WCIT Statement

[Kevin Bankston]

Sorry, meant to cc list.

On Nov 4, 2012, at 12:46 PM, Kevin Bankston wrote:

> "Internet Protocol and above"--I think you meant "Internet Protocol or above".  Otherwise this criteria would allow regulation of just the IP but not a higher layer, and would allow regulation of just a higher layer but not IP
> 
> Fixed a typo: "at a minimum", not "as a minimum"
> ____________________________________
> Kevin S. Bankston
> Senior Counsel and Free Expression Director
> Center for Democracy & Technology
> 1634 I St NW, Suite 1100
> Washington, DC 20006
> 202.407.8834 direct
> 202.637.0968 fax
> kbankston at cdt.org
> 
> Follow CDT on Twitter at @cendemtech
> 
> On Nov 4, 2012, at 12:20 PM, Pranesh Prakash wrote:
> 
>> Dear all,
>> Here is the statement of civil society members and groups participating in a pre-IGF meeting at Baku in 2012 as drafted after the morning session on Sunday, November 4, 2012.
>> 
>> Please indicate your and your group's support of this statement on this mailing list or directly at the end of this Etherpad document: <http://igcaucus.org:9001/p/wcit_statement>.
>> 
>> Given our deliberation on these both yesterday and today — and the fact that we would not wish to open this particular statement up to extensive revision again — I would request people to raise comments on this mailing list only if you believe the drafters have committed an egregious mistake in capturing the agreement present in the room. Please do not leave comments on the Etherpad document.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Pranesh
>> 
>> ====
>> 
>> Statement of civil society members and groups participating in a pre-IGF meeting at Baku in 2012.
>> 
>> The process of the revision of the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) have not been sufficiently inclusive and transparent, despite some recent efforts to facilitate some public participation. Fundamental to the framing of public policy must be the pursuit of the public interest and fundamental human rights, and we urge member states to uphold and protect these values.
>> 
>> We as civil society organizations wish to engage with the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) process in this spirit. Member-states, in most cases, have not held open, broad-based, public consultations in the lead up to the WCIT, nor have they indicated such process for the WCIT itself.
>> 
>> In order to address this deficiency, and as a minimum, we would urge:
>> * All member states and regional groups to make their proposals available to the public in sufficient time to allow for meaningful public participation;
>> * All delegates to support proposals to open sessions of the WCIT meeting to the public;
>> * The ITU Secretariat to increase transparency of the WCIT including live webcast with the video, audio, and text transcripts, as far as possible, to enable participation by all, including persons with disabilities;
>> * The ITU Secretariat, member-states, and regional groups to make as much documentation publicly available as possible on the ITU's website, so that civil society can provide substantive input on proposals as they are made available;
>> * Member-states to encourage and facilitate civil society participation their national delegations;
>> * The ITU to create spaces during the WCIT for civil society to express their views, as was done during the WSIS process.
>> 
>> Given the uncertainty about the nature of final proposals that will be presented, we urge delegates that the following criteria be applied to any proposed revisions of the ITRs.
>> 
>> * That any proposed revisions are confined to the traditional core mandate of the ITU and scope of the ITRs, where international regulation is required around technical issue limited to basic telecommunications networks and interoperability standards.
>> * There should be no revisions to the ITRs that involve regulation of the Internet Protocol and above.
>> * There should be no revisions that could have a negative impact on affordable access to the Internet or the public's rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
>> 
>> More positively we call upon the ITU to promote principles of net neutrality, open standards, affordable access and universal service, and effective competition.
>> 
>> Signed by:
>> 
>> ====
>> 
>> -- 
>> Pranesh Prakash
>> Policy Director
>> Centre for Internet and Society
>> T: +91 80 40926283 | W: http://cis-india.org
>> PGP ID: 0x1D5C5F07 | Twitter: @pranesh_prakash
>> <bestbits_wcit_statement.txt>
> 

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