[governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
Hakikur Rahman
email at hakik.org
Sat Dec 26 18:30:15 EST 2009
Thank you Michael for your willingness on
discussing this issue further. I will be sending
you a few thoughts on this aspect soon, off-list.
Best regards,
Hakik
At 05:16 PM 12/26/2009, Michael Gurstein wrote:
>And to you Hakik..
>
>Yes, Universal Service Funds have not been well
>spent in many instances... Lots of reasons for
>that... the original legislation/policies, often
>established under the direction or influence of
>folks like the World Bank or USAID, were
>frequently seriously flawed and much too
>stipulative i.e. were directed for example,
>towards extension of fixed line telephone
>service (most were established 10-15 years ago)
>in terms of technology infrastructure rather
>than normative in terms of standard/outcome
>setting... Few seem to have effective research
>or evaluation components and little real
>understanding of the impact of (univerally
>serviced) ICT on Development...and so on.
>
>I'ld be very willing to pursue this discussion
>with you or any others interested but its
>probably a bit of a deviation for the current
>areas of concern on the governance list so maybe
>it should be taken off-line for any folks with an interest...
>
>Best,
>
>Mike
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Hakikur Rahman [mailto:email at hakik.org]
>Sent: Friday, December 25, 2009 10:40 PM
>To: Michael Gurstein; governance at lists.cpsr.org;
>'Jean-Louis FULLSACK'; 'William Drake'
>Subject: RE: [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
>
>Dear Michael,
>
>Happy Holidays!
>
>Yes, at this point I would agree that many
>developing nations are clearly out of focus in
>spending for this sort of 'service area' (which
>directly or indirectly relates to ICT4D), as you
>have mentioned. Perhaps, lack of
>knowledge/expertise at the both levels, policy
>initiators and practitioners. Any thoughts or
>action plans in diminishing these gaps!
>
>Best regards,
>Hakik
>
>At 06:26 AM 12/24/2009, Michael Gurstein wrote:
>>Hakik,
>>
>>The Universal Service Funds I was referring to
>>were national funds, often set up at the time
>>of privatization of PTT's. These funds retain
>>a small percentage of overall
>>telecommunications revenues in national funds
>>generally to be used to ensure "universal
>>(telecom) service" in otherwise un-serviced areas.
>>
>>M
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Hakikur Rahman [ mailto:email at hakik.org]
>>Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 9:38 PM
>>To: Michael Gurstein;
>>governance at lists.cpsr.org; 'Jean-Louis FULLSACK'; 'William Drake'
>>Subject: RE: [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
>>
>>To me major donor agencies have shifted their
>>prime focus in other wings, not very specific
>>to ICT4D. Are the Universal Services fund
>>accessible to developing economies? It will be
>>great to learn about links providing information on them.
>>Thanking you,
>>Hakik
>>
>>At 10:46 PM 12/23/2009, Michael Gurstein wrote:
>>>The issue is only partially one of lack of
>>>funding for ICT4D projects... In fact, in many
>>>cases/places there are funds available for
>>>ICT4D (particularly now with ioncreasingly
>>>widespread mobile and broadband
>>>infrastructures) either through donor
>>>resources or from Universal Services funds but
>>>there is an overall lack of
>>>knowledge/experience/capacity to spend this
>>>money in an appropriate and useful/effective way.
>>>
>>>Doing the assessments, building the knowledge
>>>bases, bringing together those with the
>>>experience as developers and end users,
>>>developing the multistakeholder issue oriented
>>>dialogues and networks is the role that is
>>>currently lacking and has been lacking since
>>>WSIS and before. The GAID said they would do
>>>some of this but they didn't, the IGF
>>>dilettantes at the edges but only muddies the
>>>waters, the ITU is too clearly top-down (in
>>>current speak non-multistakeholder...)
>>>
>>>So where to go from here...
>>>
>>>Best to all for the season!
>>>
>>>M
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Jean-Louis FULLSACK [ mailto:jlfullsack at orange.fr]
>>>Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 7:44 AM
>>>To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; William Drake
>>>Subject: re: [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
>>>
>>>Hello Bill, Wolfgang and all
>>>I think there is also another issue to be
>>>dealt with very urgently : financing the ICT4D
>>>projects and -first of all- the WSIS Action
>>>Plan objectives. Remember : the two "hot
>>>potatoes" of WSIS were Internet governance and
>>>financing for "bridging the digital divide".
