[governance] Net neutrality on mobiles
Deirdre Williams
williams.deirdre at gmail.com
Wed Aug 11 12:33:31 EDT 2010
Dear Parminder and everyone,
I am very conscious of the fact that I am NOT a techie, so please forgive me
if I am stating the obvious/making a fool of myself or both. As far as I am
concerned "network neutrality" speaks to the management of the hardware,
software and traffic of the internet to preserve interoperability and open
equitable access
> ... a civil society advocacy group perspective which needs to
> probe the deeper policy issues and come up with responses that serve
> the progressive cause and advoacte them strongly on behalf of those who
> cannot be present in these forums but whose lives are nonetheless
> greatly affected by these developments.
>
>
> In any case, at least in my view, Internet is not just a market place, it
> is a social space for our non-commerical social interactions, it is a public
> media and a public sphere, it is a space for exercising citizenship. Perhaps
> without discussions on these deeper issues and essential nature of the
> Internet and what we take it to be, discussions on a 'simple act' of a free
> Internet based service wont go anywhere.
>
I was prodded into replying by what Parminder has to say quoted above. This
aspect of the Internet is deeply important to me. For some time I have been
alarmed at and thinking about a predatory behaviour online which I describe
to myself as "webherding". Subsequently I discovered that other people call
the same phenomenon "social engineering" which sounds almost respectable :-)
Herding behaviour is something that man has learned to make use of to his
benefit - but at the same time sharks do it, wolves do it, very much to the
detriment of that which is herded. When herded, creatures lose their
individuality, and the possibility of innovation, the possibility of choice.
A world is created which is the diametric opposite of the type of world the
Internet is sold to us as being.
Somehow our perception of the world has been shifted to a focus where
business ethics have become a sort of norm - if it is good business then it
is also generally good and should not be questioned.
Deirdre
>
> Parminder
>
> Innovation tumbles over innovation, that's the law.
>
> Carlton
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ginger Paque [mailto:gpaque at gmail.com <gpaque at gmail.com>]
> Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 7:37 AM
> To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Ian Peter
> Subject: Re: [governance] Net neutrality on mobiles
>
> Ian and Parminder,
>
> This is an interesting point for me, but I wonder where the line is
> between advertising and other issues, like 'free benefits' which David
> mentions. For instance, when text messaging was first available in
> Venezuela, it was free. It was free for long enough to get everyone
> hooked on it. Then they started charging for it.
>
> It is difficult for me to see this as a NN issue since it sounds more
> like a 'free trial', or a 'package deal' that attracts customers. My
> serious issues with NN are lack of transparency, not marketing.
>
> Where do you see this 'line'?
>
> I think this is a good time to discuss NN so that we can be more
> productive in Vilnius.
>
> Best, Ginger
>
> On 8/7/2010 11:23 PM, Ian Peter wrote:
>
>
> Hi Parminder,
>
> Unfortunately Australia has already jumped ship on this too. It is common
> practice for ISPs here (who have volume charging regimes) to create free
> zones of their partner sites which do not attract volume charges and/or
> traffic shaping when people exceed download limits. Nobody here seems to
> want to pick this up as an issue. To me, this is a distortion of a free
> market and an open Internet at the same time and should be attracting a lot
> more attention.
>
> The mobile world, as you mention, brings with it other distortions and
> potential distortions (eg built in apps and interfaces)
>
>
> I agree - we should discuss.
>
>
> Ian Peter
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: parminder<parminder at itforchange.net> <parminder at itforchange.net>
> Reply-To:<governance at lists.cpsr.org> <governance at lists.cpsr.org>, parminder<parminder at itforchange.net> <parminder at itforchange.net>
> Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2010 08:51:02 +0530
> To:<governance at lists.cpsr.org> <governance at lists.cpsr.org>,<ciresearchers at vancouvercommunity.net> <ciresearchers at vancouvercommunity.net>
> Subject: [governance] Net neutrality on mobiles
>
> Hi All
>
> The biggest mobile operator in India, Airtel, is providing Facebook free
> of data download charges in India (apparently, only for 2 months). I
> understand this is happening in other countries too; i read about
> something similar in Russia.
>
> I consider this as an outright violation of net neutrality (NN).
>
> Since there are existing codes of conduct on NN in some countries like
> Norway and Brazil, I will like to know from those who know and
> understand these country specific arrangements well if such a thing as
> above will be considered a NN violation under these codes.
>
> If indeed developing countries are to have any chance of being a part of
> shaping and governing the future of the Internet, we should start
> testing such cases as above with the telecom regulatory authourities,
> and if needed with courts and anti-trust bodies.
>
> Parminder
>
> PS: See latest developments on NN debate in the US at
> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/08/google-verizon-close-to-their-
> own-net-neutrality-deal.ars
>
>
> It appears that there is some move to treat wireless or mobile based
> Internet on a different level vis a vis NN than wired Internet.
>
> As the largest market players - here, Verizon and Google - seek to
> arrive at a mutually convenient arrangement, and the only other party
> to it is the US gov, itself representing very partisan, and largely
> dominant, interests, as far as the global public Internet is concerned,
> the real shape of global IG is quite evident. Where does the IGF, and
> indeed the IGC come into this may be a question that we need to ponder
> upon.
>
>
>
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--
“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William
Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979
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