August 2008 - KICTANet

Is it necessary to legislate IT Professionalism under an Act of Parliament?
by kathae＠cskonline.org 07 Aug '08

07 Aug '08

visit www.cskonline.org and make a vote on whether its necessary to legislate IT Professionalism under an Act of Parliament? Your vote counts in ensuring high standards of professionalism would be mantained in this country >From Peter Ndonga, System administrator (Computer Society Of Kenya). +254724326360

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FW: Early cell phone termination fees illegal
by Edith Adera 06 Aug '08

06 Aug '08

What is the rule in Kenya? Celtel (read Zain) seems to have this rule as well? Whats in place here to protect consumers? Edith Adera _____ From: Gideon Christian [mailto:gchristian@idrc.ca] Sent: 01 August 2008 16:39 To: ICT4D-Futures Workspace Subject: Early cell phone termination fees illegal California judge rules early cell phone termination fees illegal http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/99655 In one of the most significant legal rulings in the tech industry this year, a Superior Court judge in California has ruled that the practice of charging <http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10039461?source=most_viewed> consumers a fee for ending their cell phone contract early is illegal and violates state law. The preliminary, tentative judgment orders Sprint Nextel to pay customers $18.2 million in reimbursements and, more importantly, orders Sprint to stop trying to collect another $54.7 million from California customers (some 2 million customers total) who have canceled their contracts but refused or failed to pay the termination fee. While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that's enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T's two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It's highly probable. Of course, the carriers aren't going to take this lying down. Early termination fees are seen as critical to business, so carriers are expected to look for ways to reclassify the fees (such as by calling them "rates," part of the arcane set of laws that covers the telecommunications industry). The industry is also pushing for the federal government to step in and claim oversight over the early termination fee issue, which would invalidate any state ruling. The FCC is generally more tolerant of such fees, though Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed a plan whereby the fees are decreased the closer you are to the end of your contract. The FCC may also buy the argument that, since carriers are nationally based (and consumers can use their phones anywhere in the country), that a single policy should apply across the nation, rather than creating a patchwork of legislation that could lead to confusion and chaos caused by having 50 different policies. Is the early termination fee dead? Not yet, but it's looking a little haggard. Gideon Christian, LL.M Research Intern/Stagiaire Int`l Development Research Centre (IDRC) Centre de Recherches pour le Développement International (CRDI) 150 Kent Str Ottawa, ON, K1P 0B2 Canada Tel/Tél:+1-613-236-6163 ext 2063 Cell:cellulaire: +1-613-265-1300 Fax/Téléc: +1-613-238-7230 Email/Courriel: gchristian(a)idrc.ca www.idrc.ca / www.crdi.ca Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank --- You are currently subscribed to ict4d-futures as: eadera(a)idrc.or.ke To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-ict4d-futures-75952T(a)dgroups.idrc.ca

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[Fwd: [governance] Call For Papers Country Domain Governance 2008 (CDG'08)]
by alice 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

