[governance] Internet as public good

Sat Dec 3 13:03:47 EST 2005

Dear Milton,

>>> But to claim that the Internet as a whole, - the Internet itself - is a
"public good" is both factually wrong and represents a wrong turn in terms
of policy thinking, and suggests that civil society need not be taken
seriously on economic grounds.>>>

I didn't find anyone in this discussion trying to claim that the " the
Internet as a whole, - the Internet itself - is a "public good" "

We have been discussing the mention of the concept of public goods and GPGs
as it occurs in the draft CS statement. 

On page 1  - .... ability to access, share and communicate information and
knowledge is treated as a public good......

And on page 2 - Internet access, for everybody and everywhere, especially
among disadvantaged populations and in rural areas, must be considered as a
global public good.

So, first of all, to consider access to knowledge as public good, or even
access to Internet as a public good is not the same thing as considering
'Internet as a whole' as a public good. 

Secondly, the burden of your argument that the PG concept can not be applied
to the Internet is that the internet consists in not only the 'open,
nonproprietary standards and protocols' (that you agree are true public
goods) but also in the 'the physical networks and applications, services and
content' (that you say are private goods). 

>> The key fact about the Internet is the way it creatively combines a

>>true public good - open, nonproprietary standards and protocols - with

>>private goods. The private goods are the physical networks and

>>>applications, services and content.>>

However I see that you paper 'Internet Governance: The State of Play' (2004,
IGP website) insists on a narrow definition of the Internet which does not
seem to include the 'the physical networks and applications, services and
content' on the Internet in the definition of Internet. (however, this is
some lack of clarity on this definition, and I am open to be corrected on my
interpretation) . So it would seem that by your narrower definition of
internet it is appears even easier to claim Internet as a public good. 

It is a different matter that I have some differences with such a narrow
definition of the Internet, and the policy implications of such a definition
(some of these differences find expression in the statement on IG read out
on behalf of the Informal Coalition on Financing during prepcom 3, as also
in the later APC paper on IG). 

So, it appears to me that the justification that you are providing for your
'strong opposition' to inclusion of language on public goods in the CS
declaration may certainly not be valid from the narrow definition of
internet adopted by the IG project papers.  

In fact Marc Raboy and Jeremy Shtern proceeded from this narrow definition
of Internet as provided by the IG project to establish a case for Internet
to be considered as a public good in developing the policy directions for
IG. (the paper is enclosed).  

Regards

Parminder 

________________________________________________

Parminder Jeet Singh

IT for Change

Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 

91-80-26654134

www.ITforChange.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: governance-bounces at lists.cpsr.org
[mailto:governance-bounces at lists.cpsr.org] On Behalf Of Milton Mueller
Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 4:12 AM
To: wdrake at ictsd.ch; jeanette at wz-berlin.de
Cc: guru at itforchange.net; Anita at itforchange.net; governance at lists.cpsr.org;
peyer at bfa-ppp.ch; accuosto at item.org.uy
Subject: Re: [governance] Internet as public good

>>> Jeanette Hofmann <jeanette at wz-berlin.de> 12/1/2005 1:06 PM >>>

>We seem to have now two definitions of public goods:

>1. the economic definition, which describes public goods as 

>non-exclusive and non-rivalrous; 2. the normative definition, which 

>describes public goods as those that should be available for free for

>everybody. 

All:

The problem is that "the Internet" meets neither definition. Indeed, I

would strongly oppose the use of this language for that reason, and for

another, more important reason. 

The key fact about the Internet is the way it creatively combines a

true public good - open, nonproprietary standards and protocols - with

private goods. The private goods are the physical networks and

applications, services and content. Internet has developed as a

revolutionary medium precisely because it gives both commons and market

their due. The standards and protocols create a common area of exchange

and interconnection, but also permit robust and highly competitive

markets to develop for infrastructure, applications, content, and

services. 

Yes, of course some of the content and applications are free - but one

must understand that most of these free services developed because

competitive market forces operating on the infrastructure drove their

incremental cost down so low that suppliers add them to attract users.

Of course there is an important role for free, open informational

content, supplied by governments via taxation, educational institutions,

civil society, etc. But to claim that the Internet as a whole, - the

Internet itself - is a "public good" is both factually wrong and

represents a wrong turn in terms of policy thinking, and suggests that

civil society need not be taken seriously on economic grounds.

Let's try to be more precise and recognize such key distinctions in our

statement.

Dr. Milton Mueller

Syracuse University School of Information Studies

http://www.digital-convergence.org

http://www.internetgovernance.org

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