- KICTANet - KICTANet

[Fwd: Re: [governance] ICANN Board Vote Signals Era of Censorship in Domain Names]
by alice 03 Apr '07

03 Apr '07

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [governance] ICANN Board Vote Signals Era of Censorship in Domain Names Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:14:03 -0400 From: Lee McKnight <LMcKnigh(a)syr.edu> Reply-To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org, "Lee McKnight" <LMcKnigh(a)syr.edu> To: <expression(a)ipjustice.org>, <governance(a)lists.cpsr.org>, <NCUC-DISCUSS(a)LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>, "Milton Mueller" <Mueller(a)syr.edu>, <goldstein_david(a)yahoo.com.au> As to 'what does this decision say ICANN is becoming?' - um, well, it looks and acts like an industry self-regulatory body, right? So, it is an industry regulator. Is anyone shocked? No, didn't think so. Some regulatory decisions are made on technical grounds, others on economic, process, and some yes for reasons of policy, which may reflect more or less community including political input. And affect speech on the Internet, free or otherwise. What is still lacking is an 'Administrative Procedures Act' for the Internet, in partidular to guide ICANN on how it should go about and what it may or may not consider in its decisionmaking, whether for gtld's or anything else. Lee Prof. Lee W. McKnight School of Information Studies Syracuse University +1-315-443-6891office +1-315-278-4392 mobile >>> Mueller(a)syr.edu 4/3/2007 10:59 AM >>> David: I was at the ICANN meeting and have been carefully following the .xxx controversy since the US government intervened in August 2005. Robin is correct that the .xxx rejection is fundamentally about ICANN trying to avoid, or actively discourage, controversial top level domain names. This was evident from the many conversations and comments at the meeting, especially among governments. No one familiar with the facts of this case can deny that there are free expression issues. You also ignore the broader context -- this rejection happened at the same time as a new TLD approval process is being proposed that would openly and explicitly veto any proposals that generate opposition. Take a look at the transcripts of the public forum discussion, in which the Chair of the GNSO admits that objections from the Catholic church would have to be taken seriously if a TLD that mentioned "abortion" was proposed. You speak of "community support." ICM had 77,000 advance registrations, which exceed by a factor of 10-20 the number of hostile comments. That shows that it was viable economically and would be used. Of course there are adult online sites whose interests were threatened by a .xxx, and they opposed it. But any domain name proposal might generate opposition from someone in the world, for some reason. If ICANN turns TLD approval into a popularity contest then it is, de facto, a massive restriction of freedom of expression. Do you need community support to start a newspaper or a web site? You shouldn't need "community support" to be able to speak on the Internet. Whether .xxx would in fact "protect children" or uses a "Western" concept of porn are fankly silly arguments that people grab at to rationalize their opposition. How does it "protect children" to continue the status quo in .com, which is full of easily accessible porn sites, some of it misleadingly labeled? How can any effort to identify and label porn avoid embodying a specific culture? These kids of arguments are simply rationalizations. --MM >>> goldstein_david(a)yahoo.com.au 4/2/2007 10:43 PM >>> Robin, I strongly disagree with your comments Robin. First, one prerequisite is for applicants for a TLD to have community support. There was no community support from the adult/porn industry. ICM claimed there was but never showed it. My contacts in the adult industry cannot find anyone in the industry who has supported the creation of this TLD. The opposition of religious groups should have been inconsequential, but as subscribers to my news will have seen, they're crowing about their input into the rejection. I would have thought the lack of community support was reason enough to not approve the proposed TLD. Second, I have major reservations about the role ICANN may be forced to play in content regulation should problems eventuate with ICM. In addition, the creation of such a TLD should never have got off the ground. It does nothing to protect children unless there is enforced registrations of adult content in this field. It also uses a western concept on what is adult content. You could easily argue that it is all about western, and mostly American, views about protecting children. Further, those voting against the resolution put forward at the meeting only voted against supporting the resolution. They did not necessarily vote in favour of the creation of a .xxx TLD. To call this censorship is plain wrong. Cheers David ____________________________________________________________ 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 ____________________________________________________________ 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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Re: [kictanet] .xxx rejected
by alice 03 Apr '07

03 Apr '07

John Walubengo wrote: > Long Live SUSAN CRAWFORD! > > She articulated it exactltly the way I always thought. If > the guys want .XXX give them .XXX and more. Don't get me > wrong - i happen to be the religious type and don't support > porn (adult or otherwise). > > However, i find it a very clever way to 'controlling' porn. > Give them one ID (domain name) so that it becomes > technically easier to 'Block' them off. Technically it is > easier to issue one single command against 'XXX' and the > whole country is 'DENIED' access to XXX (porn) than it is > to try and search millions of domains for porn content in > order to block them (the current solutions against porn). > > In security terms it is known as the 'Honey-Pot' syndrome. > If you want to trap all the flies, create a single point of > attraction (e.g. XXX) and then 'Zap' them right in there. > And this zapping (Blocking) can be done at Country, > District and Local(organisational) Level. So give them > their damn 'XXX', it becomes easier to control porn that > way. > > walu. > > karenb(a)gn.apc.org > --- "A. Wanjira Munyua" <alice(a)apc.org> wrote: > > >> Hi all >> >> Today the ICANN board rejected the .XXX proposal >> The board votes were: >> >> 9 votes against >> 5 votes in favor >> 1 abstention >> >> >> >> Below some excerpts of the discussions from the ICANN >> ALAC list but entire >> discussion can be accessed online. >> >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >> SUSAN CRAWFORD: As a board, we cannot speak as elected >> representatives >> of the global Internet community because we have not >> allowed elections >> for board members. This application does not present any >> difficult >> technical questions, and even if it did, we do not, as a >> group, claim to >> have special technical expertise. ... >> >> >>JOICHI ITO: I vote no against the resolution, and I >> would like to >> comment briefly. I think Peter, Susan and David have >> articulated most of >> the points. I would also like to point out that the >> discussions and >> arguments about how we would end up by default becoming >> entangled in the >> content aspect of this is not sufficient reason for me to >> vote in favor >> of this resolution. It is a reason to look at again, as >> Susan says, the >> whole process of gTLDs but maybe even at a higher level >> the raison >> d'etre and the existence of ICANN and how it should >> progress. >> >> Susan's full statement is worth reading, so I've >> reproduced it below. >> >> --Wendy >> >> SUSAN CRAWFORD: I must dissent from this resolution, >> which is not only >> weak but unprincipled. I'm troubled by the path the board >> has followed >> on this issue since I joined the board in December of >> 2005. I'd like to >> make two points. >> >> First, ICANN only creates problems for itself when it >> acts in an ad hoc >> fashion in response to political pressures. Second, ICANN >> should take >> itself seriously, as a private governanced institution >> with a limited >> mandate and should resist efforts by governments to veto >> what it does. >> >> I'd like to talk about the role of the board. >> >> This decision whether to admit a particular non-confusing >> legal string >> into the root is put before the ICANN board because, >> first, we purport >> to speak on behalf of the global Internet community. And >> second, the >> U.S. Department of Commerce defers to the judgments of >> that community >> when deciding what to tell its contractor to add to the >> authoritative >> root zone file. >> >> As a board, we cannot speak as elected representatives of >> the global >> Internet community because we have not allowed elections >> for board >> members. This application does not present any difficult >> technical >> questions, and even if it did, we do not, as a group, >> claim to have >> special technical expertise. >> >> So this is not a technical stability and security >> question. >> >> It seems to me that the only plausible basis on which the >> board can >> answer the question in the negative -- so could say a >> group of people >> may not operate and use a lawful string of letters as a >> top-level domain >> -- is to say that the people affected by this decision >> have a >> broadly-shared agreement that the admission of this >> string to the root >> would amount to unjustifiable wrongdoing. >> >> Otherwise, in the absence of technical considerations, >> the board has no >> basis for rejecting this application. >> >> Let me explain. >> >> The most fundamental value of the global Internet >> community is that >> people who propose to use the Internet protocols and >> infrastructures for >> otherwise lawful purposes, without threatening the >> operational stability >> or security of the Internet, should be presumed to be >> entitled to do so. >> In a nutshell, everything not prohibited is permitted. >> >> This understanding, this value, has led directly to the >> striking success >> of the Internet around the world. >> >> ICANN's role in gTLD policy development is to seek to >> assess and >> articulate the broadly-shared values of the Internet >> community. We have >> very limited authority. And we can only speak on behalf >> of that >> community. I am personally not aware that any global >> consensus against >> the creation of a triple X domain exists. >> >> In the absence of such a prohibition, and given our >> mandate to create >> TLD competition, we have no authority to block the >> addition of this TLD >> to the root. It is very clear that we do not have a >> global shared set of >> values about content on-line, save for the global norm >> against child >> pornography. But the global Internet community clearly >> does share the >> core value that no centralized authority should set >> itself up as the >> arbiter of what people may do together on line, absent a >> demonstration >> that most of those affected by the proposed activity >> agree that it >> should be banned. >> >> I'd like to speak about the process of this application. >> >> More than three years ago, before I joined the board, >> ICANN began a >> process for new sponsored top-level domains. As I've said >> on many >> occasions, I think the idea of sponsorship is an empty >> one. All generic >> TLDs should be considered sponsored, in that they should >> be able to >> create policies for themselves that are not dictated by >> ICANN. The only >> exceptions to this freedom for every TLD should be, of >> course, the very >> few global consensus policies that are created through >> the ICANN forum. >> This freedom is shared by the country code TLDs. >> >> Notwithstanding my personal views on the vacuity of the >> sponsorship >> idea, the fact is that ICANN evaluated the strength of >> the sponsorship >> of triple X, the relationship between the applicant and >> the community >> behind the TLD, and, in my personal view, concluded that >> this criteria >> had been met as of June 2005. ICANN then went on to >> negotiate specific >> contractual terms with the applicant. >> >> Since then, real and AstroTurf comments -- that's an >> Americanism meaning >> filed comments claiming to be grass-roots opposition that >> have actually >> been generated by organized campaigns -- have come into >> ICANN that >> reflect opposition to this application. >> >> I do not find these recent comments sufficient to warrant >> revisiting the >> question of the sponsorship strength of this TLD, which I >> personally >> believe to be closed. >> >> No applicant for any sponsored TLD could ever demonstrate >> unanimous, >> cheering approval for its application. We have no metric >> against which >> >> > === message truncated === > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. > Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta. > http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html > >

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[Fwd: [Fibre-for-africa] Ex-Africa One Honcho bringing Optical Fibre to East Africa in another project]
by alice 02 Apr '07