Call For Papers CDG'08 International Symposium on Country Domain Governance 2008 (CDG'08) <http://www.cdg08.org> November 20-22, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata, Japan. CDG'08 will address all aspects of research related to domain name governance and linguistic diversity of the Internet. The symposium is being held to celebrate the International Year of Languages. Scope The symposium provides a forum for engineers and scientists in academia, industry and government to present their latest research findings on issues relating to domain name governance, Internet governance and linguistic diversity of the Internet. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to: * CDG issues on Accessibility, Openness, Security, Diversity, and Open-content * TLD or ccTLD Surveys * Basic Political Economy of Identifiers and CDG * Internet Name and Address Spaces * Analytical Framework of CDG * Property Rights Conflicts * ICANN and Global Regulatory Regime * Global Rights to Internet Domain Names * Languages on Internet * Encoding Issues Paper Submission and Manuscript Preparation Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings. Provide an abstract of 800-1000 words describing the main research questions to be addressed by the paper and include five to ten appropriate keywords. The full paper should be up to six pages in A4 format written in English. This page limit includes figures, tables and references. Include a curriculum vitae (not more than one page) of the main submitting author, the technical area(s) most relevant to the paper, the names and affiliations of all contributing authors, and the corresponding author's e-mail address. All text (main text, and references) should be 11 point font. Accepted final camera-ready articles for the proceedings should follow the format specified here <http://mirevicast.medien.fh-duesseldorf.de/hc2007/format>. If possible, please use the provided LaTeX template <http://mirevicast.medien.fh-duesseldorf.de/hc2007/file_download/1>. Full papers are preferable for the review process. Important dates Submission Deadline: August 31st, 2008 for an extended abstract or a full paper in final draft. Notification of Acceptance: September 30th, 2008 Final Manuscript: October 22nd, 2008 Symposium: November 20th - 22nd, 2008 About the Venue Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata, Japan <http://kansei.nagaokaut.ac.jp/CDG08/venue.html>. Nagaoka is located in Niigata Prefecture, from Tokyo the journey by Shinkansen takes about 90 minutes. CDG'08 will be held in conjunction with * 11th International Conference on Humans and Computers (HC'2008) <http://www.hc2008.org/> * 2nd International Conference on Kansei Engineering and Affective Systems (KEAS'08) <http://www.keas08.org/> Sponsored by * Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) * CDG Committee of the Nagaoka University of Technology * MAAYA (World Network for Linguistic Diversity) * The Human and Computer Committee of the Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan, (HC'2008) * International University of Japan * Concordia University College of Alberta (Canada) * Center for Global Communications (Japan) * Niigata International Convention Bureau For more information about the symposium or call for papers, please contact <cdg08(a)kjs.nagaokaut.ac.jp> About the Country Domain Governance Project The Country Domain Governance (CDG) project, hosted by the Department of Management & Information Systems Science, Nagaoka University of Technology, is an international collaboration mapping the matrix of roles and responsibilities that should be undertaken by various stakeholders in order to maintain the well-being of the Internet. CDG is sponsored by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX). The JST RISTEX programme aims to improve our understanding of governance in the ubiquitous information society. It is oriented to social technology (technology and society) and includes broad programmes examining social vulnerabilities such as security and privacy and the pervasive use of ICTs, and the challenges of use and growth of the Internet. END ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance

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(no subject)
by Jose Wambua 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

-- Joseph Wambua Success Consultant Mobile: +254 0710 514107 www.Xtraincome.successuniversity.com/slim

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ICT Investment Opportunities in Kenya
by alice 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

http://www.aganoconsulting.com/businessnews/archives/24 ICT Investment Opportunities in Kenya The following are concluding remarks from a report titled ICT Investment Opportunities in East Africa Country Specific Market Analysis Kenya of October 2004 authored by Tina James Trigrammic, SA), Kimmo Kartano (Independent Consultant) Finland) and Tim Mutinda (Technology Consulting, Kenya). The remarks capture the essence of the findings and suggestions to the future. “The ICT sector in Kenya is small but with its skilled lCT labor force and recent changes in the government’s approaches to liberalization, some promising opportunities are likely to emerge in the short term. “Investments are predominantly in the telecommunications sector as funding requirements in the IT software and services sectors will require smaller investments in the region of USD50 000 – 300 000. The creation of venture capital funding is needed to address this gap in the market and will need to take addressed if the potential of this component of the ICT sector is to be unleashed.”

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CONFERENCE ON COMPUTERS AND GAMES 2008
by waudo siganga 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

The International Federation for Information Processing (www.IFIP.org)has organized the Conference on Computers and Games 2008 (http://www.cs.unimaas.nl/cg2008/) in Beijing just after the Olympics, 29th Sept-Oct 1. Could be of interest to techies, developers, AI Enthusiasts. Come and mix with the best developers in the world. Learn how they write sophisticated computer games and more. Learn how you can market your own creations internationally. Waudo People make a plan work, a plan alone seldom makes people work (Confucius).

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Re: [kictanet] New DG
by Catherine Adeya 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

Walu, Your suggestion for 3.5 is good though I think it should simply be 'How to organize Associations for Effective Managment with the Government. Unless I heard wrong, KTN Sunrise news this morning announced Mr Charles Kinyanjui Njoroge as the new CCK DG. Nyaki ----- Original Message ---- From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 2:31:33 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Forum Agenda - Lets focus Harry, Indeed it would be a public forum - but to what extend has the message gone outside Nairobi given that most listservers have subscribers in NRB? Maybe there's need to have the traditional notice in the print media. As for the Agenda proposed and copied below, 1. Forum Objectives 2. Association presentations 3. General Discussion 4. Way forward I would add - 3.5. How to Organise the different Associations for effective engagement with Govt. walu. nb: meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from my moles indicate that a new DG for CCK has been unveiled. Anybody with such a copy?

