WEBVTT - Delivering Internet Access to the Underserved

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<v Speaker 1>These sees Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Tim

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<v Speaker 1>Stentovic on Bloomberg Radio. Well, speaking of growth, Carol, it's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to believe, but about half the world's population remain

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<v Speaker 1>unconnected and without the Internet, you're not going to see

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<v Speaker 1>the economic growth that countries that have widespread connectivity have.

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<v Speaker 1>Many in the developing world. Lots of groups and companies

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<v Speaker 1>and governments are out there looking to change that, including Microsoft.

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<v Speaker 1>We've got a great voice, Yeah, we do. Indeed, Vicky

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<v Speaker 1>Robinson as general manager of the air Band Initiative at Microsoft.

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<v Speaker 1>They bring broadcast broadband connectivity to people living in unserved

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<v Speaker 1>rural areas globally. It launched back in She is with

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<v Speaker 1>us via zoom in Washington, d C. Vicky, Happy New Year.

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<v Speaker 1>Great to have you here with us again. Talk to

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<v Speaker 1>us at bit about the initiative and what you guys

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<v Speaker 1>have achieved so far because you've been around what now

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<v Speaker 1>you're in your fifth or sixth year, that's correct, and

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<v Speaker 1>happy New Year. Thanks so much for having me um.

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<v Speaker 1>As you've mentioned that your been initiative has been around

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<v Speaker 1>for five years now, since twenty seventeen, and our whole

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<v Speaker 1>objective is to expand access to Internet Internet access throughout

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<v Speaker 1>the globe. And we do this largely because we view

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<v Speaker 1>it as our responsibility as a business imperative to enable

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<v Speaker 1>widespread use of our technology. And so since we embarked

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<v Speaker 1>upon this work, to date, we've extended high speed Internet

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<v Speaker 1>access to fifty one million people across sixteen countries as

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<v Speaker 1>well as the United States. And that includes nine million

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<v Speaker 1>on the continent of Africa and four million here in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States. So how are you doing it? What's

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<v Speaker 1>the technology that you're using. We're using a variety of technologies,

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<v Speaker 1>but what's really a core and important for us is

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<v Speaker 1>the partnership model. So I think it's important to clarify

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<v Speaker 1>uh this point that this is not work that Microsoft

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<v Speaker 1>is doing directly. We know that there are some of

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<v Speaker 1>the tech sect or who are in fact providing connectivity directly,

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<v Speaker 1>but that's not our approach. Our approach instead is focused

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<v Speaker 1>on partnering with others in the private, public, and nonprofit

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<v Speaker 1>sectors in order to increase access to the Internet throughout

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<v Speaker 1>the world. And so in doing that, we use a

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<v Speaker 1>variety of technology solutions. I have to ask, but I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not a cynic. I'm an optimist. But perhaps somebody listening

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<v Speaker 1>may say, Okay, well, of course Microsoft wants everyone connected

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<v Speaker 1>to the internet, because the more people who are connected,

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<v Speaker 1>the more of those people could sign up for Office three,

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<v Speaker 1>or use Microsoft Teams, or use the products that that

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<v Speaker 1>we all use from Microsoft. And we don't dispute that. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>that's part of the opportunity side. Listen. For our perspective,

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<v Speaker 1>we believe that we have an opportunity and an obligation

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<v Speaker 1>to uh have our technology widely deployed. And so yes, um,

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<v Speaker 1>the Internet is an enabler of at and we certainly

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<v Speaker 1>benefit from more people being online. We don't run from that,

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<v Speaker 1>but we also view this as part of our corporate

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<v Speaker 1>social responsibility as well. And I will point out to

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<v Speaker 1>him it's not a given that if you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>be connected to the Internet that you will by default

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<v Speaker 1>use Microsoft technology. But that is part of a calculation

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<v Speaker 1>in us doing this work. We don't we don't shy

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<v Speaker 1>away from that reality. How do you pick up the

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<v Speaker 1>momentum in the speed right there's you talk about the

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<v Speaker 1>in roads and success you've made um so far, but

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<v Speaker 1>there are millions, tens of millions of people, hundreds of

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<v Speaker 1>millions of people right that are still not connected. So yes,

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<v Speaker 1>yea progress, but so much more to be done. How

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<v Speaker 1>do you pick it up? So much more to be done?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I think you were talking about this as

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<v Speaker 1>we were jumping into the conversation. A third of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>two point seven billion people are not connecting to the internet.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's a huge challenge. But I will say the

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<v Speaker 1>pandemic and people being forced to shelter in whether it's

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<v Speaker 1>for learning or for doing your job or getting medical services,

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<v Speaker 1>that really helped to shine a light on this issue

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<v Speaker 1>in a way, um that I can tell you from

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<v Speaker 1>doing this work for the past two decades has not

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<v Speaker 1>been easy to kind of translate. And so when you

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<v Speaker 1>think about the two point seven billion people across the world,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a third of the world, and then here domestically,

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<v Speaker 1>according to our data, you have a hundred and twenty

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<v Speaker 1>million people or third of the United States who are

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<v Speaker 1>not using the internet. It is a big, hairy problem.

