[governance] Program for IGC at IGF

Parminder parminder at itforchange.net
Tue Oct 24 02:02:57 EDT 2006


 

Hi Vittorio,

 

> I think that some people are oversensitive to the market &

> competition

> buzzwords just because sometimes they are used to deny

> aspects like

> these, and that's why some eyebrows were raised.

 

Not over-sensitive, just sensitive.

 

 And for good reason. The dominant discourse and the marginalized discourse
have a power relationship which I request you to understand and appreciate.
For example, in my email to George, I did say - while "I know
pro-competition policies are important' but... However, those of the
dominant discourse don't feel the need to say the rider like - public
investments too have an important role.. And then still I can be told - why
do you challenge the dominant discourse, 'Why not see your own vision as a
complement to it?" . while I was the one who put the sub-clause accepting
the other vision . And then you can say that some people are
'over-sensitive'.

 

It is also pertinent to note that when there is such a strong monopoly of
some views and visions in some spaces - that they take the hue of being
'natural' and default - then one has to speak louder to be heard. And one
may not be able afford too nuanced a balancing, which will make the main
point being missed altogether.

 

We ourselves work in field projects, in real conditions, and we know that
money and private enterprise is basic to organizing any human/social
activity. And that market is the key institution, and fair competition the
key value, for this purpose. 

 

And in nitpicking on this issue of being labeled 'over-sensitive' I do not
mean to be argumentative. I could have easily let it go by (because after
all you had made strong points defending my position) but I hate an
environment where anyone wanting to put this kind of position has to do it
with some amount of defensiveness. If anything the onus of balance is on the
other side, and also the onus of over-exploitation of the virtues of the
market in manner that hurts the interests of the disadvantaged (and that
there in any case is a strong business lobby to promote these issues), and
therefore, if anything, the other side needs to be defensive. 

 

regards

 

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: Vittorio Bertola [mailto:vb at bertola.eu.org]

> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:06 PM

> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; George Sadowsky

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

> 

> George Sadowsky ha scritto:

> > I don't claim to be able to explain the behavior of the

> Internet

> > industry in all countries, but I will claim that an

> unbiased competitive

> > environment is generally essential, and government policy

> matters a lot

> > in achieving it.

> 

> I agree, but the competitive environment has proved not to be

> able to

> solve a number of problems alone - for example, thanks to the

> very

> competitive environment, our mountain and countryside

> villages here in

> Italy are not getting even reasonably stable dialup Internet

> connections, let alone broadband. Competition alone might not

> solve all

> problems, and policy should not just be concerned with

> ensuring competition.

> 

> Also, we should acknowledge that in many cases it is the

> Internet

> industry itself that does a lot to prevent competition and

> deploy

> policies and technologies that thwart it: see Microsoft for

> operating

> systems, see net neutrality issues, see DRMs and trusted

> computing, etc.

> 

> I think that some people are oversensitive to the market &

> competition

> buzzwords just because sometimes they are used to deny

> aspects like

> these, and that's why some eyebrows were raised. But no one

> here

> advocates the birth of the Global Emperor of the Internet.

> --

> vb.             [Vittorio Bertola - v.bertola [a]

> bertola.eu.org]<-----

> http://bertola.eu.org/  <- Prima o poi...

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