02 Apr '07

from Brian Longwe: Fibre for Africa mailing list: Interesting to note that the former top gun at Africa One - the failed "fibre necklace for Africa" - is spearheading this initiative. One more piece of evidence that Africa holds the key to the future of the global telecoms business. OUTSIDER EAST COAST FIBRE PROJECT COMES IN FROM THE COLD – SEACOM GOES PUBLIC (From Russell Southwood's Balancing Act) There are four projects to build an international fibre cable to connect the east coast of Africa. There’s EASSy, the Kenyan Government’s TEAMS, Flag Telecom…and the fourth project? Sithe’s SEACOM has been working quietly on the fringes to put together a privately funded “carriers’ carrier” project. News has been filtering out about it but Sithe’s Brian Herlihy made his first public presentation of the project at a United Stated Trade Development Agency Africa conference ten days ago in San Francisco. Russell Southwood spoke to him about what SEACOM will be and how it will work. The new cable follows the same route as the EASSy cable down the eastern seaboard but it will either connect internationally directly into Italy or India via VNSL. The latter is important because the total cost of international fibre transit will include any second leg beyond the point where the cable lands. Brian Herlihy is a veteran of Africa One who has learned the lessons of that over-ambitious project. Sithe is owned by venture capital company Blackstone but is raising private equity to complete the cable which will be called SEACOM. It wants to become a carriers’ carrier for what it sees as an “underserved” market. Thus far, it has raised money from the following sources: American funding from an African infrastructure fund, an Africa and Middle East Fund based in Europe and two private equity groups in Africa. At the conference presentation, Herlihy told delegates that “50% of the shareholders are African.” In order to act as a “carriers’ carrier”, it will outsource day-to- day operations and is currently in discussions with an internationally reputable carrier. It will either invest in terrestrial backhaul directly or buy it from others. It has excess funding targeted at inland backhaul. It is talking to ISPs and carriers about Capacity Purchase Agreements. In effect, it is selling IRUs where the purchaser will put 5% of the price down by an agreed date and make the final 95% contribution at the start of operations. One of the current obstacles the project has overcome is that the South African Government will not allow it to land the cable in that country itself. Therefore it will make a commercial agreement with an existing carrier (Neotel) and transfer the operation of the landing station to it. Under the ECA Act, it will make sure that the fibre offers open and fair access to all operators and allows co-location of other POPs. By contrast, in Tanzania it will obtain its own licence and build its own landing station and a large co-location centre and put a large ICT park alongside if it proves to be feasible. It will follow the same licensing and operating route in Kenya and also build a co- location centre there. It is currently talking to the Kenyan utility companies about obtaining terrestrial backhaul. A factor that will affect all four East African fibre projects is the tightening market for optic fibre cable and build capacity. Having been in the doldrums for a number of years, the two main international submarine cable-laying companies are believed to be both short of fibre optic cable and ships over the next three years. There are now a large number of new fibre projects, particularly in the Pacific. EASSy has chosen Alcatel Lucent as its contractor and we understand that it also bid for the TEAMS project. The Kenyan Government chose Tyco as its contractor. Neither Flag nor SEACOM has appointed contractors although Herlihy says it will do so this month (April 2007). On pricing, Herlihy told delegates”We have lowered expected pricing twice to unlock pent-up demand.” He said that the company would act as a wholesaler and that it expected that a reseller market would develop for bandwidth in much the same way as already operated in the satellite market. On pricing, he was coy about starting prices but expected prices to drop to US$91 per mbps per month in ten years time. He noted that the price of bandwidth was “killing more business cases (in Africa) than other factor”. Asked whether his company would be interested in building a competitive alternative to SAT3, he replied that there was already interest in Guinea (where it was involved in an aluminium smelting project) and several groups had already approached it. It is interesting to note that the countries with more competitive markets like Kenya and Tanzania are attracting new operator interest, whilst South Africa is not really open for business in quite the same way. _______________________________________________ Fibre-for-africa mailing list Fibre-for-africa(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa

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general internet news - 2 April
by Rebecca Wanjiku 02 Apr '07

