Abstract
Internet platform has been identified by various countries including Sri Lnka as an alternative for the community rdio programmings. In most of the developing countries, the lack of policy conciousnes among the government, lack of awareness about effective programming models, lack of willingness among the government authorities to encourage civil socity empowerment through community radio and some other factor have been triggered the advent of internet community radio.
On the other hand, in countries like Sri Lanka, the level of ICT literacy, internet panitration, availability of 3G coverage, availability of access points and community willingness on ICT tool are relatively low are the challenging forces learnt in the feilf of internet community radio in reaching disadvantaged.
As far as Sri Lanka is concern, the ICT literacy rate of Sri Lanka is 16.1%, Its is 25.1% in urban sector and for the rural and estate sectors its 15.1% and 4.3% respectively. The use of desktop computer is 8.2% and its in the urban 17.8%, Rural 6.9% and estate 1.1%. According to the HHCLS the percentage of awareness about computers is only 37.1%. This obviously not siffiecent enough to carry internet community radio as the form of conventional FM community radio.
In such context, it is singnificant to think how far effect and efficient exsisting internet community radio are and what are the types of communication stretagies and models have been incorporated in order to reach those who don’t have access to the internet and what are the steps being taken by the exiting Internet to reach their programmes disadvantage community in Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, the process of taking the dividends of ICT to the rural is speed up in various areas. The Local Language department of ICTA has implemented Unicode system triligualism has become as a policy. ICT access centers such as Nenasala, Vidhatha and schoolnet are esgatablished islanwide. The use of social media among the younger generation ia become a new moment. Now the question is what are the stretagies that we can utilize to Internet based community radios in order to benefit marginalized or disadvantaged rural communities.
This paper will present some proposals in terms of maintaining strengthened internet based community radio culture in SriLanka. The views and the opinions of the operators of the excisting community radios included in this paper. Full paper can be obtained from the author by sending an email – mcrazmin@gmail.com
