may neglect a great development opportunity of clarity and resolving spectrum issues. All of these factors can help promote an enabling framework and generate growth within the ICT sector and beyond, as repeatedly found by econometric studies of the relationship between ICTs and economic growth. the economic benefi ts broadband infrastructure can bring. Further, if industrialized countries forge ahead with state-subsidized investments in high-bandwidth networks, developing countries may fi nd themselves on the wrong side of a growing digital divide. There are also likely to be competitive consequences to economic stimulus plans in terms of tilting the playing fi eld and potentially favoring incumbents with extensive established backbone networks. Stim-ulus In conclusion, there is a strong role for ICT invest-ments to play in promoting economic recovery. The ICT industry is an industry based on technological transformation and stimulus plans can help pro-mote plans must be designed carefully in such a way as to minimize these dangers. Furthermore, broad-band the roll-out of NGN and advanced infrastruc-ture to the benefi t of consumers, businesses and stimulus plans create risks that governments engage in ‘picking technologies’, ‘picking winners’ and ‘picking communities’. It is important to address these issues upfront to ensure that stimulus funds are well-spent, to the benefi t of the industry. government alike. The crisis is challenging many fi rms, but given the strategic importance of the ICT industry in underpinning the communication capabilities and informational and data processing needs of other industries, the need to extend the benefi ts of connectivity to all the world’s inhabit-ants Broadband stimulus plans are also likely to have signifi cant consequences for the digital divide. If they fail to prioritize ICT infrastructure, developing coun-tries remains paramount. 82 Confronting the Crisis: ICT Stimulus Plans for Economic Growth