02 Apr '07

cut and paste the links........ *************** DIGITAL DIVIDE *************** in: Wi-fi buses drive rural web use Buses equipped with wi-fi are being used to deliver web content to remote rural villages in the developing world. In rural India and parts of Rwanda, Cambodia and Paraguay, the vehicles offer web content to computers with no internet connection. The buses and a fleet of motorcycles update their pages in cities before visiting the hard-to-reach communities. As well as offering popular pages, the United Villages project also allows users to request specific information. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6506193.stm *************** RESEARCH PAPERS *************** Life online: The Web in 2020: A study by the Social Issues Research Centre The Life online report, looking as it does toward a vision of the Web in the year 2020, aims to provide an outline and analysis not only of projected technological developments but also their social, political and economic implications. What will the Web look like in 2020? What will it do? Where will it be? How will we use it? SIRC’s starting point has been the notion that the Web in 2020 will meet human needs more fully than it does at present, with many resulting social and political implications. It will have come to provide a renewed forum for social cohesion and democracy as well as continuing as a platform for information, entertainment, communication, shopping, etc. But will it, as some predict, provide a digital alternative to ‘real life’, with the distinction between Human and machine becoming ever-more blurred? Or will it, as we believe, be not so indistinguishable from the Web we know today. http://sirc.org/publik/web2020.shtml http://sirc.org/publik/web2020.pdf *********** CENSORSHIP *********** China bans mucky text messages Chinese police are warning mobile users to think again before sending pornographic pictures or text messages from their phones. Anyone caught sending explicit messages could face a fine of 3,000 yuan ($388) and up to two weeks in prison. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/29/china_bans_mucky_messages/ Viet Nam: Internet activist priest imprisoned Father Nguyen Van Ly, a 60-year-old Catholic priest who helped set up an internet petition calling for democratic change, was today sentenced to eight years imprisonment for "conducting propaganda" against the state. http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA410032007 ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ au: Your sons and daughters 'at same risk' from online predators Parents are being warned their sons are just as likely to be targeted by internet predators as their daughters, with a survey revealing boys are less hesitant to reveal personal information online. The survey was conducted by Australian federal government body NetAlert and ninemsn. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10432101 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21476332-662,00.html au: Parents warned to watch boys while online Parents are being warned their sons are just as likely to be targeted by internet predators as their daughters, with a new survey revealing boys are less hesitant to reveal personal information online. http://stuff.co.nz/4011368a19716.html au: Girls beat boys at Internet safety (news release) Two independent surveys recently conducted by ninemsn and NetAlert have found that girls are more responsible online than boys. The results of the online surveys, undertaken by parents and children separately, also show that while parents say they know what their children are up to when online; the kids are telling a different story. http://netalert.net.au/03857-Girls-beat-boys-at-Internet-safety.asp Swedish queen urges more action to fight child porn Japan's law enforcement bodies must collaborate with the private sector, including Internet service providers, to combat the sexual exploitation of children online, Queen Silvia of Sweden told a Thursday symposium in Tokyo against child pornography. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070330a8.html us: A shameful surrender to pornographers Another federal judge has struck down the Child Online Protection Act. Had it taken effect, the 1998 law would have done one simple thing: require Internet pornographers to verify the age of customers through the use of adult-access codes or credit cards. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0402/p09s01-coop.html ie: Increase in reports of child porn on Internet A report from the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland has indicated an increase in the number of reports of illegal child pornography found on the internet. The association operates an online service to which 2,677 complaints were made last year. http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0329/porn.html http://www.electricnews.net/frontpage/news-10019402.html uk: Police probe ‘web torture’ at top school One of Britain’s top independent schools is under police investigation over allegations of pupil bullying involving the use of internet images of torture, murder and child pornography. Officers are examining computers taken from the school, in southeast England, for any evidence of such extreme websites being viewed. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1596698.ece *************************************** CYBERCRIME, CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY *************************************** us: Adult site's legal battle could aid Web hosting services A federal appeals court ruling in a case involving an adult publisher appears to have delivered broader legal protections for online service providers against lawsuits claiming privacy violations and other illicit behavior by their users. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6172184.html ca: The Clinton Ad and Fair Dealing by Michael Geist The hot video of the week is the remarkable mash-up of the Apple 1984 advertisement, which in its new incarnation stars Hillary Clinton and promotes Barack Obama. The video has been viewed more than two million times and received considerable mainstream media news coverage. An Associated Press story caught my attention as it discussed the prospect of Apple suing the creator of the Clinton version. The article concludes that a suit is unlikely, given the strong fair use protection for political speech. That may be true from a U.S. perspective, but would the same analysis apply in Canada? http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1825/125/ Sports organizations' new event: Guarding online revenue When the Pan American Games start in Brazil in July, thousands of top athletes will run, wrestle and leap, but they will not be able to indulge in one popular daily exercise: blogging. Neither will their physicians, coaches or massage therapists, in a blanket ban affecting some 7,000 people during two weeks of competition ending July 29 in Rio de Janeiro. That rule may make some participants wince in virtual pain, but it reflects a spreading trend among international sports institutions to impose vigorous controls over the online use of game information and photographs. http://iht.com/articles/2007/04/01/news/sports.php fr: Briton sacked for writing Paris blog wins tribunal case A British woman sacked for writing a personal blog has won a tribunal against the company that fired her. Catherine Sanderson, 34, was dismissed from her job as a secretary with the Paris branch of British accountancy firm Dixon Wilson last summer after bosses discovered her popular blog. http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2046398,00.html Indian Web site defacing on the rise As many as 1,190 Indian websites have been defaced by hackers in the first two months of 2007, reflecting a more than three-fold rise in such crimes compared to the corresponding period of last year. http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/30deface.htm uk: Chatroom users face charges over suicide Dozens of internet users who allegedly goaded a depressed father to hang himself could face criminal charges. Kevin Whitrick, 42, killed himself live on the internet after being incited by chatroom users who initially believed he was play-acting. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2047502,00.html uk: Internet suicide inquest opens The inquest into a man’s apparent suicide, which was broadcast live on the internet, will open today. The body of Kevin Whitrick was found at his home in Telford, Shropshire, on March 21 after a chat room user contacted police to report that the father-of-two had “self-harmed” while online. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article15… us: N.Y., N.J. Hit Internet Gambling Rings New York and New Jersey law enforcement officials busted two Internet bookmaking operations today that allegedly handled more than half a billion dollars in sports wagers over the last 16 months. Authorities said the arrests targeted "traditional mob-run" bookie operations. http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3668526 Betonsports founder arrested in Dominican Republic (Reuters) The founder of the U.K.-based online gambling operation Betonsports.com, Gary Stephen Kaplan, was arrested late Wednesday in the Dominican Republic, a U.S. attorney in Missouri said. http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6172352.html us: Who's guarding your data in the cybervault? In a remarkable turnaround, ChoicePoint, the giant data broker excoriated two years ago for its lack of precautions as it went about gathering and selling personal data, has recast itself as a model corporate citizen. California's milestone data-theft disclosure law forced ChoicePoint in February 2005 to reveal that it had sold sensitive information for at least 166,000 people to a Nigerian con artist posing as a debt collector. The Federal Trade Commission hit ChoicePoint with a record $10 million fine and ordered it to set aside $5 million to aid data breach victims. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/infotheft/2007-04-01-cho… ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** kh: Ban on texts during elections Text messaging has been banned in Cambodia this weekend, amid fears of political unrest as the country votes for local government administrators. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article1593741.ece http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6513027.stm WTO Rules Against US Net Gambling Ban The WTO said the U.S. ban on Internet gambling is out of line with international trade policy. This ruling gives hope to Web gambling firms that have been battered by U.S. regulatory and law enforcement activity in recent months. The WTO ruled in favor of the Caribbean nations of Antigua and Barbuda, which had filed a complaint in May of 2004 and had already won preliminary judgment against the U.S., including possible trade sanctions. That ruling said the U.S. had failed to live up to an earlier agreement to open up Internet gambling after it had put adequate regulations in place. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56626.html http://iht.com/articles/2007/03/30/business/gamble.php http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1175245440129 Grass Roots Planted In Cyberspace John Edwards's Campaign Leads the Field In Political Use of Social Networking Sites: If there's a social networking site that John Edwards is not a part of, we'd like to know what it is, pronto. No one's sure exactly what role these sites -- a.k.a. socnets -- will play in the upcoming election. But whatever it is, Edwards isn't taking any chances. The man's flooding the zone. He's on the big ones: Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, et al., where supporters and well-wishers are sending their best to his wife, Elizabeth. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/29/AR200703290… ***** SPAM ***** Comment and Trackback Spam Pollutes Blogs Blog spammers have found ways to automate inserting their unwanted messages into online conversations, but the few tools available to block them lag woefully behind. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130297-c,spam/article.html Spam experts at MIT lift curtain on search If there is a solution to search engine spam, no one's going to reveal it, according to experts at the MIT Spam Conference 2007 on Friday. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6172199.html ***************************** INTERNET & NEW TECHNOLOGY USE ***************************** ICT drives 50% of EU growth, says Commission's annual report on the digital economy Public and private investment in information and communication technology is bearing fruit, finds the Commission's annual progress report on i2010 - the digitally-led strategy for growth and jobs. Technology is fuelling innovation and productivity, and there are signs of fundamental change in markets and user behaviour, as Europe moves towards a knowledge-based economy. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=… The race to preserve the third space There are few public spaces on the net, says Bill Thompson, and we need lots more of them: Tila Tequila has more than 1.5 million contacts on MySpace and a profile filled with pages of her scantily-clad form draped over chairs, cars and poles. Visit her page and you get some audio bubblegum to entertain you - apparently a track from her eagerly awaited debut album, for the multi-skilled Ms Tequila is a singer as well as a model. Now she has become the latest online celebrity to come into conflict with a social network site. http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6496351.stm IBM helps blind 'see' web video IBM has developed a multimedia browser to make content accessible to vision impaired people http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507189.stm http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130300-c,browsers/article.html Web news readers have greater attention span: study (Reuters) People who use the Internet to read the news have a greater attention span than print readers, according to a U.S. study that refutes the idea that Web surfers jump around and don't read much. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL292443320070331 uk: Web ad spend overtakes newspapers Spending on UK internet advertising surged in 2006, overtaking newspaper ads for the first time, a report says. Online advertising expenditure jumped 41.2% to £2.01bn during the year, the report by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6502773.stm It may start as innocent flirtation, but be warned, you too could become a lonely MySpace addict by Peaches Geldof (daughter of Bob!) MySpace is ruining my social life. I have become a serial blogger. It started as a flirtation, something innocent, like a fleeting summer romance. My little sister Pixie was on the computer. As is the custom, I moaned at her to get off (feigning non-existent A-level work I had to do "before it's too late"), then noticed a page full of pictures of her. "Hah! Ego-surfing again, are we?" I cried jubilantly. "No, Peaches, you're the only one who does that," she said. "I'm just uploading some photos on to my MySpace, actually." http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2046136,00.html Brazil to offer free Internet access to Amazon tribes Brazil's government said it will provide free Internet access to native Indian tribes in the Amazon in an effort to help protect the world's biggest rain forest. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/30/1174761713574.html uk: Report predicts new digital divide A report by a British think tank has made several predictions about how we will live in the year 2020. One prediction is by that time, a new 'digital divide' will have opened, between those who use the internet and computers by choice, and those who 'drop out' in a movement to break away from technology. http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2186784/report-predicts… ************ FILE SHARING ************ Beatles and iTunes talk growing EMI and Apple arrange a media event, prompting speculation that Beatles songs will finally go online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6516189.stm No Beatles in Apple/EMI deal: source Speculation swirls around Apple and music label EMI's "exciting new digital offering". http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/02/1175366120017.html YouTube May Have Met Its Match With friends like News Corp., who needs YouTube? Not NBC Universal, apparently. Ditto for AOL, Microsoft, and a who's who of other Internet giants throwing their weight behind a News Corp.-NBC video-sharing service that could prove to be a potent alternative to Google's YouTube. http://businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2007/tc20070323_690765.htm ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* uk: I'm yours for £12,000! A wannabe Cambridge University student has joined the weird and wacky items for sale on eBay in a bid to secure the £12,000 he needs to study in the city. ... But while he's got the brains, he lacks funds to make the course a reality and has come up with a novel way to raise the £12,000 fees - selling himself on auction site eBay. http://cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/03/31/a4a24230-962d-4d98-8d81-e3… Share my life on the internet, 24 hours a day In the era of CCTV, The Truman Show, Big Brother, blogging and YouTube, the only question left is how far can you go. Now we have the answer. Justin Kan has strapped a camera to the side of his head and invited the world to log on and share his entire life, 24/7. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2047486,00.html Google Fools: Web Service Through Toilet Presiding over a company with a market value of $143 billion apparently gives Silicon Valley's most famous billionaires a good sense of humour _ and a case of corporate potty mouth. Senior executives at Google Inc. launched their annual April Fools' Day prank Sunday, posting a link on the company's home page to a site offering consumers free high-speed wireless Internet through their home plumbing systems. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/04/02/1175366111024.html http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2883&iArticleId=… http://businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8O869EG0.htm Is Google Too Powerful? As the Web giant tears through media, software, and telecom, rivals fear its growing influence. Now they're fighting back: It's the year 2014, and Googlezon, a fearsomely powerful combination of search engine Google and online store Amazon.com, has crushed traditional media to bits. Taking its place is the computer-generated Evolving Personalized Information Construct—an online package of news, entertainment, blogs, and services drawn from all the world's up-to-the-minute knowledge and customized to match your preferences. And it's all collected, packaged, and controlled by Googlezon. http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_15/b4029001.htm ******************* TELECOMMUNICATIONS ******************* eu: Telecommunications Competition Must Increase -Report Competition among Europe's telecommunications operators must increase in order for the sector to prosper, the European Commission said Thursday in its annual report on the state of the European telecom market. http://nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070329%5cACQDJON200703… Telecoms in the developing world: At your service The idea of “universal service” is being extended from voice to broadband: The rapid growth of India's telecoms industry is visible not just in the subscriber numbers—over 6m Indians now sign up for a mobile phone every month—but in other ways, too. This week the government was to have announced the winners of an auction of the rights to create and run networks in remote rural areas. Around the world, such networks are often subsidised by a “universal service fund” (USF) paid for by taxes on existing telecoms services. Auctions are held, and the network operators that demand the smallest subsidies win. They must then provide a certain number of public payphones, as well as signing up subscribers. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8931851 Bush and Clinton cameo at wireless show Former U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton on Thursday told wireless executives at an industry event here how important their work is in shaping democracies and economies around the world. http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/communication/stories/173662.html ***** VoIP ***** uk: Net phone service rules announced Net phone service providers must be upfront about limitations of their services, regulator Ofcom says. It said suppliers in the fast-growing Voice over IP (VoIP) sector must explain when selling services whether they include emergency services access. Providers, including Skype, must also spell out other limits, including where directory listings are unavailable. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507587.stm http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/29/ofcom_voip/ http://out-law.com/page-7917 http://publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&s… nl: Dutch consumer VoIP market reaches 1.8 mln subscribers The number of VoIP subscriptions sold in the Dutch consumer market segment reached almost 1.8 million at the end of 2006, giving digital telephony a market share of almost 30 percent, according to the latest research from Telecompaper. http://telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?id=162996 VoIP and the Emerging-Market Call Center Many call centers in emerging markets are making the migration from legacy voice and data communications to VoIP platforms as a means of obtaining a much wider range of features that can increase productivity, reduce costs and lead to more efficient and effective management. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56575.html us: Study reveals need for apt VoIP tools Despite widespread adoption of VoIP in businesses across the United States, a study released by Network Instruments found that network engineers often lack the appropriate tools to manage and troubleshoot VoIP performance problems. According to the study, nearly half of the organizations surveyed have implemented the technology, and 32 percent of these organizations lacked the ability to monitor VoIP performance. http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800458761_499488_8f4091b520070329_no.HTM ____________________________________________________________________________________ It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/

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Forget ICT Bill. The law is there....
by Alex Gakuru 02 Apr '07

02 Apr '07

<snip> Long awaited ICT bill is already law calming sector anxieties and disquiet over threateningly envisaged sluggish legislative processes is a special issue of the Kenya Gazette notice number 2431, of The Kenya COmmunications Act (No.2 of 1998), dated 31 March 2006 in a move that caught industry players, lobbyists and consumers alike by surprise. Using the Ministers discretionary authority provided for by sections 5(4) (a) of law, Mutahi Kagwe-minister for Information and Communications, effectively fast tracked legislation of hitherto the Kenya Information and Communications Bill-2006 by publishing the changes as policy guidelines amendment to existing law. Created new-look Communications Commission of Kenya -a converged Regulator for the entire ICT sector, including broadcasting under a new framework regulation framework in the converging and competitive environment, and also to manage a universal service fund established to finance ICTs in rural areas and under-served segments..... <snip> http://ictconsumer.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.

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Re: [kictanet] [AfrISPA.Discuss] Ex-Africa One Honcho bringing Optical Fibre to East Africa in another project
by Eric Osiakwan 02 Apr '07