>>>The fisrt one was (partly) resolved by
>>>setting-up the IGF. Therefore I was asking for
>>>a "Financing Mechanisms Forum (FMF)" since the
>>>beginning of the WSIS follow-up process. Without any success.
>>>During the the last (or better : the "first")
>>>WSIS Forum held in May my proposal didn't
>>>recieve any support from the CS side (except
>>>from some African grassroot orgs). Therefore I
>>>submitted a personal request to the ITU SG for
>>>this demand to be taken in consideration, in
>>>June after recovering from my heart attack. I
>>>was told by a person of ITU to present this
>>>proposal as a contribution to the September
>>>meeting, convened bu the UNGIS and the ITU,
>>>whose topic was precisely the financing
>>>mechanisms for ICT4D. But unfortunately I
>>>couldn't go to Geneva, my surgeon having
>>>advised me against, for medical reasons.
>>>That's why my "FMF" proposal is still pending.
>>>As Wolfgang mentions, in 2010 we are at the
>>>halfway between Tunis and the deadline of the
>>>WSIS Action Plan. We should take profit of
>>>this opportunity to push this proposal in the foreground of our demand.
>>>With my best wishes for a merry Christmas and
>>>a happy and peaceful New Year to all of you
>>>Jean-Louis Fullsack
>>> > Message du 23/12/09 15:31
>>> > De : "William Drake"
>>> > A : "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang"
>>> > Copie à : "Tim Unwin" , "George Sadowsky" ,
>>> "Michael Gurstein" ,
>>> "tt-group at vancouvercommunity.net" , "governance at lists.cpsr.org"
>>> > Objet : [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Hello
>>> >
>>> > I understand George's perspective, it's hard not to be frustrated and
>>> > a bit cynical about the way things played out with GAID, although to
>>> > me it's more a matter of missed opprtunities to have a useful and
>>> > inclusive space in the UN for ICT4D than of wasted resources (costs
>>> > were a drop in the bucket, really). The fact that per Michael we
>>> > can't really know what's going on within the UN with the next (if any)
>>> > steps is symptomatic of the long standing problems. Re: Wolfgang's
>>> > suggestion, I would be rather surprised if the ITU were to accept
>>> > making it's "forum" an open multistakeholder process rather than a
>>> > showpiece for itself, they could have done this already and have
>>> > showed no inclination. And It might be risky given the stuff with IGF
>>> > etc. But perhaps it'd be a good way to call their bluff and feed into
>>> > the Plenipot discussion...?
>>> >
>>> > Bill
>>> >
>>> > Sent from my iPhone
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Dec 23, 2009, at 3:54, "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang"
>>> > e> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Dear list
>>> > >
>>> > > one opportunity to have a more strategic brainstorming around a
>>> > > reasonable Follow up of GAID could be the IGF consultations in
>>> > > February in Geneva. I propose to have on Wednesday, February, 10,
>>> > > 2010, over lunch (1315 - 1500) a meeting of people present in
>>> > > Geneva. We had a similar meeting last year (in the ITU Montbrillant
>>> > > Building) where we identified an "identity crisis of GAID" with no
>>> > > consequences after the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Bill and
>>> > > Sarbulan was online from NY.
>>> > >
>>> > > Any proposal?
>>> > >
>>> > > BTW I could imagine to move the "WSIS Forum", which is emerging from
>>> > > the annual meetings of the Actions Lines, into something which could
>>> > > absorb previous UNICTTF/GAID activities. My impression is that so
>>> > > far the "WSIS Forum" is mainly in the hand of the ITU and other
>>> > > IGOs, having the lead position in the Action Lines. The WSIS Forum
>>> > > could be further "multistakeholderised" and the responsibility to
>>> > > organoze the meeting - convened by the UN/ITU/UNESCO/FAO/ILO - could
>>> > > go to a MAG like group. Do not forget that 2010 makrs half way
>>> > > towards 2015m the dateline for the Geneva and Tunis Commitments.
>>> > >
>>> > > Wolfgang
>>> > >
>>> > ____________________________________________________________
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>>> >
>>> >
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>>
>>
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