Digital Inequalities

Jan and Paul are joined in the studio by Professor Katy Mason to discuss digital infrastructure and inequalities – and why naughty trees and inconsiderate weather affect planning large-scale projects in more isolated areas. Katy discusses two projects – Mobile Access North Yorkshire (MANY) and 5G Rural Integrated Testbed (5GRIT) – that brought digital technologies to rural areas in the North of England. She explains why isolated areas can miss out when new tech is rolled out, how these technologies can help in unexpected ways – from assisting mountain rescue teams to tracking sheep on the fells in heavy snow – and the importance of involving communities in the rollout. You can find out more about the MANY project here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/research/innovation-in-place/#d.en.520893 and about Katy’s research projects here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/katy-mason WARNING: This episode contains language that may upset some listeners, as ‘infrastructuring’ is used as a verb in defiance of all rules of English. Episode Transcript