02 Apr '07

Anders, you have taken the wind out of my sail but to add one more small point to the ensuing argument that Africa has the trump card and we must paly it to the advantage of the larger societal good, extreme profit interest not withstanding. Again the challenge is "Africa cannot afford another of the same mistake". Eric here On 2 Apr 2007, at 13:00, Anders Comstedt wrote: > Hi Brian, > > It is true that the situation is heating up a bit, but "One more > piece of > evidence that Africa holds the key to the future of > the global telecoms business" is perhaps to stretch things a bit to > say the > least. > On the contrary, there is a lot to look out for to ensure that, > whatever the > solution, SSA is not trapped in a SAT-3 look-a-like situation also > on its > Eastern side. None of the proposals on the table are ready to > clearly spell > out how they will ensure a level playing field in the countries > concerned, > in fact several have been asked to say how, not least during the > meeting > Balancing Act refered to. > > The major thing now seems to be landing rights and termination of > international connectivity/traffic as seen from the side of the > respective > cable projects, and equally, access to the landing station and the > international connectivity from all operators in any country on > non-discrimination conditions as this point may be controlled by a > local > dominant player. > > And what about terrestrial backhaul to landlocked countries? There > is not > much of a clear open situation developed there either,or? > > The fact that Africa is still such a thin market will not support > multiple > cables in the near future. There is a distinct first mover > advantage for > anyone capable to handle the combined political and commercial > risk. What is > good is the increased policy maker awareness of the need to have a > more open > situation, and the work by the regulators to find ways to handle the > dilemmas in changing the situation. > > The debate over the various caracteristics of the projects also > raise the > question of not only getting to just any fibre cable connecting to > Rest of > World, but what the conditions really would be to get all the way > to global, > competitive hubs, mainly in Europe. > > The only thing that seems to be eliminated at this very point seems > to be > the argument that "if we do not get a monopoly we will not invest". > That > bogus card seems to have been all to frequently played before in > all kinds > of telecom situations, also in this. > Several players seem to be just wanting to be allowed, not > restricted, to > make the investment, considering of cause also the first mover > advantage. > Also, the number of statements saying that they accept to make > capacity > available on level conditions implies that there is even a > readiness to > accept an "essential facilities" thinking on most of the projects. > Finding > and applying a regulatory regime along those lines will therefore be > difficult to avoid. Many parts are readily available as templates > anyway, > including all the counter arguments for that matter. > > The external stakeholders (also called USERS) can still not sit back > comfortably. > > Anders > > -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- > Från: Discuss-owner(a)afrispa.org [mailto:[email protected]] > För Brian > Longwe > Skickat: den 2 april 2007 09:55 > Till: kicTANet Kenya ICT Action Network -; Discuss(a)afrispa.org; APC - > Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants > Ämne: [AfrISPA.Discuss] Ex-Africa One Honcho bringing Optical Fibre > to East > Africa in another project > > Interesting to note that the former top gun at Africa One - the > failed "fibre necklace for Africa" - is spearheading this initiative. > One more piece of evidence that Africa holds the key to the future of > the global telecoms business. > > > OUTSIDER EAST COAST FIBRE PROJECT COMES IN FROM THE COLD – SEACOM > GOES PUBLIC > (From Russell Southwood's Balancing Act) > There are four projects to build an international fibre cable to > connect the east coast of Africa. There’s EASSy, the Kenyan > Government’s TEAMS, Flag Telecom…and the fourth project? Sithe’s > SEACOM has been working quietly on the fringes to put together a > privately funded “carriers’ carrier” project. News has been filtering > out about it but Sithe’s Brian Herlihy made his first public > presentation of the project at a United Stated Trade Development > Agency Africa conference ten days ago in San Francisco. Russell > Southwood spoke to him about what SEACOM will be and how it will work. > > The new cable follows the same route as the EASSy cable down the > eastern seaboard but it will either connect internationally directly > into Italy or India via VNSL. The latter is important because the > total cost of international fibre transit will include any second leg > beyond the point where the cable lands. > > Brian Herlihy is a veteran of Africa One who has learned the lessons > of that over-ambitious project. Sithe is owned by venture capital > company Blackstone but is raising private equity to complete the > cable which will be called SEACOM. It wants to become a carriers’ > carrier for what it sees as an “underserved” market. > > Thus far, it has raised money from the following sources: American > funding from an African infrastructure fund, an Africa and Middle > East Fund based in Europe and two private equity groups in Africa. At > the conference presentation, Herlihy told delegates that “50% of the > shareholders are African.” > > In order to act as a “carriers’ carrier”, it will outsource day-to- > day operations and is currently in discussions with an > internationally reputable carrier. It will either invest in > terrestrial backhaul directly or buy it from others. It has excess > funding targeted at inland backhaul. > > It is talking to ISPs and carriers about Capacity Purchase > Agreements. In effect, it is selling IRUs where the purchaser will > put 5% of the price down by an agreed date and make the final 95% > contribution at the start of operations. > > One of the current obstacles the project has overcome is that the > South African Government will not allow it to land the cable in that > country itself. Therefore it will make a commercial agreement with an > existing carrier (Neotel) and transfer the operation of the landing > station to it. Under the ECA Act, it will make sure that the fibre > offers open and fair access to all operators and allows co-location > of other POPs. > > By contrast, in Tanzania it will obtain its own licence and build its > own landing station and a large co-location centre and put a large > ICT park alongside if it proves to be feasible. It will follow the > same licensing and operating route in Kenya and also build a co- > location centre there. It is currently talking to the Kenyan utility > companies about obtaining terrestrial backhaul. > > A factor that will affect all four East African fibre projects is the > tightening market for optic fibre cable and build capacity. Having > been in the doldrums for a number of years, the two main > international submarine cable-laying companies are believed to be > both short of fibre optic cable and ships over the next three years. > There are now a large number of new fibre projects, particularly in > the Pacific. EASSy has chosen Alcatel Lucent as its contractor and we > understand that it also bid for the TEAMS project. The Kenyan > Government chose Tyco as its contractor. Neither Flag nor SEACOM has > appointed contractors although Herlihy says it will do so this month > (April 2007). > > On pricing, Herlihy told delegates”We have lowered expected pricing > twice to unlock pent-up demand.” He said that the company would act > as a wholesaler and that it expected that a reseller market would > develop for bandwidth in much the same way as already operated in the > satellite market. On pricing, he was coy about starting prices but > expected prices to drop to US$91 per mbps per month in ten years > time. He noted that the price of bandwidth was “killing more business > cases (in Africa) than other factor”. Asked whether his company would > be interested in building a competitive alternative to SAT3, he > replied that there was already interest in Guinea (where it was > involved in an aluminium smelting project) and several groups had > already approached it. > > It is interesting to note that the countries with more competitive > markets like Kenya and Tanzania are attracting new operator interest, > whilst South Africa is not really open for business in quite the same > way. > > To unsubscribe send a mail to: imailsrv(a)afrispa.org. Type the > following in > the body of your mail (not header): "Unsubscribe discuss" (without > quotes). > This List is operated by ZAnet Internet Services: www.zanet.co.za > on behalf > of www.afrispa.org. For any List Admin queries send mail to > William(a)zanet.co.za > > To unsubscribe send a mail to: imailsrv(a)afrispa.org. Type the > following in > the body of your mail (not header): "Unsubscribe discuss" (without > quotes). > This List is operated by ZAnet Internet Services: www.zanet.co.za > on behalf > of www.afrispa.org. For any List Admin queries send mail to > William(a)zanet.co.za > Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 ext 2031 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now"

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ISP providers cry foul over bandwidth prices
by A. Wanjira Munyua 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

A thought-provoking piece here Listers: ISPs in Kenya say their hopes that they would pay significantly lower costs for bandwidth once providers Telkom and Kenya Data Networks unleashed cable, are yet to materialise. They wonder why. The thinking was that once these two providers replaced satellite links with fibre between the two cities of Mombasa and Nairobi, they would see a sizeable cut in prices they pay for their bandwidth. Worth noting is that these networks which KDN and Telkom have built, and which ISPs say have failed to deliver the expected fall in prices, represent a key link in Africas fibre. The two companies are extending theis fibre towards the Ugandan border, where it will link up with the fibre owned by Uganda telecom and MTN Uganda, then run through Uganda to the Rwandan border to link up with MTN Rwandacells fibre. KDN and Telkom Kenya are frontrunners in more than one venture to connect the eastern coast of Africa to international fibre, and no doubt this Mombasa-Nairobi link which Kenyan ISPs are grumbling about will play a pivotal role regardless of which marine cable goes live first. Question: If the KDN and Telkom Kenyas Nairobi-Mombasa fibre has not resulted in the benefits the industry expected, should we be optimistic that once they hook onto international fibre we shall get the 60% or greater falls in prices? Whats to be done to assure the benefits are forthcoming? Wakabi ISP providers cry foul over bandwidth prices By Okuttah Mark, Business Daily, March 29, 2007 Defying predictions of cheap online access, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are yet to experience significant price reductions on bandwidth charges since Telkom Kenya and Kenya Data Networks laid terrestrial optic fibre between Mombasa and Nairobi. Mr Sammy Buruchara, the managing director of ISP NairobiNet, said charges levied by the two operators remain prohibitive, thus hindering their expansion. There is no difference from what they are charging now to what we used to pay for the satellite link, said Mr Buruchara, while referring to the VSAT links which have been used in the absence of cable. For a 2Mbps broadband link from Nairobi to Mombasa, Mr Buruchara said he pays over Sh500,000 (US$7,142.) per month. Kenya has 23 ISPs with an estimated 1.5 million Internet users. Most are in Nairobi and Mombasa. But an official at Telecoms disputed the charge. Mr Patrick Njagi, a data service manager, said a combination of increased competition and the fibre optic cables have reduced broadband prices by almost 40 per cent since last October. The price has drastically reduced, especially in Nairobi because of stiff competition since the licensing of various Public Data Network Operators (PDNOs) by the Communications Commission of Kenya, he said. So far CCK has licensed more than 14 PDNOs to build and operate telecommunication Infrastructure such as fibre optic cables. Advertisements Telkom Kenya has been running since the launch of its Mombasa-Nairobi cable claim that its bandwidth prices have reduced by half. Telkom Kenyas website states that rending a 2Mbps line from Nairobi to Mombasa costs Sh700,000 (US$10,000) per month, exclusive of VAT. The prices are still quite high even if they say they have reduced them, said Mr Buruchara. It is still impossible to do video-conferencing. Who can raise the Sh1.8 million for 10 Mbps per month currently being charged by Telkom Kenya? he asked. But Telkoms Mr Njagi blamed the high Internet connection fee on International prices. Our subsidiary company JamboNet has very little to do with the Internet bandwidth pricing, he said. Those are determined by the international satellite operators.

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Need Alice (to) contact urgently
by Alex Gakuru 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

Would Alice kindly call me, or better still, pay me visit at the office 4th Ngong Avenue, Gordon Melvin House. It's a bit urgent.Anyone knows how I could her? This business of consumer freedom fighting sometimes lands one on treasure;-) Regards, Alex fixed lines: 020 -2732311/2 mobiles: 020 - 2013393 (cdma), 0722-739100 (safaricom) --------------------------------- Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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CCK urges more Internet access
by A. Wanjira Munyua 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

It is a weird recommendation. Unless they have attempted to put it within the context of universal access in practical terms. I do not see how licensing additional ISPs would necessarily increase internet access/usage/uptake best alice Harry Hare wrote: > "The study recommends licensing of more ISPs to provide Internet > access and switching services." > > - will more isps increase the number of internet users? Not lower costs, > power in rural areas, pc penetration, awareness.... > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/harry%40africanedevelopment.o > rg > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org

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CCK urges more Internet access
by A. Wanjira Munyua 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

CCK urges more Internet access By James Ratemo and Edith Fortunate The Government has promised to expand Internet infrastructure. Communications Commission of Kenya Director General, Mr John Waweru, says low uptake of the Internet poses the risk of Kenya lagging behind in reaping the benefits from the fast evolving digital economy. Waweru was speaking in Nairobi when he received a CCK-commissioned study that found there are more than 2.7 million Internet users in the country. This figure is in contrast to an earlier International Telecommunications Union's estimate of only 1.5 million. Nairobi Province has the highest concentration, taking over 80 per cent of the Internet users followed by Coast at a paltry 9.4 per cent. A local ICT and management consultancy firm in Nairobi, Netcom Information Systems, Conducted the study Internet Market Study from last October. There are more than 50 Internet service providers (ISPs), 20 public data network operators, six Internet back-bone and gateway operators and over 20 local loop operators. Only about 20 per cent of the users are spread in the small towns, the study says. Releasing the report, Netcom Director, Prof Timothy Mwololo, said the cost of bandwidth and leased-line tariffs had remained high despite liberalisation of the sub-sector. The study recommends licensing of more ISPs to provide Internet access and switching services. _

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Re: [kictanet] 2-Day eHealth Workshop closes with a suprise
by Wainaina Mungai 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

