[governance] IGF workshop on 'framework convention on the Internet'

[Parminder]

Hi Norbert, 

 

> What are the net effects that you would expect such a 'framework

> convention' to have on the practical reality of the internet?

 

There a few ways to attempt an answer to this question. 

 

One, is to explore if and how various national and global level policy
instruments which lay out broader principles affect every day reality around
us. 

 

At the highest levels are our country constitutions, and at the global
level, various declaration of rights.

 

One can also try to follow if, for example, the 'framework convention on
climate change' has made difference to energy policies, industrial
regulation and licensing etc and how it affects us directly...

 

And the second way is to try to see relevance of higher level principles in
information society (IS) issues directly. 

 

Do you think there is a difference in how US establishment sees Internet
(see its early policy documents expounding its 'marketplace characteristics)
and how a development agency in India and Bangladesh looks at it. And when
policy issues like of pricing, choice of technology, level of public
investments, IPR application etc have to be decided at a policy level, the
'primary or the over-whelming' character of internet, and ICTs, as seen in
the eyes of the policy makers become important. 

 

It is in this background that US and Brazil have different policies on FOSS.


 

And to go the hot topic of net neutrality - the logic given by telecoms to
destroy the egalitarian nature of the Internet is that they need funds to
lay new infrastructure. How else will they upgrade the infrastructure, they
ask? And this can appear reasonable to some public policy quarters, as it
does in the US. But if Internet and its associated ICTs are identified
politically as essential social infrastructure for the society that should
be available equitably, the policy response will be different. First of all,
I do not believe it is so expensive to lay next gen infrastructure that its
costs cannot be met by existing business models that preserve NN. And if
they really cant, than public investments need to step in, as they have in
matter of roads, education, health infrastructure etc....

 

It is a certain kind of political principles which, in 2001, made the
chairman of the US Federal Communication Commission say in his maiden press
conference (which is a venue for articulation of ones policy principles)that

 

"the "digital divide" was "a dangerous phrase" because it could be used to
justify government programs that guaranteed poor people cheaper access to
new technology, like computers..."I think there's a Mercedes divide, -- I'd
like to have one, but I can't afford one."

 

Now that's not what most of us here believe, and operate from. But this
policy orientation has not only determined development of ICTs and
connectivity in the US in the last few years, but also, with US's high
influence on global polices, also influenced its development in the rest for
the world.

 

Do you not think that the development of Internet and associated ICTs would
have taken a different route if global political environment were different?
I certainly think so. 

 

It is in such ways that laying global broad principles of defining Internet
and its social significance, and linking it to its governance issues, has
net effects on the practical reality of the Internet.  

 

And these possible effects are felt more by those who are more excluded by
current political regimes, than others. (I mean no presumptions here.)

 

Meanwhile, if the Framework convention proposal is accepted, I will be happy
to have greater libertarian views like yours who have doubts about efficacy
of such policy frameworks for the Internet. And, so I invite you to
participate in the workshop as well.

 

Best

 

Parminder  

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________

Parminder Jeet Singh

IT for Change, Bangalore

Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 

91-80-26654134

www.ITforChange.net 

 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Norbert Bollow [mailto:nb at bollow.ch]

> Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:52 PM

> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org

> Subject: Re: [governance] IGF workshop on 'framework convention on the

> Internet'

> 

> Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:

> 

> > Altogether there seems to be a considerable body of opinion in CS about

> a

> > 'framework convention' kind of a process. Enough at least for us to

> > discuss this issue at the IGF.

> 

> What are the net effects that you would expect such a 'framework

> convention' to have on the practical reality of the internet?

> 

> Greetings,

> Norbert.

> 

> 

> --

> Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>                       http://Norbert.ch

> President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG        http://SIUG.ch

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