February 2011 - KICTANet

Fireside Chat by Larry Wall, creator of the Perl Programming Language
by Phares Kariuki 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

Hi, Larry Wall, creator of the Perl Programming Language will be giving a fireside chat at the iHub on the 24th of February 2011, at the iHub. Chat starts at 5.30 pm, ends at 8 pm. Registration link here.... http://larrywall.eventbrite.com/ Thanks, -- With Regards, Phares Kariuki | T: +254 734 810 802 | E: pkariuki(a)gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |

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Egypt & Tunisia - tipping points
by robert yawe 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

As we call for twitter and facebook organised demonstrations to force governments out of office lets realise that this populations had reached a tipping point, as they say "the straw that broke the camels back". We therefore need to be careful about assuming that just having the tools that were available to the civilians in Egpt and Tunisia are sufficient for a mass uprising. Using the same analogy in the ICT sector just having high speed internet and accent neutral english speakers shall not cause a revolution in the outsourcing arena. The failures at attempting to replicate Silicon Valley are more than the successes so lets find our own vehicle to leverage ICT. Regards PS. Apology's for the error with my post on airtel and Zimbabwe it was Zambia Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Forthcoming Discussions on the Independent Communications Commission of Kenya Bill 2010 14-25 Feb.
by Catherine Adeya 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

Dear Listers, After a healthy and heated debate on the Media Council Bill 2010, next week (on Valentine's day to be exact) we will move on to the following discussion: Topic: The Independent Communications Commission of Kenya Bill 2010 Venue: Here on the KICTANET list Participants: You Duration: Mon.14 th Feb - Fri. 25 Feb. 2010 I have decided to send out this notice early enough so you have time to download the Bill and read it. The Bill has four main Chapters: CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS: Definitions etc. CHAPTER II: INDEPENDENT COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION OF KENYA: Establishment of the Independent Communications Commission of Kenya. CHAPTER III: COMMITTEES CHAPTER IV: TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS: Transfer of Staff FIRST SCHEDULE: LAWS AMENDED OR REPEALED : MEMORANDUM OF OBJECTS AND REASONS However, we will focus our discussions mainly on Chapter II, III and IV for obvious reasons. You can access 'The Independent Communications Commission of Kenya (ICCK) Bill' at the Ministry of Information and Communications website:http://www.information.go.ke/ To be more exact you can find it at: http://www.information.go.ke/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid… The ten day discussions will focus on critical and gnawing issues. We will summarize the discussions as we go along. Date Focus Mon 14 Feb. 2011 Object of the Act which is to establish an independent Commission... Tue 15 Feb. SECTION 3: THE 'ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION OF KENYA' Wed 16 Feb SECTION 4: FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION Thur 17 Feb. SECTION 5: CONSTITUTION AND APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONERS TO COMMISSION SECTION 6: DISQUALIFICATION Friday 18 Feb. Day 5 and 6: >From p. 7-8 SECTION 7: TERMS OF OFFICE SECTION 8: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE SECTION 10: REMUNERATION SECTION 12: CONFLICT OF INTEREST Mon 21 Feb. SAME AS FRI. 18 FEB. 2011. Tue 22 Feb. SECTION 14: STAFF TO THE COMMISSION. Wed 23 Feb. SECTION 18: DISSOLUTION OF CCK SECTION 19: TRANSFER OF STAFF SECTION 20: TRANSFER OF RIGHTS, LIABILITIES, OBLIGATIONS Thur 24 Feb SECTION 21: LEGAL PROCEEDINGS SECTION 22: LEGALITY OF ACTS Fri 25 Feb. Recap any pending issues that have not been dealt with in detail. See you all next week...I look forward to healthy discussions. Best Regards, Nyaki (or Dr. Catherine Adeya...as Alice had introduced me) _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo.com

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Libya (mostly) offline
by McTim 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/02/libyan-disconnect-1.shtml Looks like they are doing the same thing the Egyptians did. -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel

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Price Control in the Telecom Market in Kenya?
by Edith Adera 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

Listers, The news I heard today made me wanna shadder! A player with market power asking for price controls in the telecom market? Are we progressing or retrogressing? Telecom Economics dictates otherwise and this must NOT happen in a free and competitive market! Our recent discussions on broadband access just goes to confirm that we are not there yet. We have not yet reached the most remote and isolated corners of this country....control MUST not be an option! The Kenyan consumer continues to be constrained by availability, accessibility and affordability to fully realize the socio-economic benefits of telecoms. As a voice for the common consumer.....among a million other voices......price control is NOT an option! Edith ________________ Edith Ofwona Adera Senior Program Specialist ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/> [https://email.idrc.or.ke/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAAANayfd3%2b2VQYZo%2flc…]

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Chinese Hackers Target Canadian Govt Sites
by Matunda Nyanchama 18 Feb '11

18 Feb '11

This news of hackers targeting governments may of interest to folks on this list. 1. Cyber Attacks Target Govt Departments 2. Foreign Hackers Break into Govt Computers Enjoy!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.

