This paper asks why Central Asian governments, though equally repressive of their traditional media, pursue diverging policies toward the Internet. Ultimately we find Internet regulatory policy in the Central Asian states varies according to who provides financial capital for ICT. Where international aid organizations and NGOs provide capital and assistance for ICT infrastructure, such as in Kyrgyzstan and, to a lesser extent, in Uzbekistan, the formal regulatory environment is more open,

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... y articulated, and permissive of electronic media. In contrast, where domestic actors fund the development of ICT infrastructure, as in Kazakhstan, regulation is vague and government control and interference more extensive.