[bestbits] Global Policy Initiatives on Access and Digital Inclusion

Fri Oct 11 16:27:58 EDT 2013

> Where are the public's responses to these available?  

http://unctad.org/en/pages/MeetingDetails.aspx?meetingid=396

specifically:

http://unctad.org/meetings/en/Contribution/Q15%20Responses.pdf

though some may yet to be added.

avri

On 11 Oct 2013, at 16:10, Pranesh Prakash wrote:

> Dear all,
> I'm forwarding an e-mail thread between Michael Gurstein and me (with Michael's permission) on the topic of policy actions at the global level on access and digital inclusion.  I'd like to see what ideas folks on this list have.
> 
> I'm pleased that the WGEC questionnaire included question # 15:
> 
> 15. What are the international internet-related public policy issues that are of special relevance to developing countries?
> 
> as also
> 16. What are the key issues to be addressed to promote the affordability of the Internet, in particular in developing countries and least developed countries?
> 12. What actions are needed to promote effective participation of all marginalised people in the global information society?
>  
> Where are the public's responses to these available?  I think it would be very useful to compile all the answers under each question, as that will make it easy to grep.
> 
> Cheers,
> Pranesh
> 
> ======
> 
> 
> Pranesh Prakash <mailto:pranesh at cis-india.org>
> 16/12/12
> 
> Dear Michael,
> You have written that we should start focussing on "digital
> inclusion/Internet access and use, distribution of the economic benefits
> of the Internet, local languages and cultures and so on".
> 
> I didn't get a chance to ask you this when we met: Would you have ideas
> on what concrete measures can be pursued?
> 
> Regards,
> Pranesh
> 
> 
> Michael Gurstein <mailto:gurstein at gmail.com>
> 16/12/12
> 
> Hi Pranesh,
> 
> I'ld be delighted but I need a bit more background/context for your
> question... Are you asking in the context of CS consultation/advocacy,
> government policy, professional programming?
> 
> M
> 
> Pranesh Prakash <mailto:pranesh at cis-india.org>
> 1 January
> 
> 
> In terms of governmental policy and in terms of what concrete measures
> you believe civil society should be advocating for.
> 
> As in, would it take the form of a digital solidarity fund? And/or
> governmental policy mandate on local language support on devices? And/or...
> 
> *Michael Gurstein <mailto:gurstein at gmail.com>*
> 1 January
> 
> 
> Okay...
> 
> In terms of governmental policy it really depends on the national context...
> and that to a considerable degree is evolving as new technologies emerge and
> as the type and cost of connectivity is also evolving... 
> 
> In India I think the policy has to be towards some sort of right of
> universal access and use... Not necessarily individual access but some sort
> of access at least at the village level--which could be through mobiles or
> fixed line connections. The issue with mobiles may be cost either of the
> device or of the connection particularly in very poor areas--but by making
> it a "right" it means that say some form of access is made available at the
> Panchyat level.  But I also think you need to include "use" which means that
> the access is available in local languages and the various apps that might
> be of most value are available in a form that is usable at the village level
> (including through training someone at the village level to facilitate the
> use of those applications as  for example e-gov applications.
> 
> At the CS level globally I think (now) that the direction should be towards
> a global Internet in the public interest... Some sort of global framework
> (say like the Law of the Sea) which recognizes that the Internet is not
> simply a collection of wires ("pipes") but is rather a global framework of
> communications that should be developed in the interests of all.  Precisely
> what that looks like or how it could be developed I have no idea but having
> an Internet at the basic infrastructure of global communications which is
> essentially owne/controlled by certain national or corporate interests
> should be of concern to us all.
> 
> I'm not sure that that is as "concrete" as you are asking for, but I think
> the more concrete measures flow rather directly from these higher order
> principles/policies.
> 
> Your thoughts?
> 
> M
> 
>  
> Pranesh Prakash <mailto:pranesh at cis-india.org>
> 1 January
> 
> 
> In India's NTP'11, para IV.1.2 states:
> >
> 
>       > "To recognise telecom, including broadband connectivity as a
>       basic necessity like education and health and work towards 'Right
>       to Broadband'".
> 
> 
> 
> Further, there's a universal service obligation fund too.  The document
> continues:
> 
> >
> 
>       > 1.3. To lay special emphasis on providing reliable and
>       affordable broadband access to rural and remote areas by
>       appropriate combination of optical fibre, wireless, VSAT and other
>       technologies. Optical fibre network will be initially laid up to
>       the village panchayat level by funding from the Universal Service
>       Obligation Fund (USOF). Extension of optical fibre connectivity
>       from village panchayats to be taken up progressively to all
>       villages and habitations. Access to this Optical Fibre Network
>       will be open, non-discriminatory and technology neutral.
> 
> 
>       >
> 
> 
>       > 1.4. Provide appropriate incentives for rural rollout.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm actually looking for less at the level of principles and objectives
> (e.g., universal service) and more at the level of policy-based action
> items (e.g., a universal service obligation fund that aims to create an
> incentive-based mechanism to achieve universal service instead of just