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In egypt-internet governance
by warigia bowman 18 Feb '11

18 Feb '11

In el rehab, cairo at american university gov shut down all texting and Internet as well as al jazeera arabic from Thursday until this afternoon. Food for thought what is the technical situation? How did government of egypt do this? Is gateway controlled by gov, or did gov pull licenses? need answers Rigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Visiting Assistant Professor American University in Cairo

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya: New Media Laws Must Meet International Standards
by Victor Bwire 18 Feb '11

18 Feb '11

[ARTICLE 19] STATEMENT 17 February 2011 Kenya: New Media Laws Must Meet International Standards Today marks the launch of two ARTICLE 19 legal analyses on two important laws relating to media freedom in Kenya – the 2010 Media Bill and the 2010 Independent Communications Commission Bill. In the analyses, ARTICLE 19 calls on Kenyan legislators to incorporate the recommendations relating to both laws into the final text and ensure that both laws comply with international standards in their respective areas. ARTICLE 19, who has a regional East Africa office in Nairobi, has regularly commented on a number of Kenyan draft and adopted legislation relating to freedom of expression and freedom of media, including the 2010 Constitution, various laws regulating hate speech in 2010 or the 2010 Kenya Communications (Broadcasting) Regulations. Media Bill The first draft law, the Media Bill, seeks to amend the existing 2007 Law that stirred some controversy at the time of its promulgation, as it resulted in the voluntary Media Council of Kenya becoming a statutory body with a broad media mandate. The amendments contained in the Media Bill seek to align the Media Council’s functioning with the 2010 Constitution of Kenya and in particular with its provisions on freedom of expression and freedom of the media. Although limited in scope, the proposed changes are not insignificant as they will substantially overhaul the appointment’s process for members of the Council. In the analysis, ARTICLE 19 considers the Media Bill in its entirety, including both the amendments and those provisions which would remain unchanged under the proposal. On the one hand, we express significant reservations about the concept of statutory regulation of media ethics and standards. On the other hand, the analysis finds the Media Bill will provide substantial safeguards of the Council’s independence, as well as other positive features including a Code of Ethics which is largely compatible with international standards. A number of provisions do raise concern about the compatibility of the Bill with international law and constitutional protections of freedom of expression. Independent Communications Commission Bill The second analysis relates to the Independent Communications Commission of Kenya Bill 2010, which aims to establish a fully independent broadcast regulatory body to replace the existing Communications Commission of Kenya (ICCK) in all of its functions. This reform is necessitated by new provisions introduced into the new Constitution in 2010. ARTICLE 19 welcomes and supports the initiative to establish a genuinely independent communications regulator. One of the key implications of the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed in international law is that broadcast regulation should be overseen by bodies which are independent, in the sense that they are protected against political or commercial interference. The new provisions in the Constitution signal Kenya’s commitment to bring itself in line with international law in this area. ARTICLE 19 analyses considers whether the ICCK Bill indeed gives proper effect to the constitutional and international requirement of independence. Overall, our assessment is positive, although some provisions such as (GIVE EXAMPLES) give rise to concern. In both analyses, ARTICLE 19 provides specific recommendations on how our concerns should be addressed. We urge the Kenyan legislators to consider these recommendations when producing the final text of the Bills and make sure that both Bills meet international standards in respective areas. FOR MORE INFORMATION: • For more information please contact: Barbora Bukovska, Senior Director for Law and Programmes at Barbora(a)article19.org or +44 20 7324 2516; or Henry Maina, Director of ARTICLE 19 Kenya, at henry(a)article19.org or +254 20 386 2230/2. • To view the ARTICLE 19 analysis of the Kenyan Media Bill, 2010, go to: www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/kenya-media-bill.pdf • To view the ARTICLE 19 analysis of the Independent Communications Commission of Kenya Bill, 2010, go to: www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/kenya-communications-commission.pdf [mini logo] ARTICLE 19 ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech. For more information on ARTICLE 19 please visit www.article19.org or follow article19org on Twitter<http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=cEkFVlhSD1pSTQ8FBU4EBQJW>. Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7324 2500 - Fax: +44 20 7490 0566 - info(a)article19.org<mailto:info@article19.org> - www.article19.org<http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=cEkFVlhSD1pTTQ8FBU4EBQJW> *If you would like to edit your preferences (name, organisation, region, etc) or edit which mailing lists you currently subscribe to, please visit this link<http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=cEkFVlhSD1pQTQ8FBU4EBQJW> *If you would like to unsubscribe from the ARTICLE 19 mailing lists, please visit this link<http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=cEkFVlhSD1pRTQ8FBU4EBQJW> ________________________________

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FW: Price Control in the Telecom Market in Kenya?
by Edith Adera 18 Feb '11

18 Feb '11

Some statistics! [cid:232ABEC3-0D4A-470B-8906-0E1C4373025B] EBITDA is Earning before interest tax depreciation and amortization and is an accounting measure that allows comparison across companies since it neutralizes tax and cost of capital effects as well as depreciation rules.

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Internet kill switch
by Badru Ntege 18 Feb '11

18 Feb '11

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/48941/obama-kill-switch-what-if-theres-a-wa… As the US castigates Egypt and other nations trying to control the Internet it is interesting that they are actually drafting a policy to legalize exactly what Egypt did to the Internet. The proposed bill under the name of national security could have the same effect. If the US goes ahead and implements or even considers what will prevent other nations to do so. Looks like 2011 is going to be a very critical year for the Internet what with depletion of IPv4 and the spinoffs from Egypt BN

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