[governance] Program for IGC at IGF

[Parminder]

> 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.

 

Milton,

 

One, I will prefer to make the connection to social and economic development
policies and not to economic policies alone. Two, and perhaps more
importantly, I think to say if people had money access problem will be
solved, is a very problematic perspective from a public policy point of view
(while the assertion is of course factually true). 

 

Because we see Internet access not only a thing people should be able to
afford after they have become sufficiently rich (or non-poor), but we want
to 'use' internet access to pull them out of poverty and other kinds of
disempowerments. We need to use internet to enable them to get empowering
information, to have access to public and other services etc. And all this
needs to start before they 'have enough> money to buy> services'...

 

As for the Chinese, they sure have done it wonderfully well. But you may be
undermining the role of social polices that they have used. And yes, you may
not approve of all of them either..

 

 

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: Milton Mueller [mailto:mueller at syr.edu]

> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 1:36 AM

> To: george.sadowsky at attglobal.net; governance at lists.cpsr.org;

> Avri Doria

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

> 

> 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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