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<v Speaker 1>But the good news is is that there is a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of awareness and commitment globally by governments as well

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<v Speaker 1>as a private sector to address this problem in a

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<v Speaker 1>meaningful way. And so one example of that here in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States is an infrastructure bill that was pasted

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<v Speaker 1>last year and it's infused in sixty five billion dollars

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<v Speaker 1>to address this this very problem here domestically. What's the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest sticky point? Sticking point? I mean and I and

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<v Speaker 1>to be fair in the emerging economies, I mean kudos,

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<v Speaker 1>I think in terms of what you guys are doing.

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<v Speaker 1>But some of these people are just you know, they're

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<v Speaker 1>trying to even just put food food on their table.

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<v Speaker 1>Like it's a very tough environment. There's so much to

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<v Speaker 1>be done, is it? So where do you get caught up? Uh?

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<v Speaker 1>In problems? Uh? Is it governments? Is it just working

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<v Speaker 1>within systems that don't have a lot of great infrastructure?

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<v Speaker 1>On so many different levels? What is it? It's multifaceted actually,

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<v Speaker 1>So one thing to point out is that when you're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about uh develop you know, Global South and and

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<v Speaker 1>and and developing countries, um, there is also the barrier

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<v Speaker 1>of energy access. So if you look at Africa, for example,

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<v Speaker 1>where we are committed to expand access to a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>million people on the continent, many of those people don't

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<v Speaker 1>have energy access. So that's a that's a barrier, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's something that you need to address because of course,

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<v Speaker 1>you can't talk about internet access if you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>at base energy access. So it's really thinking about program

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<v Speaker 1>that address both the energy challenges, but as as well

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<v Speaker 1>as the lack of internet access. To your point, it

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<v Speaker 1>also needs to be affordable, um and so uh there

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<v Speaker 1>while if you have uh internet access, it's available and

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<v Speaker 1>it is available to certain parts of the world, if

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<v Speaker 1>you can't afford it, it's just it's it's just as

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<v Speaker 1>more well may not be a barrier, it's available because

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<v Speaker 1>it's a barrier to you. And so it is important

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<v Speaker 1>for governments. Uh. This has to be a whole of society,

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<v Speaker 1>whole world approach for government to lean in, whether it's

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<v Speaker 1>through funding programs for deployment of high speel Internet access

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<v Speaker 1>skills devices. It's multifaceted, well, Vicky. A lot of it

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<v Speaker 1>does have to do with the technology and the actual

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<v Speaker 1>way that you get the signal to rural areas and

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<v Speaker 1>areas of the world that are unconnective. We know Elon

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<v Speaker 1>Musk is working very hard with Starlink to bring Internet

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<v Speaker 1>to previously unconnected places. Any plans to work with with Starlink,

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<v Speaker 1>the SpaceX connectivity, Internet connectivity UH business, We're We're open

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<v Speaker 1>to working with everyone, but you don't currently work pardon

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<v Speaker 1>you don't currently work with starlink. Right, Microsoft does work

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<v Speaker 1>with starlink, but airband specifically not not currently. But we

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<v Speaker 1>are partnering with via set, who, like Starlink, provides satellite

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<v Speaker 1>based internet connectivity UM. In fact, as part of our

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<v Speaker 1>recent partnership with via set, and this is the first

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<v Speaker 1>of its kind. Um that, at least from an airband perspective,

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<v Speaker 1>we are committed to extending raw band access to ten

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<v Speaker 1>million people across the world, five million of which are

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<v Speaker 1>on the continent of Africa, and we are a big tent.

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<v Speaker 1>We're open to working with all partners and the private, public,

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<v Speaker 1>and nonprofit sectors, and so we're certainly open to that.

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<v Speaker 1>Believe solutions light um uh starling in the low Earth

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<v Speaker 1>orbiting satellite provide a lot of promise for attacking this

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<v Speaker 1>problem in a meaningful way. Hey Vicky, just have thirty seconds,

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<v Speaker 1>so if you could be quick please, But in terms

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<v Speaker 1>of recession or recession with the economic, global, economic macro

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<v Speaker 1>environment might be, how will that may be slow? Are

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<v Speaker 1>you seeing that? And could that possibly slow your initiative?

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<v Speaker 1>And again very quickly, um any anything's possible, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>but again I think the promise and of what's required

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<v Speaker 1>to actually exists in the digital world, um, and the

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<v Speaker 1>promise that technology holds to act as a deflationary force.

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<v Speaker 1>I think, combined with the government investments that we're seeing

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<v Speaker 1>crop up a wrong world that um, that will help

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<v Speaker 1>to hopefully blunt those um the macroeconomic environment and the

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<v Speaker 1>potential risk here. All right. Vicky Robinson, general manager of

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<v Speaker 1>Airband Initiative over at Microsoft, joining us via zoom from Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>d have to say, I feel like we've been talking

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<v Speaker 1>a long time too about connecting the whole world. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Interesting to think about the devices to write sort of

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<v Speaker 1>you know, hop scotching the idea of computers and going

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<v Speaker 1>right to phones