TelecommunicationsPolicy29(2005)409–428 Digitaldivideinadevelopingcountry JudithMariscal à Centro de Investigacio´n y Docencia Econo´micas (CIDE) (Center for Teaching and Research in Economics, Division of Public Policy and Telecommunications Research Program Telecom-CIDE), Carretera Me´xico-Toluca 3655, Col. Lomas de Santa Fe, 01210 Mexico City, Mexico Abstract Enthusiasmforthebenefitsoftheinformationrevolutionisboundless;itpromisestoprovideeconomic opportunity,growthanddemocraticcommunication.Yet,thesepromisesarefulfilledonlytothosewith access and competence to use these new technologies. Stark international and national contrasts exist between those who have access to the information technologies and those who have not. Despite the increasingattentiondigitaldivideissueshavereceivedinthepublicarena,intheacademicliterature,there isnoconsensusregardingtheappropriatepolicytoimplement.Thispaperdrawsonthedifferentpolicy trajectories recommended by the literature of telecommunications development and uses them as an analyticallenstoexaminethecaseofadevelopingcountrylikeMexico.Itexplorestheunderpinningsofthe digitaldivideinMexicoandprovidesthedatathatsubstantiatestheconcept.Theargumentinthispaperis thatthe Social Capital conceptisusefulinthedesignandimplementationofauniversalaccesspolicy.From thisstandpoint,thefocusofthedebatemovesbeyondshort-termsupplyconsiderationstodynamicissues suchastechnologicaladoptioninanasset-basedcommunitydevelopment. r 2005PublishedbyElsevierLtd. Keywords: Digitaldivide;Informationsociety;Informationtechnologies;Telecommunications;Development ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevierbusinessandmanagement.com/locate/telpol 0308-5961/$-seefrontmatter r 2005PublishedbyElsevierLtd. doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2005.03.004 à Tel.:+525557279825;fax:+525557279873. E-mail address: judith.mariscal@cide.edu.