[governance] How can civil society help the Internet to

[George Sadowsky]

Yes, the APC paper addresses many of these 
issues, and it is potentially a very useful 
document.

I want to go a step further.  Granted that there 
is an evolving consensus regarding issues 
surrounding access, what is the next step?  Is 
this something to start a national scorecard on? 
Is it something to be followed up at the national 
level in all countries?  I fear that continuing 
to stress it at the IGF will result in, for the 
most part, the converted preaching to the 
converted.

This is an area, where in general you have an 
alignment of civil society, the Internet 
community, and most of the business community. 
On the other side, generally, you have 
governments and businesses (often telcos) that 
have monopoly or controlling positions.

At some point, words don't go further in an 
alignment like that.  What can be done further?

George


At 10:05 PM +0900 6/5/08, Adam Peake wrote:
>George, about a month ago Karen posted a note 
>(below) about APC's work on access, it's an 
>outcome of their efforts in the IGF and their 
>work with other stakeholders. You've been very 
>involved in IGF access sessions and discussions 
>so know most of the progress in IGF on access 
>has been very much a join effort between CS and 
>the Internet community, particularly ISOC/APC 
>(and the organizations/people they respectively 
>brought to the process.)
>
>My understanding is APC, ISOC and private sector 
>are trying to make progress with these ideas, 
>they are specific to IGF, cover many of the 
>issues you mention, so if we are to discuss 
>something perhaps it could be part of an ongoing 
>IGF dialogue.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Adam
>
>
>
>At 8:12 AM +0100 5/7/08, karen banks wrote:
>>
>>Dear all
>>
>>Just prior to the February consultation, i 
>>posted a report on the cluster of access 
>>related events at the Rio IGF - "Building 
>>concensus on Access at the IGF"
>>
>>The paper has now been edited and formatted and 
>>will be available in hard copy at the May 
>>consultation for thos interested.. soft copies 
>>available online here: 
>>http://www.apc.org/en/pubs/issue/openaccess/all/building-consensus-internet-access-igf
>>
>>An abstract of the paper is below which 
>>contains specific proposals to the IGF 
>>community on how to address the theme of access 
>>in the coming years.
>>
>>We are very interested to hear reactions from colleagues ..
>>
>>thanks a lot and see some of you in geneva next week
>>
>>karen
>>
>>Building consensus on internet access at the IGF
>>Abiodun Jagun
>>APC, Montevideo, May 2008
>>
>>This paper identifies and documents the main 
>>areas of discussions and ‘recommendations’ that 
>>were generated under the Access theme at the 
>>second Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio 
>>De Janeiro, November 2007.
>>
>>Whilst recognising that the IGF is currently 
>>viewed and operates primarily as a space for 
>>discussion, the paper finds that (specifically 
>>in the case of Access) it is also a space in 
>>which commonality of opinion occurs to the 
>>level at which "recommendation" can be made and 
>>repeatedly asserted independently/individually 
>>in the workshops, and strategically reinforced 
>>at different levels of the IGF.
>>
>>The levels addressed in the paper include:
>>
>>- the three "thematic" workshops on access
>>- the reporting back session
>>- and the main access plenary
>>
>>The paper finds the generation and articulation 
>>of recommendations to be in line with the 
>>mandate of the IGF, specifically:
>>
>>"Advising all stakeholders in proposing ways 
>>and means to accelerate the availability and 
>>affordability of the Internet in the developing 
>>world."
>>
>>Whilst a variety of recommendations were made, 
>>these can be categorised into the following 
>>broad areas:
>>
>>* Enhancement of the development of and access 
>>to infrastructure -- in recognising that the 
>>availability of internet infrastructure needs 
>>to be considered hand-in-hand with the 
>>affordability of the infrastructure, this 
>>recommendation calls for the consistent 
>>implementation of competitive regimes and the 
>>creation of incentives that facilitate the 
>>co-existence of competitive and collaborative 
>>models for providing and/or improving access.
>>
>>* Localisation of ICT and Telecom policies and 
>>regulation -- refers to calls for a review of 
>>the ways in which access issues are articulated 
>>and ICT/Telecom policy and regulation is 
>>formulated. It asks that the 
>>translation/customisation of largely 
>>urban-centric policies be challenged and that 
>>greater emphasis be given to demand-side 
>>characteristics and the needs of rural/local 
>>communities.
>>
>>* Promoting the development potential of ICTs 
>>and integrating access infrastructure 
>>initiatives with other basic needs -- calls for 
>>a multi-sectoral approach to infrastructure 
>>development and regulation; specifically the 
>>integration of ICT regulation and policy with 
>>local development strategies, as well as the 
>>exploitation of complementarities between 
>>different types of development infrastructure
>>
>>This paper proposes that the convergence in 
>>opinions about how to address the challenges of 
>>access may be a result of a maturity in 
>>understanding of the issues relating to access 
>>that has built up over time and is discussed in 
>>other related bodies and fora. However, 
>>thinking and understanding of "tools" and 
>>implementation procedures/processes of 
>>solutions for resolving/addressing these well 
>>understood issues and challenges cannot be 
>>described as having attained a similar level of 
>>maturity -- in fact, particularly in the case 
>>of rural/local access they can be described as 
