FW: [governance] Program for IGC at IGF

[Parminder]

George

 

>I'm

> concerned

> about the economic health of the Internet industry in a

> country, and

> that's very much a function of the government's attitude

> toward

> competition, free enterprise, laissez-faire (or not), and

> transparency, in procurement, in giving licenses, in creating

> or

> destroying barriers to entry, etc....

 

I know that is the dominant take on the issues, which we keep trying to
challenge. I know pro-competition policies are important, but has it
occurred to you that large scale public investment in ICT infrastructure
(and ICT infrastructure, apart from telecom access, also includes software,
hardware, localization, service delivery systems etc) plays an important
role in reaching the benefits to all people - as it has done in case of all
important infrastructure in the yesteryears in developed countries as well.
Indian governments, for instance, are putting in a lot of public investments
into this after they have seen that private investments really did not reach
ICT benefits to all. 

 

But I notice that you speak of the 'economic health of the Internet
industry' and not about socio-economic development of  a country/ society,
so you may to that extent be right in your partial view of things. 

 

This was however beside the point on the national versus international
issues debate. But it does go to show that we all have a good view of the
importance of national policy space (governmental or multistakeholder). 

 

So since we are on eve of an international forum, and the discussion started
in that context, the onus is on whoever speaks that the 'international space
is not significant' and not the other way around. In a similar way, if we
were in a national policy space speaking exclusively of importance of issues
that pertain to international spaces and cannot be taken up nationally will
be an avoidable distraction. 

 

> Just trying to restore a sense of balance to the discussion

> ...

 

So, the balance, in the present context, lies in engaging with what is
important from a global policy spaces perspective. 

 

 

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: George Sadowsky [mailto:george.sadowsky at attglobal.net]

> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 2:28 AM

> To: Milton Mueller; governance at lists.cpsr.org; Avri Doria

> Subject: Re: [governance] Program for IGC at IGF

> 

> Milton,

> 

> I'm concerned with a slightly broader aspect, although my

> focus in

> this thread is clearly upon access, in a larger sense.  I'm

> concerned

> about the economic health of the Internet industry in a

> country, and

> that's very much a function of the government's attitude

> toward

> competition, free enterprise, laissez-faire (or not), and

> transparency, in procurement, in giving licenses, in creating

> or

> destroying barriers to entry, etc....

> 

> The healthier and fairer that the industry is, the more

> prices to

> consumers of Internet services will reflect real costs and

> not

> monopoly status, the more customers are able to trust the

> access they

> have as being confidential, then the faster the Internet will

> grow

> and serve the developmental goals of the country.  And, if

> the

> country has reasonable consumer protection legislation, it is

> likely

> to really benefit the growth of e-commerce on the net and not

> retard

> it.  These are issues that are directly affected by national

> government policy, legislation and regulation.

> 

> What I do disagree with is Avri's assertion that it is ONLY

> on the

> international stage that Internet issues can be dealt with.

> I do not

> disagree with the implication that there do exist issues that

> require

> international attention.

> 

> Just trying to restore a sense of balance to the discussion

> ...

> 

> Regards,

> 

> George

> 

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> 

> At 4:05 PM -0400 10/22/06, Milton Mueller wrote:

> >This is an interesting discussion. I find myself agreeing

> with both Avri

> >and George. The positions can be reconciled by noting that

> George is

> >talking mainly about the relationship between Internet

> access and the

> >physical layer (wireless, broadband and other forms of

> infrastructure

> >development) whereas Avri is refrring to "the Internet" as a

> whole which

> >is of course global in scope and a layer 3 issue.

> >

> >There is no doubt in my mind that the policies that affect

> the

> >availability of physical infrastructure in a country are

> primarily

> >national in development and application. And they are

> affected not only

> >by national telecom policies, they are powerfully affected

> by national

> >economic development policies, for if people have enough

> money to buy

> >services lots of infrastructure development issues take care

> of

> >themselves more readily, as the Chinese have learned.

> >

> >

> >

> >>>>  george.sadowsky at attglobal.net 10/22/2006 9:01:20 AM >>>

> >Avri,

> >

> >Let's look at access policy _within_ a country, e.g.

> licensing of

> >ISPs, decisions with regard to ISP liability, monopoly

> telecomm

> >carriers, not-level playing fields, licensing of ISPs,

> licensing of

> >wireless frequencies and devices.  etc.  These are all

> issues of

> >national policy.

> >

> >It may be that international best practices can provide good

> >guidelines, but these are more likely to be de facto

> standards set by

> >industry than the result of intergovernmental action.

> >

> >Perhaps we have different definitions of policy.

> >

> >George

> >

> >At 12:04 AM +0200 10/22/06, Avri Doria wrote:

> >>Hi,

> >>

> >>On 21 okt 2006, at 21.11, George Sadowsky wrote:

> >>

> >>>What I am reacting to is what I observe is the

> conventional wisdom

> >>>that I find faulty: that Internet governance and related

> Internet

> >>>issues are essentially international in character,

> >>

> >>

> >>I disagree. I think it is only on the international stage

> that

> >>governance and other Internet issues can be dealt.  I don't

> believe

> >>that it is up to governments to do it though i do see them

> having

> >>some role.  i don't believe there is is any right of

> nations to make

> >>policy vis a vis the Internet.  They may do so, and they

> even get

> >>away with it at the moment, but i think we lose a major

> battle the

> >>second we start to believe that they have some _right_ to

> do so.  I

> >>tend to view the IGF and other international, but not

> >>intergovernemental, organizations as a bulwark against the

> >>continuing nationalization of the Internet.

> >>

> >>>that wanted to emasculate ICANN

> >  >

> >>interesting image, but i do not see what being masculine,

> or having

> >>masculine external attributes, has to do with being an

> effective

> >>international organization.  not that i am prepared to

> argue that

> >>the current ICANN incarnation is particularly effective,

> though i

> >>think that has more to do with its form of governance and

> its lack

> >>of freedom from national and other government pressure.

> >>

> >>a.

> >>___________________________________________________________

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