> Did you all note that none of the bills that affect the communications > sector were mentioned as priorities for parliamentary discussions. Correction: The ICT Bill was actually mentioned by the President as priority legislation "to provide for a single regulator for the sector." "To enable the Information and Communications Technology sector realize its full potential for employment and wealth creation in Kenya, my Government will table an ICT Bill this year to provide for a single regulator for the sector." Source: http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/march07/2007200301.htm > -------Original Message------- > From: A. Wanjira Munyua <alice(a)apc.org> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] 2-Day eHealth Workshop closes with a suprise > Sent: 26 Mar '07 19:51 > > Agree we talk a lot, write a lot of papers, develop many policies, form > committees that develop and submit comprehensive recommendations, etc but > never seem to have the drive/will or is it resources to implement. Look at > the IC bill, our impressive E-government strategy and many others. > Did you all note that none of the bills that affect the communications > sector were mentioned as priorities for parliamentary discussions. > well, I am sorry I am not offering any constructive suggestions just > sharing frustration here. > > best > alice > > > > Michuki Mwangi wrote: > > Walu, > > > > John Walubengo wrote: > >> It always beats me:- How comes we are having to learn from > >> Rwanda every now and then and yet we are supposedly the > >> 'big brother'? > >> > > > > Maybe we talk too much? ;) > > > > I first heard of tele-medicine back in 2001 - 2002, its been 5yrs since > > not sure how much has been done as a result of the forums and > > discussions held back then. > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wainaina%40madeinkenya.org >

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The Shuttleworth Foundation Newsletter - March 2007
by Rebecca Wanjiku 30 Mar '07

30 Mar '07

| Supporting Social Innovation | The Shuttleworth Foundation Newsletter - March 2007 A MESSAGE FROM THE TEAM This month we bring you the second article in our series of education and technology trends, compiled by the Institute for Futures Research. In this edition we focus on key technology drivers and how they are impacting education in the developing context. We hope you find it as useful and engaging as the last edition. We are in the process of upgrading our website so that it can more effectively convey our new direction. If you have any comments on how the website or this newsletter could be more useful to you - please do not hesitate to email us at: info(a)shuttleworthfoundation.org TECHNOLOGY TRENDS The One Laptop per Child Project Nicholas Negroponte, who launched the project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab two years ago before spinning One Laptop into a separate non-profit organisation, had as the main design motive the goal of stimulating education better than previous computer endeavours have, and with an affordable PC. In November 2006 the first 10 units of the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) XO-1 were hand-assembled to evaluate the system’s many custom components and to perform systems integration testing. The machines are being made by Quanta Computer Inc, and countries will get versions specific to their own languages. Governments or donors will buy the laptops for children to own, along with associated server equipment for their schools. The project has so far received $29m in funding from companies including Google, News Corp and Red Hat. The laptop has been developed to be as low cost, durable and simple to use as possible. The aim is to sell the machine to developing countries for $100 but the current cost of the machine is about $150. By July this year, several million are expected to reach Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, N igeria, Libya, Pakistan, Thailand and Palestine. Three more African countries have expressed interest, and the Inter-American Development Bank is trying to get the laptops to multiple Central American countries. India’s government originally expressed interest but backed out. Even though Brazil plans to take part, it is hedging its bets by evaluating $400 ‘Classmate PCs’ from Intel. To keep costs and power demands low, the XO uses a slim version of the Linux operating system, a 366-megahertz processor and no hard disk drive. Instead it has 512 megabytes of flash memory, plus USB ports where more storage can be attached. It has wireless connectivity, a built-in camera and a colour display that converts to monochrome so it’s easier to see in sunlight. The first children to try out the XO are expected to do so in February, and when they turn on the small green-and-white computers they will be greeted by a basic home screen with a stick-figure icon at the centre, surrounded by a white ring. The entire desktop has a black frame with more icons. The ‘neighbourhood’ (not ‘desktop’) signifies the student at the middle. The ring contains programs the student is running, which can be launched by clicking the appropriate icon in the black frame. When the learner opts to view the entire ‘neighbourhood’, other stick figures in different colours might appear on the screen. Those would indicate schoolmates who are nearby, as detected by the computers’ built-in wireless networking capability. Moving the PC’s cursor over the classmates’ icons will pull up their names or photos. With further clicks the students can chat with each other or collaborate on projects. Negroponte said he deliberately wanted to avoid giving children computers they might someday use in an office. ‘In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is that children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint ... I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation tools.’ Folders are not the organizing metaphor on the XO, because folders force users to remember where they stored their information rather than what they used it for. Instead, the XO machines are organized around a ‘journal,’ an automatically generated log of everything the user has done on the laptop. Users can review their journals to see their work and retrieve files created or altered in those sessions. The open - source user interface, nicknamed Sugar, has received mixed reviews. Some have said that even as Sugar avoids complexities inherent in familiar operating systems, it just creates a different set of complexities to be mastered. Wayan Vota, who launched the OLPCNews.com blog to monitor the project’s development because he is sceptical it can achieve its aims, called Sugar ‘amazing, a beautiful redesign.’ Vota is director of Geekcorps, an organization that facilitates technology volunteers in developing countries. One Laptop plans to send a specialist to each school who will stay for a month helping teachers and students get started. But Negroponte believes that children ultimately will learn the system by exploring it and then teaching each other. The OPLC XO-1 will be available to the general public in 2008, but buyers will have to pay for two, with the second going to the developing world. UNHCR ninemillion.org education Campaign for Refugee Children supported by Microsoft The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ninemillion.org. global campaign, launched last year to provide sports and education for 9 million refugee children around the world, has received a boost from Microsoft. The software giant has announced that every Internet search performed at click4thecause. live.com using Microsoft’s Live Search facility will raise $0.01 for the campaign. Microsoft will guarantee a minimum donation of $100 000, with a maximum donation payable by Microsoft of $250 000, equivalent to 25m search queries. Ninemillion.org was launched as a new public and private-sector initiative. Two-thirds of the money raised will be distributed by UNHCR to support education in refugee communities. Wireless Technologies for Developing Countries An examination of emerging wireless technologies for developing countries by Gunasekaran and Harmantiz concludes that the network readiness of such a country indicates the ability of its principal stakeholders (government, citizens, businesses) to leverage the potential of information and communication technology. WiFi and WiMax are not only revolutionizing broadband communications in the developed world but they also offer to developing countries the opportunity to bridge or even ‘leap- frog’ the digital divide that may exist in their communities and to increase the number of people who are connected. A quick adaptation to such next-generation wireless technologies will offer advantages over traditional wired infrastructures, and policymakers should actively seek suitable strategies to promote these vital broadband technologies. The review proposes a strategic wireless framework to address challenges in three different economic sectors of a developing country: the metro economy, which is well-urbanized and integrated with the global economy; the sub-urban economy, which has niche economic or development activities compared to the metro economy; and the rural economy, characterized by informal economic activity and poverty. It is unfortunate that wireless connectivity (with the exception of voice communication) is largely the domain of the formal business sector and the well-off individual in South Africa, and that there appears to be no strategic wireless framework in place for the sub-urban and rural communities in South Africa. Need for Science and Technology Transfer in Africa The executive director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Mohamed H. A. Hassan, says that developing countries must build world-class universities to be serious players in the knowledge based global economy. Traditionally, technology has always flowed from developed to developing countries, with the scant resources and expertise in the developing world used to address apparently more immediate concerns, such as increasing agricultural productivity and providing greater access to safe drinking water. But such thinking ignored the fact that many of these challenges could not be met without first building indigenous capacity in science and technology, and for the poorest developing countries, ‘outsourcing’ the development and assessment of technology and innovation has been economically catastrophic, with policies designed to alleviate poverty and to create wealth suffering as a result. Hassan says that developing countries are now changing course and seeking to build their own scientific and technological capabilities, but if technology transfer is to truly benefit those most in need and contribute to making the global economy more equitable, much more effort is required. He calls on universities across the developing world to play a central role in technology transfer. They should provide not only training and research in scientific disciplines, but also in science and technology management. Developing countries must also encourage internal technology transfer, from universities to the private sector, by creating incentives for researchers to apply their knowledge to technological and policy innovation. Strategically, this means changing universities’ culture from institutions that exist apart from their societies to institutions that are integral to them. Tactically, this means creating such mechanisms as technology transfer offices within universities. Increasingly, technology transfer aims to help alleviate poverty, create wealth, improve public health and ensure long-term environmental well-being. Universities have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in this effort. But they can only do so if they engage in fundamental reforms to become, not only superior sources of information, but also unique mechanisms for promoting innovation. Education and Technology in South Africa In South Africa today the majority of learners and schools do not have access to ICT infrastructure. Only 3 in 10 schools (there are 26 000 schools for 12m learners) have access to ICT. Only 1 in 10 schools have access to the Internet, and this is mainly through slow, inefficient and expensive dial-up connections. The department of education has plans, together with the provinces, to place ICTinfrastructure in all schools. The department of education is finalising an implementation plan for the National Teacher Development Framework where all teacher development is addressed, from initial training to continuing professional teacher development. Within this, the department is developing guidelines for teacher development in ICT so that teachers who wish to excel in the use of ICT for teaching and learning will be able to do so. To date the department has trained more than 22 000 teachers to use ICT in education. This has been carried out through partnership agreements with Intel, CompTia and Microsoft. A principal’s guide to implement and use ICT in schools has also been developed and distributed. A quality science and mathematics education at the secondary level with adequate numbers of successful matriculants with good passes in these subjects is one of the prerequisites for a country’s ability to compete in the technologically-driven global economy. The poorest pass marks in South Africa’s 2006 matric exams have been recorded in science and mathematics. According to newspaper reports, South Africa is considering recruiting Zimbabwean science and mathematics teachers to improve pass rates in the two subjects. A number of Zimbabwean teachers had applied for posts as science and mathematics teachers. ‘We don’t have a crisis, but we don’t have many trained maths and science teachers. We anticipate a crisis. If we can’t get enough maths and science teachers, we will look into this pool of Zimbabwean teachers,’ said Education Minister, Naledi Pandor. Critics have however said that South Africa should not exploit the situation in Zimbabwe by taking advantage of its ability to offer higher wages to lure its neighbour’s teachers. According to the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Zimbabwe lost 4 000 teachers to neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia in 2005 alone. The department of education’s Thutong project aims to connect schooling communities with theirteachers through the internet. Thutong is an online education experience-based web portal and means place of learning in SeTswana. Its purpose is to provide learners and educators with information for use in the classroom and ideas for projects, providing students and teachers with printable, quality-assured materials which support the outcomes-based education curriculum. Specifically, the portal provides access to a range of curriculum and learner support materials; professional development programmes for teachers; and administration and management resources for schools. It also provides education policy documents and general information related to the latest developments in the country’s educational system. In total it has 21 000 learning objects for use by teachers and learners. The portal is interactive and is intended to be open to all. Priority is given to disadvantaged and rural schools. Users can download curriculum materials, create their own materials and share them with others, and interact with their peers throughout the country and abroad. Thutong carries news supplied by provincial departments of education, official news providers and organisations involved in the education arena. All educational content contained in the portal has been cross-referenced against the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The online resources are also designed to facilitate professional and lifelong learning. According to the portal’s organisers, ‘The content is highly relevant to the lives and learning contexts of South African learners, educators, education managers/administrators and parents. The portal aims to expand and become a representative of users’ interests and needs.’ A key partner to the Thutong portal is the Mindset Network, which provides assistance through a satellite-based technology platform that distributes high-quality multimedia educational content. Mindset provides educational materials as well as training in the use of the associated technology. The organisation has installed receiving equipment in more than 1 500 schools and 250 hospitals and clinics. Content is also available in 1.5m homes via satellite broadcast. In December 2006, Mindset Network was chosen from more than 160 nominees as the winner of the 2006 Development Gateway Award on the theme of youth. The award was presented at the International Telecommunications Union Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong. The partners in the Thutong project include the Department of Education, the South African Institute for Distance Education, Multichoice Africa Foundation, the Gauteng Institute for Education Development, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, SchoolNet South Africa, Mindset, Reusable Objects, SABC Education and M-Web. Educational Developments in the United States The SCALE-UP project at some American universities is an effort to create studio classes that would be large enough to provide an effective, yet affordable alternative to large classes taught via the standard lecture/laboratory format. The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project establishes a highly collaborative, hands-on, computer-rich, interactive learning environment. Research indicates that students should collaborate on interesting tasks and be deeply involved with the material they are studying. SCALE-UP promotes active learning in a redesigned studio- style classroom of 100 students or more. Class time is spent primarily on hands-on activities, simulations, and interesting questions as well as hypothesis-driven labs. Students sit in three groups of three students at a number of round tables. Instructors circulate and work with teams and individuals, engaging them in Socratic-like dialogues. Rigorous evaluations of SCALE-UP find that ability to solve problems is improved, conceptual understanding is increased, attitudes are improved, failure rates are drastically reduced (especially for women and minorities), and performance in following (physics and engineering) classes is positively impacted. For the past 10 years, the Loudoun County (Virginia, US) public school system has been a leader in introducing the latest technology into classrooms. One advanced-technology tool that Loudoun uses is the SMART Board, a touch-screen white board that eliminates the traditional chalk and erasers associated with teaching. A teacher writes on the screen with a finger, and whatever is written is stored electronically. Students can retrieve the information later by visiting the teacher’s Web site. Betty Korte, a maths teacher, said the technology has made it easier to teach her grade 9 and 10 students. ‘In maths, where a lot of abstract concepts need to be understood, I can use a lot of the features to make it more real for the kids,’ Korte said. ‘I’ve been able to see the difference in their ability to understand these concepts before and after using the tool. In my mind, there’s just no comparison.’ Loudoun has equipped each of its 45 schools with one or two SMART Boards and aims to have a SMART Board in every classroom by 2010. Loudon offers online courses through a partnership with George Mason University. Students who can’t complete classes because of long-term illness or scheduling problems, may register for online classes. The classes are self-taught and teachers answer questions via e-mail. The pass rate for online courses has been exceptionally high and students have given the service high marks. Loudoun believes the next big thing will be wireless connectivity at its schools. Education Trends is compiled by the Institute for Futures Research. P.O.Box 4163, Durbanville 7551, South Africa Tel + 27 21 970 1200 • Fax + 27 21 970 1201 www.shuttleworthfoundation.org • info(a)shuttleworthfoundation.org Please contact worth-e(a)shuttleworthfoundation.org to be added to or removed from this mailing list, or visit our website. This newsletter is constructed and managed with Ubuntu Media's E-Bean publishing system ____________________________________________________________________________________ Don't get soaked. Take a quick peek at the forecast with the Yahoo! Search weather shortcut. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#loc_weather

