[governance] rights based approach to the Internet

[McTim]

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 6:08 AM, Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
<snip>
>  CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY OR WHERE THE MARKET DOESN'T SEE MUCH VALUE IN PROVIDING
>  A SUPPLY AT A REASONABLE COST IS WHERE "RIGHTS" (ON PAPER OR WHEREVER)
>  BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND WHERE THE INTERNET CAN AND SHOULD BE "MADE"
>  TO GROW.

Ummm, where I live, this is done via regulation, taxation and
subsequent subsidy.  In very few places in the world is there solely a
"free-market" in telecoms/Internet (Somalia springs to mind, where
prices are the cheapest in Africa). There are also very few places in
the world where there is the heavy hand of the state in place of the
market (think North Korea, where Internet access for citizens is
almost non-existent).

Between these extremes lie everyone else.  I don't see how inventing a
new "right" will lead to a new paradigm, especially in a forum that
produces no binding decisions.  It'll just be another empty promise
left unfulfilled.

We will still have national regulation as the dominant paradigm in
terms of access, as long as we have the concept national sovereignty
in place.

-- 
Cheers,

McTim
$ whois -h whois.afrinic.net mctim
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