>>infantile.
>>
>>There is therefore continued need and relevance 
>>for addressing Access at future IGF meetings, 
>>however the way in which this will need to be 
>>done will have to be different from the largely 
>>discursive identification of issues and 
>>challenges. The Internet governance community 
>>and indeed the portion of the world's 
>>population waiting to gain access to the 
>>Internet would benefit from a more 
>>implementation-orientation to future 
>>discussions on Access.
>>
>>One idea proposed by APC is that the IGF uses 
>>the format of the Working Group on Internet 
>>Governance (WGIG, established during the World 
>>Summit on the Information Society), or bodies 
>>such as the Internet Engineering Task Force 
>>(IETF) to convene working groups to address 
>>complex issues that emerge during a forum. 
>>These groups can be made up of individuals with 
>>the necessary expertise and drawn from 
>>different stakeholder groups. These groups can 
>>then engage specific issues in greater depth, 
>>and, if they feel it is required, develop 
>>recommendations that can be communicated to the 
>>internet community at large, or addressed to 
>>specific institutions.
>>
>>These recommendations need not be presented as 
>>formally agreed recommendations from the IGF, 
>>but as recommendations or suggestions for 
>>action from the individuals in the working 
>>group.
>>
>>These working groups have a different role from 
>>the self-organised dynamic coalitions which we 
>>believe should continue. Dynamic coalitions 
>>have a broader mandate and are informal in 
>>nature. APC sees IGF working groups as 
>>differing from dynamic coalitions in that they 
>>should address particular challenges rather 
>>than a general issue area. They will also have 
>>a degree of accountability and an obligation to 
>>report that dynamic coalitions do not have. One 
>>such group could be a working group on 
>>competitive and collaborative models for access.
>>
>
>
>(end KB email)
>
>>All,
>>
>>Below is the combined list of a set of issues 
>>(from previous posts) that Suresh an I seem to 
>>feel would be worthy of discussion, and better 
>>yet, action, by members of the group.  This is 
>>clearly a subset of such issues, but it's an 
>>important subset.
>>
>>Suresh has responded with a bunch of 
>>initiatives that he has been involved in along 
>>these lines. I've been involved in a variety of 
>>others; see for example 
>>http://www.internetpolicy.net/.  It could be 
>>useful to appreciate contributions that others 
>>have made.
>>
>>* Last mile unbundling
>>
>>* Monopoly internet service and its pitfalls
>>
>>* Regulators who favor the government owned telco over private players
>>
>>* Monopoly suppliers of international bandwidth who fleece local ISPs
>>   (how many satellites or cables would the typical LDC have access to)
>>
>>* Local ISPs who need capacity building to use their existing resources
>>   (And who don't trust each other enough to peer at an exchange point)
>>
>>- Appropriate policies for consumer protection for Internet
>>   transactions, both national an international
>>
>>- Fair and equitable licensing regimes for ISPs consistent with
>>   general business licensing processes at the national level
>>
>>- Regulation that encourages, or better yet, requires cost based
>>   pricing of Internet access
>>
>>- A level playing field between incumbent telcos and international
>>   Internet gateway providers on the one hand and independent ISPs
>>   on the other hand
>>
>>- Ability of ISPs to form their own international gateway connections
>>
>>- Issues of filtering content at the national level
>>
>>- Permissive policies for anonymous communication
>>
>>- Acceptability of tools (such as encryption tools) for
>>   protecting confidentiality of communication
>>
>>- Net neutrality with respect to traffic type, e.g. VoIP
>>
>>- Strong anti-spam legislation, effective implementation and
>>   vigorous prosecution, including enabling national authorities
>>   through training and facilities the ability to identify
>>   prosecute and convict spammers
>>
>>I commented earlier that these are issues that 
>>by and large unite civil society, the Internet 
>>community, and the business community.  If so, 
>>that's a major plus.  They are issues of policy 
>>that can be addressed in parallel in all 
>>countries of the world, and the goal of 
>>addressing them is to make the Internet 
>>available, accessible, affordable, useful and 
>>more secure than would otherwise be the case. 
>>IMHO these are the kinds of issues that not 
>>only should be discussed here, but are directly 
>>actionable at the national level.
>>
>>Is there any disagreement with this?
>>
>>Is there any interest in this within this group?
>>
>>Are other members of this group mobilizing action in these directions?
>>
>>I'm not disputing the value and the strength of 
>>words and ideas.  As Barack Obama said in one 
>>of his earlier speeches when he was accused of 
>>just giving good speeches, " ... JUST WORDS?! 
>>'We hold all people to be created free and 
>>equal ....'  JUST WORDS? ... !"  So perhaps it 
>>would also be useful to know the extent to 
>>which the words and the discussion expressed 
>>internally within this group have had a 
>>significant effect on Internet governance 
>>issues.
>>
>>It is easy to talk on-line about issues at the 
>>international level that have little if any 
>>connection with the real individual user 
>>experience in, say, developing countries.  But 
>>is it worth doing  --  as opposed to really 
>>addressing in an actionable manner the issues 
>>above, and others, that really impact 
>>development?
>>
>>Reactions to the above are welcome.
>>
>>George
>>
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