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The Real Problem with dot-XXX
by Alex Gakuru 30 Mar '07

30 Mar '07

Absent Kenya Information and Communications Law, I am trying to relate below with a known appetite for the "pictures" and trust me, when the international fibre connects at Mombasa, they will flow in Gigabytes starting with coast tourist guest houses. I totally agree with Walu and Muriuki Mureithi advocating passage of the Bill as "terribly" urgent! A radical parent recently suggested that when you find the kids watching porn in the sitting room, just sit next to them and watch the whole show , that way they will think thrice before "borrowing" or downloading that next video. Porn "content" risks filling every PC early next year after the connect. [CircleID] Shakespeare has Marcellus say in Act 1 of Hamlet, Somethings rotten in the state of Denmark. Meredith Wilson, in the Music Man, sings, Well, ya got trouble, my friend, right here, I say trouble right here in River City. Dick Darman, patron saint of Internet funding in the second Reagan Administration, said, If it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, then its a duck. Milton Mueller, in his recent post to this site, would have us believe that since ICANNs Board long ago agreed that ICMs application for dot-xxx registry satisfied its own criteria for a sponsored TLD, then the only explanation for all the delay is, Im beginning to think that ICANNs approach to TLD approval was cooked up by a demented sergeant from Abu Ghraib. Milton goes on to assert that ICMs claim on dot-xxx is protected by the 1st Amendment. If this is so, then why after more than six years of discussion, is dot-xxx still raising such a fuss? Now, its certainly true that the porn industry, which definitely includes ICM, since it says it represents a consensus chunk of that business, has notoriously deep pockets for almost anything it fancies, from leading edge technology, to high priced lawyers, to expensive and well placed lobbyists. But if this was a money issue, ICANN would have been bought, or not bought, by now and the fuss would be over. No, theres something more fundamental at stake. There are limits to the First Amendment. The report of the U.S. Congressional Research Service [PDF] puts it this way: "The First Amendment provides: Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. In general, the First Amendment protects pornography, with this term being used to mean any erotic material. The Supreme Court, however, has held that the First Amendment does not protect two types of pornography: obscenity and child pornography." Herein lies the quandary. As a long list of indictments and successful prosecutions attest, Web-based pornography frequently slides into criminality. Not only that, but the freedom and openness of the net have established new frontiers in predatory behavior across state and national lines, to the point that in the US, it takes a joint federal-state task force of lawyers, net experts, FBI agents and local police to try to keep up with the illegal behavior of a pathological fringe. So what we have, stripped down to essentials, is a moral contest. On the one side are the free expression advocates, such as Milton, who see the greater good in the avoidance of any form of censorship, accompanied by a laissez faire economic conviction that markets will solve most any problem in sight. On the other side are those who wonder how ICANN could have gotten itself entangled in a tawdry business that not infrequently preys on innocent youngsters and enjoys a lot of profit at the same time. How could any amount of rational sounding registry approval process be used as insulation from the downright evil acts which seek cover under the First Amendment? Six years ago, ICANNs Initial Board told the pornographers to go away, they werent in the business of finding a correct moral position in an ocean of sex. Pornography is the single most profitable application on the Internet, and it hardly needs its own registry to enhance consumer choice or expand its profit horizons. Is the current ICANN Board going to hide behind process, or is it going to fulfill its own pledge of transparency and take sides on the morality of dot-xxx? <http://www.circleid.com/posts/real_problem_with_dot_xxx/> ---- If it costs up to shs 750,000/= to connect firms Nairobi-Mombasa branches for a video conference via already laid fibre, will international bandwidth be any cheaper even after Fujaira-Mombasa cable completion? Could we just be re-creating yesterdays equivalent of City Hall water network and billing systems - they owned the pipes so they could charge whatever they wanted, for whatever did or did not flow in "their pipes", at times chalk was good enough for chroline to Nairobians consuming the water and put all their faith in prayer! "Open access" remains the only way to ensure equitable access for everyone! ---- --------------------------------- Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users.

