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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hamadoun Touré has an Op-Ed in Wired<br><br><a href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/head-of-itu-un-should-internet-regulation-effort/" target="_blank">http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/head-of-itu-un-should-internet-regulation-effort/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>-----------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I'm unclear as to why Civil Society should be aligning itself with the almost universal chorus of corporate and Developed Country national voices condemning Toure/the ITU if, as he says, in his opening paragraph…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>With over 90 percent of the world’s people now within reach of mobile phones, the challenge today is bringing internet access to the two-thirds of the world’s population that is still offline. This challenge is compounded by the need to ensure connectivity is affordable and safe for all.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and then <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The conference will chart a globally agreed-upon roadmap that offers future connectivity to all, and ensures sufficient communications capacity to cope with the exponential growth in voice, video, and data. The sole focus of the event is making regulations valuable to all stakeholders, creating a robust pillar to support future growth in global communications.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The conference will address issues that relate to improving online access and connectivity for everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Surely these are appropriate goals for Civil Society as well and, rather than joining the universal condemnation of the WCIT, CS should be looking for ways of supporting the above goals while pursuing its own goals of enhanced transparency and multi-stakeholder involvement in ITU processes; as well, of course, aligning with potential allies in the corporate sector and national governments in areas where there may be a clear consistency of interests as in ensuring rights of privacy and free expression.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Mike <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>