[bestbits] Civil society statement to the ITU Sec-Gen ahead of WTPF 2013 - PLEASE ENDORSE AND SHARE

[michael gurstein]

Jeremy and all,

 

Thanks for this and I recognize the limitations of time and attention which
framed the participation in the development of this document however I'ld
like to make a few comments on it as it stands and express some reservations
on it and the process going forward.

 

The overall document, as with the earlier document to which it refers and
from which it draws, seems to be primarily (the earlier document
exclusively) concerned with "process" matters and specifically with "opening
up" the ITU meeting and documentation to broader scrutiny and participation
specifically by Multi-stakeholders/civil society but presumably by others as
well.

 

It is hard to fault this as an objective.  However, I do have some concerns
about it being THE objective. 

 

This document belows differs I believe from the earlier (November) document
by listing some of the substantive areas where CS might make a contribution
and this also can not be faulted.  However, in (dare I say what appears to
be hastily) constructing this list and presumably indicating the areas where
CS could make a useful and even "expert" contribution the authors on several
occasions refer to the "cost" or "affordability" of access as an issue
whereas those with a direct involvement in these matters are aware that
"cost" is only one of a range of issues -- language, literacy, cost of
devices, availability ("extension" not "expansion") of infrastructure,
training, and so on -- which limit access by those with low incomes and this
is not even to speak about inequalities in opportunities, supports and means
to make effective use of the Internet once access is available. 

 

The list then goes on to include "development" as an issue--without
indicating development of who, of what, where, how, why etc.etc.  

 

Thus while the "process" issues are well and extensively covered, the
substance related section is dare I say, rather skimpy and even dangerously
misleading. (A simple reference to the CS WSIS Declaration(s) would have
helped to overcome these limitations.

 

I have in other contexts recently had occasion to note that it was incumbent
on those offering opinions "to do as they say" and I think that this should
hold for CS/BB as stringently as it does to others and in this particular
instance the outcome of not following transparent and inclusive processes of
text development has I believe led to the creation of a document which I
personally have significant reservations in signing onto and where I would
most certainly not recommend to my (for example) community informatics
colleagues as something to which they might want to adhere.

 

One final point, while neither the WCIT nor it appears the WTPF are being
framed in the context of WSIS +10 this latter meeting is likely to be of
greatest significance as it will address the substantive issues of most
direct concern to traditional CS -- access and use, content and language,
human rights and free expression, equality and social justice -- if, of
course, those looking to influence the WSIS +10 agenda allow for such a wide
ranging discussion (rumours have it that the OECD countries are pushing for
a very limited and mild "forward looking" celebratory agenda for WSIS +10
for example.

 

Mike

 

From: bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net
[mailto:bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net] On Behalf Of Jeremy Malcolm
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 7:36 PM
To: bestbits at lists.bestbits.net
Subject: [bestbits] Civil society statement to the ITU Sec-Gen ahead of WTPF
2013 - PLEASE ENDORSE AND SHARE

 

With the ITU's World Telecommunication and ICT Policy Forum (WTPF) coming up
next week, I would like to encourage everyone to read and - if they agree
with it - to endorse this statement, which a group of us who will be
participating at WTPF have drafted collaboratively:

http://bestbits.net/wtpf-2013

Please forgive us for not having a broader drafting process this time, but
it was mainly due to shortness of time.  In any case, the text has been
drafted consistently with the previous Best Bits statement to the ITU.

Please feel free to reach out into other networks for endorsements, too.
There are buttons on the page that will enable you to share automatically
with Twitter and Facebook.

I am currently working to overcome a technical limitation which means that
individuals' names must be listed where an organisation has endorsed.  I
plan to keep working on this today, but didn't want to hold up distribution
of the statement any longer.

Thanks to Deborah, Joana and everyone else who helped to put this together
so quickly.  The full text is shown below:

We reaffirm the goals and principles of the statement submitted to the ITU
Secretariat in November 2012 in which we urged member states to implement
inclusive and transparent ITU processes and uphold and protect the public
interest and fundamental human rights.

These fundamental human rights must be at the forefront of internet
governance and ITU convenings, including the WTPF. Internet policy topics,
including but not limited to affordable access, development, openness and
access to knowledge, net neutrality, privacy, and security must be
considered through the framework of human rights, in particular freedom of
expression.

We welcome progress made by the Secretary-General and the Informal Experts
Group in achieving consensus on the six draft opinions. These begin to
address important goals, including the expansion of key internet
infrastructure in order to reduce costs for those in need; the reaffirmation
of multistakeholder processes; and the promotion of transparent and
inclusive enhanced cooperation. Rather than seeking to address additional
issues, we urge the Secretary-General to move forward in engaging all
stakeholders to implement these opinions.

Unfortunately, we must object to the Secretary-General's report's framing of
the debate on multistakeholderism. The WTPF has not yet achieved open and
participatory internet policy making. In endeavoring to foster
multistakeholder consensus, it is critical that the WTPF facilitate civil
society's participation as an independent and authoritative voice. The ITU
should, for this and future fora, bring all stakeholders together to work on
implementing WTPF opinions at the national, regional, and global levels.
This means creating spaces for civil society to express their views, for
example through an online platform for comment that is part of the official
WTPF record, through speaking rights as was done during the WSIS process, as
well as providing for both remote participation and live webcasting of the
WTPF meeting. Video, audio, and text transcripts will further enables
participation by all, including persons with disabilities.

Open and transparent participation will augment the critical efforts toward
broadband connectivity, IXP promotion, enhanced cooperation, and IPv6
deployment that the WTPF is undertaking with these opinions. We look forward
to working together with the ITU as it pursues these policies and institutes
a multistakeholder structure that can achieve the goals articulated herein
in a manner consistent with the public interest and fundamental human
rights.

-- 

Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Policy Officer
Consumers International | the global campaigning voice for consumers
Office for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
Lot 5-1 Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, TTDI, 60000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 7726 1599

WCRD 2013 - Consumer Justice Now! | Consumer Protection Map:
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