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.xxx rejected
by A. Wanjira Munyua 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Hi all Today the ICANN board rejected the .XXX proposal The board votes were: 9 votes against 5 votes in favor 1 abstention Below some excerpts of the discussions from the ICANN ALAC list but entire discussion can be accessed online. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUSAN CRAWFORD: As a board, we cannot speak as elected representatives of the global Internet community because we have not allowed elections for board members. This application does not present any difficult technical questions, and even if it did, we do not, as a group, claim to have special technical expertise. ... >>JOICHI ITO: I vote no against the resolution, and I would like to comment briefly. I think Peter, Susan and David have articulated most of the points. I would also like to point out that the discussions and arguments about how we would end up by default becoming entangled in the content aspect of this is not sufficient reason for me to vote in favor of this resolution. It is a reason to look at again, as Susan says, the whole process of gTLDs but maybe even at a higher level the raison d'etre and the existence of ICANN and how it should progress. Susan's full statement is worth reading, so I've reproduced it below. --Wendy SUSAN CRAWFORD: I must dissent from this resolution, which is not only weak but unprincipled. I'm troubled by the path the board has followed on this issue since I joined the board in December of 2005. I'd like to make two points. First, ICANN only creates problems for itself when it acts in an ad hoc fashion in response to political pressures. Second, ICANN should take itself seriously, as a private governanced institution with a limited mandate and should resist efforts by governments to veto what it does. I'd like to talk about the role of the board. This decision whether to admit a particular non-confusing legal string into the root is put before the ICANN board because, first, we purport to speak on behalf of the global Internet community. And second, the U.S. Department of Commerce defers to the judgments of that community when deciding what to tell its contractor to add to the authoritative root zone file. As a board, we cannot speak as elected representatives of the global Internet community because we have not allowed elections for board members. This application does not present any difficult technical questions, and even if it did, we do not, as a group, claim to have special technical expertise. So this is not a technical stability and security question. It seems to me that the only plausible basis on which the board can answer the question in the negative -- so could say a group of people may not operate and use a lawful string of letters as a top-level domain -- is to say that the people affected by this decision have a broadly-shared agreement that the admission of this string to the root would amount to unjustifiable wrongdoing. Otherwise, in the absence of technical considerations, the board has no basis for rejecting this application. Let me explain. The most fundamental value of the global Internet community is that people who propose to use the Internet protocols and infrastructures for otherwise lawful purposes, without threatening the operational stability or security of the Internet, should be presumed to be entitled to do so. In a nutshell, everything not prohibited is permitted. This understanding, this value, has led directly to the striking success of the Internet around the world. ICANN's role in gTLD policy development is to seek to assess and articulate the broadly-shared values of the Internet community. We have very limited authority. And we can only speak on behalf of that community. I am personally not aware that any global consensus against the creation of a triple X domain exists. In the absence of such a prohibition, and given our mandate to create TLD competition, we have no authority to block the addition of this TLD to the root. It is very clear that we do not have a global shared set of values about content on-line, save for the global norm against child pornography. But the global Internet community clearly does share the core value that no centralized authority should set itself up as the arbiter of what people may do together on line, absent a demonstration that most of those affected by the proposed activity agree that it should be banned. I'd like to speak about the process of this application. More than three years ago, before I joined the board, ICANN began a process for new sponsored top-level domains. As I've said on many occasions, I think the idea of sponsorship is an empty one. All generic TLDs should be considered sponsored, in that they should be able to create policies for themselves that are not dictated by ICANN. The only exceptions to this freedom for every TLD should be, of course, the very few global consensus policies that are created through the ICANN forum. This freedom is shared by the country code TLDs. Notwithstanding my personal views on the vacuity of the sponsorship idea, the fact is that ICANN evaluated the strength of the sponsorship of triple X, the relationship between the applicant and the community behind the TLD, and, in my personal view, concluded that this criteria had been met as of June 2005. ICANN then went on to negotiate specific contractual terms with the applicant. Since then, real and AstroTurf comments -- that's an Americanism meaning filed comments claiming to be grass-roots opposition that have actually been generated by organized campaigns -- have come into ICANN that reflect opposition to this application. I do not find these recent comments sufficient to warrant revisiting the question of the sponsorship strength of this TLD, which I personally believe to be closed. No applicant for any sponsored TLD could ever demonstrate unanimous, cheering approval for its application. We have no metric against which to measure this opposition. We have no idea how significant it is. We should not be in the business of judging the level of market or community support for a new TLD before the fact. We will only get in the way of useful innovation if we take the view that every new TLD must prove itself to us before it can be added to the root. It seems to me that what is meant by sponsorship -- a notion that I hope we abandon in the next round -- is to show that there is enough interest in a particular TLD that it will be viable. We also have the idea that registrants should participate in and be bound by the creation of policies for a particular string. Both of these requirements have been met by this applicant. There is clearly enough interest, including more than 70,000 preregistrations from a thousand or more unique registrants who are members of the adult industry, and the applicant has undertaken to us that it will require adherence to its self-regulatory policies by all of its registrants. To the extent some of my colleagues on the board believe that ICANN should be in the business of deciding whether a particular TLD makes a valuable contribution to the namespace, I differ with them. I do not think ICANN is capable of making such a determination. Indeed, this argument is very much like those made by the pre-divestiture AT&T in America, when it claimed that no foreign attachments to its network -- like answering machines -- should be allowed. In part, because AT&T asserted at the time that there was no public demand for them. The rise of the Internet was arguably made possible by allowing many foreign attachments to the Internet called modems. We established a process for sTLDs some time ago. We have taken this applicant through this process. We now appear to be changing the process. We should not act in this fashion. I would like to spend a couple of moments talking about the politics of this situation. Many of my fellow board members are undoubtedly uncomfortable with the subject of adult entertainment material. Discomfort with this application may have been sparked anew by first the letter from individual GAC members Janis Karklins and Sharil Tarmizi, to which Ambassador Karklins has told us the GAC exceeded as a whole by its silence, and, second, the letter from the Australian government. But the entire point of ICANN'S creation was to avoid the operation of chokepoint content control over the domain name system by individual or collective governments. The idea was that the U.S. would serve as a good steward for other governmental concerns by staying in the background and overseeing ICANN's activities, but not engaging in content-related control. Australia's letter and concerns expressed in the past by Brazil and other countries about triple X are explicitly content based and, thus, inappropriate in my view. If after creation of a triple X TLD certain governments of the world want to ensure that their citizens do not see triple X content, it is within their prerogative as sovereigns to instruct Internet access providers physically located within their territory to block such content. Also, if certain governments want to ensure that all adult content providers with a physical presence in their country register exclusively within triple X, that is their prerogative as well. I note as a side point that such a requirement in the U.S. would violate the first amendment to our Constitution. But this content-related censorship should not be ICANN's concern and ICANN should not allow itself to be used as a private lever for government chokepoint content control. >>VINT CERF: Susan -- >>SUSAN CRAWFORD: I am almost done. >>VINT CERF: No, no, no. I was asking you to slow down. The scribes are not able to keep up with you. I think you want this to be on the record. >>SUSAN CRAWFORD: I do, and I will give it to them also in typed form. ICANN should not allow itself to be used as a private lever for government chokepoint content control by making up reasons to avoid the creation of such a TLD in the first place. To the extent there are public policy concerns with this TLD, they can be dealt with through local laws. Registration in or visitation of domains in this TLD is purely voluntary. If ICANN were to base its decisions on the views of the Australian or U.S. or Brazilian government, ICANN would have compromised away its very reason for existence as a private non-governmental governance institution. So in conclusion, I continue to be dissatisfied with elements of the proposed triple X contract, including but not limited to the rapid take-down provision of Appendix S, which is manifestly designed to placate trademark owners and ignores the many of the due process concerns that have been expressed about the existing UDRP. I am confident that if I had a staff or enough time, I could find many things to carp about in this draft contract. I'm equally certain if I complained about these terms, my concerns would be used to justify derailing this application for political reasons. I plan, therefore, as my colleague Peter Dengate Thrush has said, to turn my attention to the new gTLD process that was promised for January 2007, a promise that has not been kept, in hopes that we will some day have a standard contract and objective process that can help ICANN avoid engaging in unjustifiable ad hoc actions. We should be examining generic TLD applicants on the basis of their technical and financial strength. We should avoid dealing with content concerns to the maximum extent possible. We should be opening up new TLDs. I hope we will find a way to achieve such a sound process in short order. Thank you. [ applause ]

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{Disarmed} FW: [www.eThinkTankTz.org] FW: Needed: Experts for Harmonization of the EA Communications Regulatory Regime (COMESA/RICTSP/EAC)
by Harry Hare 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Apologies for cross posting. Harry _____ From: eThinkTankTz(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Simbo N Ntiro Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 9:01 AM To: aisi-l(a)lyris.bellanet.org; tzgateway(a)yahoogroups.com; ethinktanktz(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [www.eThinkTankTz.org] FW: Needed: Experts for Harmonization of the EA Communications Regulatory Regime (COMESA/RICTSP/EAC) Greetings, Please see the posting below as it might be of interest to some of you. Cordially, Simbo _____ From: Jane Møller Larsen [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 6:52 PM To: jml(a)dictm.dk Subject: Needed: Experts for Harmonization of the EA Communications RegulatoryRegime (COMESA/RICTSP/EAC) Dear Sirs/Madam, Please also distribute this to personal contacts and networks where you believe that experts could find interest in this. Thank you in advance. ____________________________________________________________________ We are presently looking for experts who have an interest in the following position: Project title: Harmonization of the EA Communications Regulatory Regime Application deadline: As soon as possible and at the latest Wednesday 4 April 2007 Contract duration: Short term Company: Danish Management A/S (http://www.danishmanagement.dk/) for the RICTSP/COMESA (and for this specific assignment EAC). ____________________________________________________________________ General information: The objective: The short-term expert (STE) will analyse and assess the status of the regulatory regime in each country in terms of liberalization, efficiency, openness, connectivity, affordability and as enabler for economic development. The STE shall develop a proposal for Harmonized Regional Communications Regime including the legal aspects, preliminary formulation of new bills and a mechanism for regulating the communication sector. Scope of work: The STE will: * Analyse and assess the status of the regulatory regime in each country. * Create a preliminary proposal and common base for the regulatory regime in these countries * Streamline the proposal with the commonly adopted international best practices * Prepare recommendations on legal aspects * Create and propose a mechanism for regulating the communications industry in the EA Region. * Propose recommendations and actions to be taken to ultimately achieve the proposed Harmonized Communications Regulatory Regime. * Recommend framework and mechanism for coordinating of the sector with other Regional Integration Organizations (COMESA, IGAD,IOC) Results to be delivered: * Report the regulatory regime in each country with proposal on harmonized base for the regulatory regime * Completed proposal streamlined with adoptable best practices for the regulatory regime in the EA partner states * Recommendations on amendment of specific existing Communications Acts in the Partner States * Proposal of new bills for consideration by the East African Legislative Assembly with the objective of having the regional enforcement * Proposal on a mechanism for regulating the communications industry in the EA Region. * Recommendations and actions to be taken to ultimately achieve the proposed Harmonized Communications Regulatory Regime and to coordinate the sector with other RIOs Total amount of man-days: 25 man-days of total input Regions/Countries to visit: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda Estimated contract start: As soon as possible. Profiles of the Experts: The STE will possess a university degree or higher qualifications in electronics engineering, telecommunications or similar relevant degrees. The STE must have at least 10 years of working experience in the telecommunication sub-sector and have a proven, extensive experience on telecommunication regulation related issues. The STE must have excellent report writing skills. Languages: Excellent command of English. Eligibility (who can apply?): EU citizens and citizens from: Angola, Burundi, DR Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan AND citizens of the ACP member states: http://www.acpsec.org/en/acp_states.htm Background information: The East African Community (EAC): http://www.eac.int/ COMESA ICT Policy and model legislation: http://www.comesa.int/ict/policy/view Please find ToR enclosed (dates of completion of assignment and deliverables to be revised) If you find the position of interest and your - or one of your proposed expert's - profile complies with the stated criteria, please contact us immediately and send us a short professional presentation of yourself and an updated CV with relevant similar experience (stating your age, nationality, languages spoken, education and exactly in what you are an expert). 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SA Govt to strong-arm Telkom
by A. Wanjira Munyua 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

more intriques Re; EASSy. ------- Original Message from Wakabi, Fibre for Africa List...... Telkom SA, champion of an EASSy run on the terms of telecos who will invest in it, but owned by a government that is dead-set to see the regional fibre undertaking built under the aegis of NEPAD, on stringent Open Access standards. Talk of a being caught between a rock and hard place. Wakabi Govt to strong-arm Telkom BY PAUL VECCHIATTO , ITWEB JOURNALIST ITWeb, 28 March 2007 - Government will use its board voting power to make Telkom toe the line in participating in the East African Submarine Cable System (Eassy), says Lyndall Shope-Mafole. The Department of Communications director-general made this statement after delivering her department's 2007-2010 strategy to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications yesterday afternoon. She also attacked the Eassy supplier contract signed on 9 March between Telkom, the network operators and equipment supplier Alcatel Lucent. She said it was outside the policy framework. Government would use its six seats on the Telkom 10-member board to ensure the telecommunications utility follows policy, Shope-Mafole noted. This is the most overt statement, by a senior government official, that the state will use the power its 38% stake gives it in Telkom. The entity listed on the Johannesburg and New York stock exchanges in 2002. The Public Investment Corporation, another state-owned entity, owns a further 7.1% of Telkom's shares. At odds The Eassy project has been marked by conflicting points of view between government and companies. The former wants open and non-discriminatory access, meaning one charge irrespective of whether the user is an investor. Companies, on the other hand, want it to be run along commercial lines. Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane previously said his company's participation in Eassy would be along commercial lines  a stand that has placed Telkom at odds with government's policy. On 9 March, Telkom, along with the cellular network operators, signed an Eassy supply contract with international equipment vendor Alcatel Lucent. This was a final legal step before the construction of the $300 million submarine cable. However, the South African government, under the auspices of the African Union, is still trying to get more of the original 23 countries that agreed to the Eassy project to sign the protocol. Only 12 countries have signed so far, and only one, Rwanda, has had the protocol ratified by its Parliament. The Eassy supplier contract is outside the project's policy framework, says communications department DG Lyndall Shope-Mafole.Responding to concerns that there seemed to be two Eassy processes, Shope-Mafole said the supply contract was not within the policy framework as developed for the project. I have indicated this to Telkom and have had discussions with their CEO, but have not discussed it with the other companies that signed it. That is why Sentech did not sign, because Sentech understands it can't sign outside a policy framework, and I suppose the others will learn. Eassy is not two processes. What we at the Department of Communications have to make businesses understand is that ICT is not just a business, it is far more important than that. Our policy is that it must be an open, non-discriminatory access model. Shope-Mafole said all the governments that had signed the Eassy protocol were determined the cable would not be dominated by one consortium, as had happened with the SAT-3 west coast submarine cable. Limit investment Shope-Mafole said the framework was based on that of non-discriminatory access, whereby investors would benefit from the number of users and not through owning the infrastructure. At the next Eassy Intergovernmental Assembly in Zimbabwe, on 30 March, government would propose investor participation in the Eassy project would be limited to $2 million (R14.5 million), so that large companies do not dominate the cable, she noted. Shope-Mafole pointed out there was no adversarial relationship between government and Telkom, as the telecoms utility had been involved in the Eassy project since the beginning. But they are just like any other company and will try their luck. Telkom declined to comment. In mid-morning trade, Telkom's share price was down 100c, at R163. Eassy is also known as the Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network, because it comprises the submarine cable and a terrestrial component running through land-locked African countries. _______________________________________________ Fibre-for-africa mailing list Fibre-for-africa(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa

