[governance] Net neutrality..the big picture

[Milton L Mueller]

> and realised that I was wrong re: NN and developing countries.  NN is a
> major issue for the developing world, but we have overlooked it, as we
> don't call it NN, we call it censorship.
[Milton L Mueller] 

Yes! This was a major point I made in the 2007 IGP paper on NN.
http://internetgovernance.org/pdf/NetNeutralityGlobalPrinciple.pdf 

> Recent popular examples from the developing world of NN violations
> include, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Burma, China and most recently in Uganda,
> where some ppl wanted to "walk to work" in protest of rising fuel
> prices.

[Milton L Mueller] 

Yes, and while it is true, as Fouad points out, developed world businesses in some cases share responsibility for this, as for example by selling them the technology to make internet blocking easier, it is the states in those countries who create the demand and provide the funds for that technology.

> So our workshop should focus, IMHO on what the real current NN issues
> are at the moment, those things that currently violate our right to
> communicate with each other.  So lets hold governments collective feet
> to the fire on this.  If we want real NN, then we have to start from
> First Principles.  Any website/content, any time on any device.  If we
> focus on some alleged victimisation by Big Content and Big Providers
> that may or may not happen at some future point in time, we will be
> doing a disservice to all those whose rights are currently being
> violated by the biggest anti-NN violators out there, our governments!
> 
[Milton L Mueller] 

I agree  but would phrase it a bit differently. Don't let big Content and big ISPs off the hook, but don't let states off the hook, either. 
For more info about the implications of this approach, see the 
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2011/4/14/4795243.html 


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