foundation expects to invest the remainder of the fund in 12 to 15 countries.The grants are aimed at creating opportunities for people in the developing world to access the Internet. A portion of the funds will be set aside for IT training programs. Bill Gates The initiative comes amid heightened sensitivity to the need to bridge the digital divide in developing nations. A number of companies and groups are working to provide low-cost IT products and Internet access to poor areas of the world, including the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Group led by Nicholas Negroponte, a cofounder of the MIT Media Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Via Technologies, which is building solar-powered computer centers; and Intel, which has pledged $1 billion over five years for computers and Internet access. The latest notebook reference design is aimed at Taiwan, which is an emerging but by no means poor economy. The device is orange, comes with an attached shoulder strap and is meant for school-age children.Citing statistics that say 87 percent of the world’s population, or 5 billion people, have no access to the Internet, the foundation pledged to help solve this inequity. “The vast majority live in developing countries, which means that those with the greatest need often do not have the opportunity to access valuable health, education and government information that can improve their lives,” the foundation said in a statement.The foundation worked with the government of Botswana to develop a pilot plan to connect five villages to the Internet and put computers in public libraries or reading rooms. The goal is to develop the test sites to make sure they are both useful to the public and show staying power over the long term. The foundation invested $1.1 million to fund the initial round of the project.In Latvia, the Gates Foundation provided $16.2 million for broadband Internet connections and Wi-Fi networks in libraries across the country. Each library will also receive three computers and IT training for its staff. The government of Latvia and Microsoft Latvia also committed funds and software to the project.Lithuania received a $220,000 grant to help plan a national effort to provide Internet access in public libraries throughout the country for free. The foundation will grant additional funds to the effort once planning is completed.The foundation cited past successes for its faith in the global Internet initiative. In 2001, the foundation worked with the government of Chile to put Internet access and computers in all of the country’s 368 public libraries. Another effort in Mexico placed computers in about a third of the country’s 8,000 libraries.-Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau) Related Links: Via Brings the Internet to Poor Nations OLPC Ships First Ten ‘$100 Laptops’ Brazil Receives OLPC ‘$100 Laptops’Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost A guide to hybrid cloud deployment for innovation without disruption How do organizations balance their on-premises preferences and requisites with the crucial need to innovate? By Ahmed Helmy, Global Vice President, Avaya Experience Platform Product Management Jun 07, 2023 3 mins Hybrid Cloud brandpost A guide to hybrid cloud deployment for innovation without disruption How do organizations balance their on-premises preferences and requisites with the crucial need to innovate? By Ahmed Helmy, Global Vice President, Avaya Experience Platform Product Management Jun 07, 2023 4 mins Hybrid Cloud brandpost Bringing AI to your organization? Better bring the right database Why Apache Cassandra offers the scalability, reliability, and speed required for building artificial intelligence applications. By Patrick McFadin Jun 07, 2023 7 mins Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence feature 7 ways to spot hidden IT talent within your ranks Your organization has hidden IT superstars in the making — both within and outside IT. Here’s how to find and elevate them for maximum impact. By John Edwards Jun 07, 2023 8 mins Staff Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe