This is close look to the Internet situation in Serbia, from within an organization, Radio B92, that offers Internet access. The general attitude of the Serbian public towards Internet has evolved through all the expected stages, from ignorance to worship to finally the status as a tool for spreading tolerant sensibility in the society.
The Internet situation became quite critical. From 1992 to 1994 , a telephone line and X.25 switch was needed to access the Internet, for those with the means to reach some machine outside the Serbia. So, only a minority, basically in the university, could experiment with the power of Internet and take a look at the horizon of computer networking. Simultaneously, there was a continuous effort by various non-formal groups to find a way to the Net, one way or the other, and to offer that possibility to the general public.
A tiny light at the end of the tunnel appeared in September 1994 when the Amsterdam Internet site XS4ALL agreed to become an Internet provider for B92. It took over a year for B92 to clear all of the paperwork, locate space, arrange for just one leased telephone line to Amsterdam, and find funding for this new adventure. OpenNet.Org,
Belgrade Radio B92's Internet site, opened on November 14, 1995.
OpenNet was the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Belgrade, and was the only provider in Serbia until March 1996. The only organization supportive of the project with B92 was (and still is) the Fund for an Open Society. The opening of the site required more than two years of continuous effort, overcoming all kinds of obstacles. Certainly, the constant lack of support from the regime, towards both B92 and Internet, did not help. The state-controlled PTT (Post, Telegraph, and Telephone) was unwilling to sell any local telephone lines or provide a digital link to the ISP in Amsterdam. So, until quite recently, the site operated on just a 28.8-kbps leased line with seven dial-up lines rented from nearby organizations. Under very expensive terms, OpenNet has just started a 64-kbps link to Amsterdam.
The general intention of OpenNet was:
In May 1996, Web OdrazB92 and electronic distribution (subscription at vesti@opennet.org) of Radio B92 news started. News updates are provided at least twice a day. Starting in December, 1996, Radio B92 filed news updates (English and Serbian versions) in RealAudio format to its XS4ALL page RadioB92 in danger. The RealAudio information drew a great deal of attention, beyond all expectations, so OpenNet has started live broadcasts of B92 programs. People from all over the world downloaded Audio files are downloaded by individuals all around the world and then rebroadcast.
Other providers are also at work on the Web, but until recently have not been drawing much Internet attention. It is worth mentioning that student protests appeared immediately in the Internet with the Students' Protest 1996/97 Official Web Site on an academic server in Belgrade. This site was a major source of information on developments in the students' movement.
The events that took place during the protests of the public and students threw a new light on the Internet in Serbia. Thousands of individuals and organizations were connected to the Net. They discovered that the Internet could be a very important tool in spreading information, without state control. OpenNet, Radio B92's Internet site, spread news and audio newscasts as well as an online program. These electronic broadcasts occurred even when the Radio itself was banned. In addition, the student protest Web site started a series of actions on the Net, from soliciting letters of support to throwing eggs, via mail, at certain governmental institutions. By all means, one could observe the present situation in Serbia as an Internet revolution, introducing a standard of protest for citizens, and providing a potential for other uses of technology that still needed to be investigated.
From the beginning, the regime was aware of the fact that the Internet is open. In that field, they do not have much to offer. There were some attempts by the ruling parties to present themselves on the Web, but presentations were not very revealing. In some ways, the regime reacted to the obvious advantage and far better usage of the Net by independent media and student protesters in the only way it could, by silence and ignorance. It was clear from the start that the only way that the Internet could be controlled would have been to cut off all the telephone lines to the West. Such an extreme action would have fully revealed the repressive nature of the regime. So, they just let the Internet be, unable to react or offer arguments to the Internet audience. Simply, there was a total lack of adaptation to the new media. To many of the officials, the Internet is just a word and nothing more. Their behavior reflects their habits of working with an orchestrated media, where there was little, if any, dialogue.
As an example, examine the recent interview of the director of the Federal Informatics Bureau, Nikola Markovic, provided to the state-controlled newspaper "Politika." The topic of the interview was the state of the Internet in Yugoslavia. In this interview, Markovic provided misinformation, such as stating that Internet access was not possible in Yugoslavia during sanctions. Markovic did not mention Radio B92's OpenNet, although OpenNet was the first provider in Yugoslavia, working a few months before the sanctions were lifted. Indeed, Markovic is very well aware of this history, because he had initiated a meeting with OpenNet as, at that time, the only Internet provider in Yugoslavia. In addition, he mentioned a minor Belgrade company that is operating as a provider, even though it is working occasionally over the satellite link without a permit. On the other hand, the Federal Informatics Bureau is working without any results on legislative regulations for satellite connections. In light of these conditions, it seems odd that Markovic publicly mentioned an Internet provider that works as a pirate.
Copyright © 1997, First Monday
Internet in Serbia: From Dark Side of the Moon to the Internet Revolution by Drazen Pantic
First Monday, volume 2, number 4 (April 1997),
URL: http://www.firstmonday.org/?journal=fm&page=article&op=view&path[]=520