[governance] Agenda for IGF Nairobi - IGC proposals

Lee W McKnight lmcknigh at syr.edu
Sun Jan 16 11:53:41 EST 2011 

The FCC 'NN rules' doc Parminder referenced is actually titled 'open Internet'...I scanned and did find the words 'network neutrality' in some footnotes.

So while 'Network Neutrality' is the popular phraseology, there is a reason the actual regulations are for 'open Internet' which as some may recall is the phraseology which I have been suggesting all along is a more accurate rendering of what is desired, and desirable.

Now my 2 points:

1) 'open Internet' logically includes both wired and wireless nets, as well as heterogeneous nets including both wired and wireless pieces. The third  category happens to be most of our daily realities in Internet access, services and use. 

2) the FCC regs are therefore logically inconsistent if they claim one set of rules for -wired - and another for - wireless, and are at 95% confidence level imho likely to be challenged in court within a year. 

Because of 1) and 2) and the usual industry squabbles the FCC rules are far from the last word on net neutrality or open Internet thematic  in the US; I suspect sooner or later new legislation for ensuring an - open Internet - will be needed. And the artifical boundary of one set of rules for wired and another for wireless, won't stand up to the scrutiny.

In sum, for IGF thematic reasons I understand going with the 'headline news' version of the issue - ie the phrase network neutrality - but for actual progress towards a global - open Internet - I continue to suggest the better phrase is - open Internet.  I'm sure the fact that the FCC agrees with me on that point is a plus or minus for many of you. : ).

But anyway, my suggested amendment to the proposed main theme title is: 'Open Mobile Internet.' 

Three words both clear and ambiguous enough to leave room for multiple interpretations, which seems a requirement for an IGF theme...

Lee
________________________________________
From: governance-request at lists.cpsr.org [governance-request at lists.cpsr.org] On Behalf Of Fouad Bajwa [fouadbajwa at gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2011 8:04 PM
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; parminder
Cc: Jeremy Malcolm
Subject: Re: [governance] Agenda for IGF Nairobi - IGC proposals

after giving some more thought to the Mobile Network Neutrality
topics, why not propose it as:

Wired and Wireless Network Neutrality - W2 at NN



On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 12:06 PM, Fouad Bajwa <fouadbajwa at gmail.com> wrote:
> We should begin with forwarding these suggestion well beforehand. Many
> of the MAG members from developing regions will not be able to make it
> to the upcoming MAG and open consultation meetings and will be mostly
> around through remote participation.
>
> My question regarding the topic of 'Network Neutrality' or now '
> Mobile Network Neutrality' is that how should this be conveyed? NN is
> easier to raise and pass through and have MNN listed in the sub-topics
> because its a term almost everyone is aware of within the IGF
> community but MNN will be a bit of confusion otherwise and might
> create the same kind of resistance that happens around when the issue
> around HR or IRP has been raised in the past? We know how things are
> with new-terms in the process.
>
> The 'development agenda for IG' should remain an important focus to be
> included and I will sustain my position with regards to it and revive
> the cross-community working group to organize it should we be able to
> table it through.
>
> 'Cross border Issues and implications of IG' is a good topic and yes
> CoE is discussing it with a major activity happening around April this
> year on the issue and we can liaise with the CoE representatives to
> table this issue as a main session topic.
>
> Can we detail these topics out also to assist the MAG members from CS
> to present, deliberate and sustain their ground.
>
> An important thing that can be done is that we create a yearly focus
> of topics that are also detailed out with all these references like
> the one from Sala's message so that it can be used as a reference
> point to make both statements, IGC position information and other
> discussion pointers.
>
> -- Best
>
> Fouad
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 3:20 PM, parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
>> Hi Jeremy
>>
>> I think we should two separate threads for the next IGF's agenda, which
>> hopefully will be taken up in the Feb MAG meeting, and for our inputs into
>> the WG on IGF improvements. Both are very distinct issues and separately
>> quite important . So excuse me to have this thread on 'agenda for IGF
>> Nairobi'.
>>
>> I am particularly eager to get this discussion going, because I feel that
>> IGC should be doing much more on substantive issues, and its almost singular
>> focus on process issues is what has kept it insulated from much of the civil
>> society outside the IG realm, which compromises its legitimacy.
>>
>> In middle of the hot discussions on composition of the WG on IGF
>> improvements, Sala posted an email on the (globally) historic FCC decision
>> on network neutrality. While there are some good points there, there has
>> been a sellout on excluding mobile Internet from regulations disallowing
>> pay-for-priority. (To read this in the context of my earielr emails pointing
>> to how mobile Internet in India is already breaching NN boundaries.)
>>
>> This FC decision has the potential of splitting up the Internet into the
>> open fixed line variety and corporate content dominated mobile Internet. Why
>> should there be two kinds of Internet? Why do freedoms and rights count on
>> one kind and are not so important on the mobile Internet? What does this
>> mean for developing countries where mobile is slated to become the by far
>> the dominant platform for Internet?
>>
>> I also consider it very significant that it is perhaps the first time ever
>> in any substantial policy matter of such huge consequence that the policy
>> framework was largely written up as a result of negotiations between two
>> largest corporate players in the area - google and verizon - and then the
>> government rubber stamped it. If this the new global governance model we are
>> moving towards? I keep getting this picture in my mind of our health policy
>> frameworks soon being written by drug companies and health insurance
>> companies, and maybe the large private hospital chains, if they are big
>> enough, before plaint governments rubber stamp it. That is exactly what
>> happened in the present instance vis a vis the new communication
>> infrastructure of the Internet that came with such egalitarian promises.
>>
>> Anyway back to the topic,
>>
>> The next IGF just must take up 'Network Neutrality' or in fact ' Mobile
>> Network Neutrality' as its key plenary theme. Otherwise IGF and the real
>> world IG would be two very different worlds.
>>
>> It should also continue with the plenary topic - 'development agenda for IG'
>>
>> And I propose a third topic
>>
>> 'Cross border Issues and implications of IG'
>>
>> CoE is discussing it, no reason why IGF should not.
>>
>> Parminder
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>>
>> I would like us to move towards preparing a submission about the
>> programme of the 2011 IGF meeting.  Simultaneously, we can discuss IGF
>> improvements, which if minor could go into that submission, but
>> otherwise can be input for our new CSTD working group on the IGF.
>>
>> This is an exercise that we have, of course, gone through before.  So it
>> is useful for us to look at some previous submissions on the programme
>> of the IGF and on improvements, and see what we can simply rewrite and
>> reuse.  Here are relevant links:
>>
>> PROGRAMME:
>>
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/8 (Hyderabad)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/5 (Sharm)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/26 (Sharm)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/32 (Sharm)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/34 (Vilnius)
>>
>> IMPROVEMENTS:
>>
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/6 (funding, deeper discussion, WGs)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/7 (format improvements, IGF as town-hall)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/9 (MAG improvements)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/30 (MAG, funding, intersessional work)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/33 (MAG, outputs, intersessional work)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/41 (MAG improvements, links from IGF)
>> http://www.igcaucus.org/node/45 (outputs, difficult issues, virtual IGF)
>>
>> I would suggest that people go through these and pick out the highlights
>> that they would like to reiterate... as well, of course, as contributing
>> any new points in light of the changed landscape since last November.
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> PK
>>
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>



--
Regards.
--------------------------
Fouad Bajwa
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____________________________________________________________
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