Insights From the Edge
Big Ideas for Big Problems: Addressing Connectivity
This episode of Big Ideas for Big Problems: Addressing Connectivity podcast explores the critical challenge of connectivity among displaced and underserved communities. Guests include telecom-inclusion pioneer Troy Etulain and digital access advocate Mea Thompson, who dive into:
Why connectivity matters for refugees, students and women in host communities.
The systemic barriers — infrastructure, policy, affordability — that keep communities offline.
Real-world solutions: partnerships, community models and tech-enabled strategies making a difference.
Big ideas for bold change: moving from access to meaningful use, ethical considerations of powering vulnerable contexts, and what a moon-shot to bridge the digital divide might look like.
Tune in for insight-driven talk that connects global policy, grassroots action and technology for inclusion.
Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative
In this evaluation-report co-written by Troy Etulain, the focus is squarely on bridging the “governance gap” in AI: how to translate lofty ethics-statements into operational frameworks, oversight functions and long-term institutions. The report identifies critical levers: co-creating governance frameworks with practitioners, layering monitoring-and-evaluation (M&E) measures tied to adoption and behavior change, and deploying adaptive governance that evolves with fast-moving AI systems. Etulain and co-authors highlight that success means building an ecosystem in which governance isn’t an add-on, but embedded in AI development, deployment and regulation. The message resonates: for AI systems to be trustworthy and inclusive, ethics must be built into the architecture of organizational and societal decision-making—mirroring Etulain’s focus on scalable, measurable impact in tech for development.
Collaboration for Connectivity: A Digital Access, Inclusion and Participation
In “Collaboration for Connectivity: A Digital Access, Inclusion and Participation” (author: Troy Etulain), the focus is on how inclusive, co-designed broadband partnerships unlock access to education, health, livelihoods and civic voice for displaced and host communities. It calls for community-led models, measurable outcomes (e.g., hours learning, income change, participation), and risk mitigation (privacy, safety) to ensure connectivity drives social impact—not just infrastructure.
Terms Of Reference Podcast: Building Digital Inclusion, One Practical Experiment at a Time
In his Aidpreneur interview, Troy Etulain, Director of USAID’s mSTAR project at FHI 360, explores how digital development succeeds when it starts with real-world problems, not technology hype. From long-range Wi-Fi pilots and mobile money innovations to mapping connectivity gaps across underserved regions, he highlights practical ways to bridge the digital divide. Etulain’s message is simple yet powerful: treat technology as a catalyst for social impact—building sustainable, inclusive systems that connect people, empower communities, and expand opportunity.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
The report documents how ICT—mobile data collection, GIS/visualization, IVR, web portals—can improve illegal logging detection, internal workflows, and public transparency in Lao PDR and Moldova. In the lessons synthesized by Troy Etulain, success depends on aligning tech choices with long-term institutional strategies, building open data practices, and prioritizing user experience over feature lists.
Key cautions include managing expectations, guarding information security, leveraging intermediaries/partners, and setting clear KPIs with robust monitoring & evaluation to prove real-world impact. The sequence—baseline e-readiness → targeted applications/training → document and scale—offers a practical template for agencies facing similar constraints.
Etulain’s through-line is clear: governance outcomes first, technology second, so ICT investments actually change behaviors and strengthen forest sector accountability.