> leaving it to market forces).
> 
> Essentially, I'm not looking for the *what should we be aiming for* /
> *where should we be heading*, but *how do we get that which we are
> aiming for* + *what concrete steps can we take to get where we are
> heading*.  So I'm looking less for "local languages should be promoted",
> and more for "these are the concrete steps the government can take to
> promote local languages".
> 
> I don't see many, if any at all, useful policy-based action items coming
> out from civil society.
> 
> ~ Pranesh
> 
>  
> Michael Gurstein <mailto:gurstein at gmail.com>
> 2 January
> 
> 
> Hi Pranesh,
> 
> I'm not sure that you are asking the right question...  The specific
> activities re: connectivity etc. will be quite specific to individual
> locations/regions etc. and will depend on local resources, capabilities and
> so on.  This local knowledge/program identification is almost certainly best
> left to local NGO's to develop, what can be done at a policy level is to
> enable the local NGO's to do their work -- with appropriate funding, back up
> , support, policy enablement and so on.  (BTW, that isn't "civil societies"
> usual role--they are generally acting as advocates while NGO's do the
> implementation...
> 
> If you are looking to ideas on how to proceed locally there are lists of
> case studies/best practices in various places (I think a big one is being
> compiled by UN ECOSOC for WSIS, but unless those are filtered through local
> experience my feeling is that they are rather useless.
> 
>  Best,
> 
> M
> 
>  
> Pranesh Prakash <mailto:pranesh at cis-india.org>
> 2 January
> 
> 
> Then you wouldn't say there is anything we can advocate for at the global level to tackle access issues other than at the level of normative but unenforceable rights or principles?
> 
>  
> Michael Gurstein <mailto:gurstein at gmail.com>
> 2 January
> 
> 
> Hi Pranesh,
> 
> I work a lot with indigenous peoples in various parts of the world and have tried to get them involved in global level initiatives... They have basically no interest as there is nothing at the global level that will have an immediate impact on their local circumstances.
> 
> What does have an impact, but is rather more indirect are what you call "unenforceable rights or principles"... things like global norms around broadband deployment, recognition of indigenous rights, inclusion of indigenous peoples into broad initiatives like the Broadband Task Force that sort of thing... Recognition of them in those forums means that they then have more leverage in their national contexts and can make direct programme/policy recommendations/advocacy initiatives with some sort of global backing--they can call their national governments to account for commitments made, even " unenforceable rights or principles" (the only kind of commitments that national governments are likely to make at the global level...
> 
> The programs/policies that are linked to these are dramatically different from country to country--from Indigenous people in Canada linking their national treaties to global agreements, to tribal peoples in India or Bangladesh looking to the UNDHR as their leverage point for gaining access to services, to countries in Latin America taking leadership in global environmental initiatives on behalf of Pachen Mama...
> 
> But maybe I'm misunderstanding your point, give me some examples of the kind of initiatives you think might be worthwhile presenting at the global level?
> 
> M
> 
>  
> Pranesh Prakash <mailto:pranesh at cis-india.org>
> Tuesday
> 
> A mail that was stuck in my 'Drafts' folder since January 3!  I think it
> might be useful to throw open this question to the Best Bits list.
> Would you mind if I forward this thread there?
> 
> ====
> Dear Michael,
> If *I* knew what we should be doing, I wouldn't be quizzing you like
> this. :)
> 
> It's not like there haven't been global policy efforts to improve
> access.  There's the Digital Solidarity Fund created as part of WSIS.
> From what I've been given to understand, it was mired in corruption, and
> that ultimately led to its failure.  Universal Service Obligation Funds
> are one of those best practices things that various countries have
> adopted, but which — according to people who know much more about this
> than I do — are having precious little effect in most countries.  (There
> might of course be counter-examples.)
> 
> I think pushing for shared spectrum through the ITU is one part of the
> solution.  If in the future we manage to get Internet to people,
> wireless (whether over phone or WiFi or WiMax or anything else) has got
> to be the way to go, since wired connections can't possibly provide
> sufficient coverage.  This means that spectrum allocation rules, etc.,
> are among the more important policy changes we could be targetting.
> 
> But apart from that, my current thinking is that most access-enabling
> policies have to be passed at the national level.  There doesn't seem to
> be too much (apart from the examples I've cited above) that can be done
> at the global level save for what-might-be-perceived-as platitudinous
> statements of our desire for universal access.
> 
> Regards,
> Pranesh
> 
> 
> -- 
> Pranesh Prakash
> Policy Director
> Centre for Internet and Society
> T: +91 80 40926283 | W: http://cis-india.org
> PGP ID: 0x1D5C5F07 | Twitter: @pranesh_prakash
> -------------------+
> Postgraduate Associate & Access to Knowledge Fellow
> Information Society Project, Yale Law School
> T: +1 520 314 7147 | W: http://yaleisp.org
> 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 495 bytes
Desc: Message signed with OpenPGP using GPGMail
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/bestbits/attachments/20131011/1186bc2a/attachment.sig>