[governance] the continuing NN debate

[Parminder]

Nobert,

> Would the proposed "Framework Convention on the Internet" be effective
> at limiting the chances of the business interests for which these
> lobbyists are working to co-opt the internet, turning it into
> something that primarily serves those commercial interests?
> 
> If not, what positive benefits can we expect to come from this
> Framework Convention?

We need to appreciate the nature of the society from within which we are now
posing these questions. We are a highly 'regulated' society, and though it
may be romantic to think of 'the wild west' kinds of freedoms, the situation
of such 'freedoms' is often not very happy for those who live through them.

And since I cannot escape speaking from a Southern perspective, it is
noteworthy that in developed countries about 35-50 % of GDP goes through
public institutions and this figure is less than 15 % for developing
countries. And this seen together with the fact that GDP per person in
developing countries is a small fraction of that in developed countries, one
can easily see that those who live in developed countries live in a society
which has very strong, and heavily financed, public institutions, which
provide the framework of much of that is good and cherished in these
societies.        

(Though I surely think everyone has a right to engage with the levels of
regulation, and kinds of regulation, and move towards a better and a freer
society.) 

So when our 'real' world is so regulated and filled with all kinds of law, I
cannot understand how the digital world - which is reconstituting our
'reality' in so many ways - can be without laws and regulations. I think to
expect so is mere wishful thinking, and more importantly, contrary to our
common interests.

And if there are some who really wants to live in places with less law and
regulation, I'd invite them to live in less developed countries with poor
institutional structures, and if someone is aspiring for even more 'freedom'
some conflict ridden regions of the world will be the place to go. I do not
intend to be sarcastic - I merely want to make the point that law and
regulation are useful and necessary, and make our societies what they are
today. 

As globalization has been doing before it, the information society
phenomenon, and the digital world, is used by the dominant interests to
escape public interest regulation, the civil society cannot afford to help
their cause. Unfortunately, they often do it by default. 

The simple question is: Are the various international declarations and
agreements on rights etc useful to us or not. So why would such agreements
with respect to information society issues, and technology development and
use, not be useful. 

> 
> If yes, what's the strategy for getting this Framework Convention
> adopted, while preventing the really good, practically effective
> parts from being taken out prior to the adoption of the Framework
> Convention?

The strategy is for us to be there and fight it out, abstaining is not a
solution.

Thanks for your interest in the issue, and giving me an opportunity to
explain.

Parminder 
________________________________________________
Parminder Jeet Singh
IT for Change, Bangalore
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 
Tel: (+91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890
Fax: (+91-80) 4146 1055
www.ITforChange.net 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norbert Bollow [mailto:nb at bollow.ch]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:17 PM
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org
> Subject: Re: [governance] the continuing NN debate
> 
> "Parminder" <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
> 
> > I know there has been a surfeit of NN news, but this is something
> forwarded
> > to me by somehow who has been passively following the debate. And I
> think it
> > is useful to illustrate that 'how we see' determines 'what we do' vis-à-
> vis
> > the Internet as with everything else. I say this in connection with call
> for
> > a framework convention on the Internet to determine the principles of
> how we
> > see the Internet and what we expect it to do...
> >
> > Parminder
> >
> >
> > http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082006B.shtml
> >
> > Congress Poised to Unravel the Internet
> >     By Jeffrey Chester
> >     The Nation
> >
> >     Friday 18 August 2006
> >
> >     Lured by huge checks handed out by the country's top lobbyists,
> members
> > of Congress could soon strike a blow against Internet freedom as they
> seek
> > to resolve the hot-button controversy over preserving "network
> neutrality."
> [...]
> 
> Would the proposed "Framework Convention on the Internet" be effective
> at limiting the chances of the business interests for which these
> lobbyists are working to co-opt the internet, turning it into
> something that primarily serves those commercial interests?
> 
> If not, what positive benefits can we expect to come from this
> Framework Convention?
> 
> If yes, what's the strategy for getting this Framework Convention
> adopted, while preventing the really good, practically effective
> parts from being taken out prior to the adoption of the Framework
> Convention?
> 
> 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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