[governance] Re: [bestbits] FW: Broadband Manifesto

Mon Dec 2 19:00:47 EST 2013

I would certainly agree that mixing these strands together has been unhelpful - though I would argue that even with governance, a national, multi-stakeholder consensus about what governance - to what purpose - would be an important element of the strand. Much of the international debate about Internet governance seems to me devoid of any connection with how the output would benefit real people's lives.

Anja Kovacs <anja at internetdemocracy.in> wrote:
>I wouldn't actually agree that an approach that starts from the
>national
>level is the only way forward. In the analysis of the Internet
>Democracy
>Project, among important reasons why more progress has not been made on
>various goals set out in the WSIS Action Lines is not only because
>Action
>Lines have been implemented in too top-down a fashion, but also, and
>relatedly, because the Action Lines mix together two types of issues:
>those
>that fundamentally rely on the input of the larger development
>community,
>and those that are Internet governance issues in the more narrow sense.
>The
>latter frequently cut across Action Lines, and as long as they are not
>addressed adequately, it is unlikely that the development agenda that
>is at
>the heart of the Action Lines will take off either. The former is in
>many
>cases the foundation for the success of the latter.
>
>For this reason, the Internet Democracy Project proposed in September,
>when
>the first inputs into the preparatory process for the ITU's High Level
>Review meeting were due, to actually rearrange the Action Lines to make
>sure both aspects of the Action Lines get their due. This would entail
>highlighting, and addressing, the Internet governance agenda that is
>embedded in the Action Lines separately, without at any point losing
>sight
>of its connectedness with the development agenda. We resubmitted this
>proposal as an input into the zero draft of the zero draft of the
>WSIS+10
>vision in November, please see:
>http://www.itu.int/wsis/review/inc/docs/phase2/rc/V1-D-2.docx
>
>While many development issues in the Action Lines require action first
>and
>foremost at local and national levels, many of the Internet governance
>issues are really global public policy issues (and by splitting the two
>strands, where to engage can become much more clear for a range of
>actors).
>We therefore also made this proposal an integral part of our proposals
>for
>the evolution of global Internet governance. If much of the groundwork
>to
>enhance cooperation has already been done in the context of the Action
>Lines, why not build on this rather than constituting a new,
>government-dominated body? This would also ensure that the enhanced
>cooperation agenda, too, is tethered quite closely to development -
>that
>seems to be the case only rarely now.
>
>Different issues require action at different levels and through
>different
>processes. The challenge is not which one to chose, but how to hold on
>to,
>organise and maximise the multitude.
>
>Best,
>Anja
>
>
>
>On 2 December 2013 06:06, michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> +1
>>
>>
>>
>> M
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* nashton at consensus.pro [mailto:nashton at consensus.pro]
>> *Sent:* Sunday, December 01, 2013 4:05 PM
>> *To:* michael gurstein; governance at lists.igcaucus.org; bestbits
>> *Subject:* Re: [bestbits] FW: Broadband Manifesto
>>
>>
>>
>> The merits of the report aside, your point, Michael, is one I believe
>> strongly to be true: the whole WSIS follow-up system is top-down,
>because
>> the ITU took control of it. What's needed is national-level action
>plans,
>> drawn up by all stakeholders, which can then be compared
>like-for-like as
>> to results internationally so countries can learn from what works in
>other
>> countries. The irony is that this model is how "Agenda 21" the
>climate
>> change process from the first Rio conference works; sadly WSIS didn't
>pick
>> this up despite it postdating Rio by more than a decade.
>>
>> In the WSIS review, we should fix this. The digital divide is not
>going to
>> be met in Geneva at one-annual "WSIS review" meetings where INGOs
>(however
>> well-meaning) compare notes and report cards  - it will be met at the
>> grassroots level, with buyin from that level.
>>
>>
>>
>> michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Anyone wondering why a grassroots/community informatics perspective
>is
>> necessary in the WSIS and related ICT4D venues should take a close
>look at
>> this corporate driven top-down techno-fantasy of what could/should be
>done
>> with no attention being given to how it might actually be
>accomplished on
>> the ground even after almost twenty years of similar pronouncements
>and
>> failed (and hugely wasteful) similarly top down initiatives.
>>
>>
>>
>> M
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2013/67.asp
>>
>>
>>
>> Broadband infrastructure, applications and services have become
>critical
>> to driving growth, delivering social services, improving
>environmental
>> management, and transforming people’s lives, according to a new
>Manifesto
>> released by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and
>signed by
>> 48 members of the Commission, along with other prominent figures from
>> industry, civil society and the United Nations. “Overcoming the
>digital
>> divide makes sense not only on the basis of principles of fairness
>and
>> justice; connecting the world makes soun d commercial sense,” the
>Manifesto
>> reads. “The vital role of broadband needs to be acknowledged at the
>core of
>> any post-2015 sustainable development framework, to ensure that all
>> countries – developed and developing alike – are empowered to
>participate
>> in the global digital economy.”
>>
>>
>>
>> Supporting Document
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/working-groups/bb-wg-taskforce-report.pdf
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sent from Kaiten Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________
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>
>
>
>-- 
>Dr. Anja Kovacs
>The Internet Democracy Project
>
>+91 9899028053 | @anjakovacs
>www.internetdemocracy.in

-- 
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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