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Muzzling Expression, Maiming and Killing
by Shem Ochuodho 05 Aug '08

05 Aug '08

Did I see a posting in this space talking of: 'gagging the media, threatening, maiming or killing'? Last night we had a 30-minute harrowing ordeal. Suspected thieves broke into our compound, tried to break into our house but were repelled by a combination of good neighbours, police and security guards. I would want to treat it as a normal insecurity incidence, unrelated to the concerns above that have been flying in this space. It is interesting, however, why pick on our house, amidst (and in between) several! At another level, there are a host of fundamental things that we have to address as a nation if we have to avoid being a failed state, and one of them is insecurity. Of the nearly 40 Africa's capital cities I have had the privilege to stay in, Kigali is probably the safest. In fact, contrary to the outside perception of the genocide, insecurity, etc, Kigali could well be one of the safest cities on earth. Addis isn't any much worse! If Nairobi/Kenya is to reclaim its glory, security has to be restored, along with the other fundamental 'go wrongs'. I pray that no one else - both on and off these lists - go through that kind of trauma. Best rgrds, Shem

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Internet and ......beijing ticket scam - is this governed at all?].......
by alice 04 Aug '08

04 Aug '08

Dear all An interesting discussion (see below from the global internet governance list)on the security of the internet a major scam site called www.beijingticketing.com many have lost money and it still appears on google searches. It does brings to fore issues of trust for us in Kenya. With state of the art broadband coming soon to the room next to you, I wonder about the level of trust/confidence people have on the internet/computers/mobile phones? this will be an issue when it comes to widespread acceptance of all the ICT initiatives we are about to roll out when TEAMS comes. If Kenyans do not feel confident about using the internet for example, will it affect adoption of e-transactions and indeed e-government applications and what can we do to ensure people understand cybercrime and privacy/security? best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [governance] beijing ticket scam - is this governed at all? Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:20:55 -0700 From: Jeffrey A. Williams <jwkckid1(a)ix.netcom.com> Reply-To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org,"Jeffrey A. Williams" <jwkckid1(a)ix.netcom.com> Organization: IDNS and Spokesman for INEGroup To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org, Ian Peter <ian.peter(a)ianpeter.com> CC: GAC Rep <ssene(a)ntia.doc.gov>, DOC/NTIA ICANN Rep <aheineman(a)ntia.doc.gov> References: <08b901c8f60f$9a70df90$8b00a8c0@IAN> Ian and all, No information at all here. But you might want to send in a complaint to DOC/NTIA as the the particulars that you have. Ian Peter wrote: > Some time about March this year a major scam site called > www.beijingticketing.com > > was apparently first exposed as fraudulent but not too many people > took any notice Today it is all over the news as many people have > purchased fake Olympic tickets and lost their money. > > But what surprises me is that, a good 8 hours after major news stories > about the site, it is still operating as I write this message. And it > still appears in Google search results. > > Very interested in analysis of why this is so when it is a known major > fraud site that has victims in many countries. Is there any mechanism > to stop major international scams? Or is it just a matter of waiting > until everyone else wakes up? Apparently there is a court case > in California today to close down the site? Is this because the > registry or the registrar is located in the USA? > > An interesting case study for the workshop on transboundary issues! > Very interested in more information if anyone has it. > > Ian Peter > > Ian Peter and Associates Pty Ltd > > PO Box 10670 Adelaide StBrisbane 4000 > > Australia > > Tel (+614) 1966 7772 or (+612) 6687 0773 > > www.ianpeter.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > ____________________________________________________________ > You received this message as a subscriber on the list: > governance(a)lists.cpsr.org > To be removed from the list, send any message to: > governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org > > For all list information and functions, see: > http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance > Regards, Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 281k members/stakeholders strong!) "Obedience of the law is the greatest freedom" - Abraham Lincoln "Credit should go with the performance of duty and not with what is very often the accident of glory" - Theodore Roosevelt "If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B; liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by P: i.e., whether B is less than PL." United States v. Carroll Towing (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947] =============================================================== Updated 1/26/04 CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security IDNS. div. of Information Network Eng. INEG. INC. ABA member in good standing member ID 01257402 E-Mail jwkckid1(a)ix.netcom.com My Phone: 214-244-4827 ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance

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ISPs and Bandwidth
by wesley kiriinya 04 Aug '08

04 Aug '08

Hey, I was wondering whether it's possible for ISPs to be forced under a law (which can be enacted if one doesn't exist) to host applications on their servers that clients can use to check how much bandwidth the client is recieving. I believe it's very unfortunate when ISPs say they are giving a client x bandwidth but the client is experiencing far much less. Isn't that stealing? Bottom line is that the clients need some assurance as to what they are paying for. o_O?

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