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Govt to strong-arm Telkom
by A. Wanjira Munyua 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

more intriques Re; EASSy. ------- Original Message from Wakabi, Fibre for Africa List...... Telkom SA, champion of an EASSy run on the terms of telecos who will invest in it, but owned by a government that is dead-set to see the regional fibre undertaking built under the aegis of NEPAD, on stringent Open Access standards. Talk of a being caught between a rock and hard place. Wakabi Govt to strong-arm Telkom BY PAUL VECCHIATTO , ITWEB JOURNALIST ITWeb, 28 March 2007 - Government will use its board voting power to make Telkom toe the line in participating in the East African Submarine Cable System (Eassy), says Lyndall Shope-Mafole. The Department of Communications director-general made this statement after delivering her department's 2007-2010 strategy to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications yesterday afternoon. She also attacked the Eassy supplier contract signed on 9 March between Telkom, the network operators and equipment supplier Alcatel Lucent. She said it was outside the policy framework. Government would use its six seats on the Telkom 10-member board to ensure the telecommunications utility follows policy, Shope-Mafole noted. This is the most overt statement, by a senior government official, that the state will use the power its 38% stake gives it in Telkom. The entity listed on the Johannesburg and New York stock exchanges in 2002. The Public Investment Corporation, another state-owned entity, owns a further 7.1% of Telkom's shares. At odds The Eassy project has been marked by conflicting points of view between government and companies. The former wants open and non-discriminatory access, meaning one charge irrespective of whether the user is an investor. Companies, on the other hand, want it to be run along commercial lines. Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane previously said his company's participation in Eassy would be along commercial lines  a stand that has placed Telkom at odds with government's policy. On 9 March, Telkom, along with the cellular network operators, signed an Eassy supply contract with international equipment vendor Alcatel Lucent. This was a final legal step before the construction of the $300 million submarine cable. However, the South African government, under the auspices of the African Union, is still trying to get more of the original 23 countries that agreed to the Eassy project to sign the protocol. Only 12 countries have signed so far, and only one, Rwanda, has had the protocol ratified by its Parliament. The Eassy supplier contract is outside the project's policy framework, says communications department DG Lyndall Shope-Mafole.Responding to concerns that there seemed to be two Eassy processes, Shope-Mafole said the supply contract was not within the policy framework as developed for the project. I have indicated this to Telkom and have had discussions with their CEO, but have not discussed it with the other companies that signed it. That is why Sentech did not sign, because Sentech understands it can't sign outside a policy framework, and I suppose the others will learn. Eassy is not two processes. What we at the Department of Communications have to make businesses understand is that ICT is not just a business, it is far more important than that. Our policy is that it must be an open, non-discriminatory access model. Shope-Mafole said all the governments that had signed the Eassy protocol were determined the cable would not be dominated by one consortium, as had happened with the SAT-3 west coast submarine cable. Limit investment Shope-Mafole said the framework was based on that of non-discriminatory access, whereby investors would benefit from the number of users and not through owning the infrastructure. At the next Eassy Intergovernmental Assembly in Zimbabwe, on 30 March, government would propose investor participation in the Eassy project would be limited to $2 million (R14.5 million), so that large companies do not dominate the cable, she noted. Shope-Mafole pointed out there was no adversarial relationship between government and Telkom, as the telecoms utility had been involved in the Eassy project since the beginning. But they are just like any other company and will try their luck. Telkom declined to comment. In mid-morning trade, Telkom's share price was down 100c, at R163. Eassy is also known as the Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network, because it comprises the submarine cable and a terrestrial component running through land-locked African countries. _______________________________________________ Fibre-for-africa mailing list Fibre-for-africa(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa

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Fibre optic project shifts gear
by A. Wanjira Munyua 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Fibre optic project shifts gear By Philip Mwakio The fibre optic sub-marine cable project spearheaded by the Government has gone a notch higher following the completion of a route survey.The East Africa Marine Systems (Teams) undersea cable should be operational in three years, Information and Communications Permanent Secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo has said. "This occasion marks a momentous milestone for Telkom Kenya and the country at large as it takes us nearer to our cherished dream of commissioning a fibre optic backbone network in the next three years," he said. Ndemo spoke on Thursday when he received a route survey report presented to him by the project scientists, whose ship docked at the port of Mombasa. The survey started in Fujaira in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ended in Mombasa, covering a distance of 4,726 km, said project manager, Mr Boris Shirokozhukhov. Cruising at a speed of eight knots, the ship took three months to complete the route. Ndemo added that the deployment of a high bandwidth fibre optic backbone network under the Teams initiative was an achievable feat. Tendering to start Following the route survey completion, the Government is now on course to establishing a separate company special purpose vehicle to manage laying of the cable, linking Fujaira and East Africa. RV Gelendzhik, operated by Tyco Telecom Company of the US undertook the survey and mapping services to facilitate laying the cable to link the three East African countries. On board was a crew of 30, including 22 scientists and two Telkom Kenya officers. The PS termed the survey completion as a milestone that would further advance local telecommunication standards. The survey project costed $2.7 million (Sh191 million). Immediately the report was received, concerned authorities announced they would work on the modalities for tendering. Team's chairperson in charge of the Technical Committee, Projects and Contracts, Ms Atieno Ochola, said they are now working on the design of request for proposals. "The survey forms portion of the project and what we are awaiting is the actual construction or laying of the cable under the seabed," she said. A landing base has been identified near the historical Fort Jesus Museum, overlooking the Indian Ocean. Alongside other investors, the Government is expected to own 40 per cent of the project. Standard Chartered Bank is the project's financial adviser and was represented at the ceremony to welcome the ship by Mr Fred Michuki, a senior lender, public sector. Last year, the Government, through Telkom Kenya and the UAE, through its telecommunication service provider Etisalat, entered into a memorandum of understanding for implementing Teams. Other top officials at the function included Communications Commission of Kenya Director General, Mr John Waweru, Mombasa District Commissioner, Mr Raphael Letimalo, Telkom Kenya Coast Regional Manager, Mr David Molel and Kenya Ports Authority Harbour master, Mr Twalib Khamis.

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Up date on CS participation in ITU activities
by A. Wanjira Munyua 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

For all those interested in ITU processes, below is an update from CONGO - the WSIS Civil Society Secretariat re: consultation process with civil society groups for participation in ITU following the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference of Resolution 141. best regards alice --------------------------------------------------------------- Dear all, This is to inform you that, in the follow adoption by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference of Resolution 141 up to the - Study on the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the activities of the Union related to the World Summit on the Information Society (also here attached), we have been approached by the ITU Secretariat to kick-start a process of consultation with civil society entities. This resolution, recognising the need to enhance the participation of WSIS stakeholders in the ITU, provided: - the conduct of a study on the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the activities of the ITU related to WSIS - the creation of a Working Group of the ITU Council to perform this study and to propose some reform on the basis of that study. The terms of reference and the mandate of this working group are included in the annex to resolution 141. This Working Group will be composed of ITU member states with mention that their delegations may include appropriate legal, technical and regulatory experts and will conduct open consultations. This Working Group is expected to start meeting on 15 June 2007. In implementing ITU Resolution 141, the ITU Secretariat took up the following steps: Establishing the webpage of the Working Group of the Council on Resolution 141: http://www.itu.int/council/groups/stakeholders/ On line call for written contributions for all stakeholders, as indicated on the previous page: all contributions will be made public. There is no deadline for submission at the moment. Written contributions should be sent to: ITU-Stakeholders(a)itu.int. Establishing a webpage on the ITU sources on civil society: http://www.itu.int/council/groups/stakeholders/resources.html Organisation on 18 May 2007 (10:00-13:00) at the ITU, in the framework of the WSIS related cluster of events, of an Informal consultation between ITU and civil society in which the ITU SG Hamadoun Touré will participate, as well as probably delegations of the two countries in charge of facilitating the work of the Working Group. More information will be circulated soon on this meeting. All the best, Philippe Dam Philippe Dam CONGO - WSIS CS Secretariat 11, Avenue de la Paix CH-1202 Geneva Tel: +41 22 301 1000 Fax: +41 22 301 2000 E-mail: wsis(a)ngocongo.org Website: www.ngocongo.org The Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, membership association that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and United Nations agencies on issues of global concern. For more information see our website at www.ngocongo.org

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in the news
by Rebecca Wanjiku 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

this interview was during the monthly forum, hope you will not miss the next one on April 26 at Jacaranda at 3pm..... Door opens for new non-profit telecom firms Written by Okuttah Mark http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=363&Itemid=25… Licence-free band spectrum, courtesy of the airwaves’ regulator, could allow non-profit organisations to own and operate telecom companies. The Communication Commission of Kenya’s offer of the ISM Band 2.4 and 5.8 spectrum to registered community groups is on a first-come-first-served basis, and already organisations from Mukurweini, Khwisero, Limuru and Rangwe have expressed interest. Countries like Tanzania, Namibia, Bangladesh and India have used the concept of free frequencies in efforts to bridge the ‘digital divide’ with the West. Alex Gakuru, of the ICT Consumers Association of Kenya (ICAK) , hailed the move by the CCK. He said it will enable those in far flung areas to manage their information systems without waiting for operators who might not see a good business case for moving into those areas. “Telecommunication companies have failed consumers on liberalisation promises of cheaper, better and widespread services,” said Mr Gakuru. In 1999, placing a one minute call through Telkom Kenya network was just Sh1, while now after sector liberalisation it stands at seven shillings, he said. Through his association, Mr Gakuru is advocating for the cause of community owned telecoms. He said now most customers have little input into the products and services being offered by the telecommunication companies. As demand for ICT services rise so does price. Consumers are bombarded with products and services that don’t fit their communication needs. For example, the wireless data transfer service known as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), which failed to take off despite promising speeds of up to 115Kbits per second. “In the current situation ICTs cause more poverty than prosperity. It is cheaper to board a matatu, take a 10megabits file than attempt to upload via email at 32 kilobits per second,” he said. To Mr Gakuru, the best way to protect consumers is to allow them to own their own telecom companies. In Khwisero, the constituents have placed communications at the top of their needs and through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), they have put a proposal to spare between Sh3 million-Sh5 million for connecting the area with fibre and deploying wireless networks. The community intends to use Wifi enabled mobile phones to access both voice and data communication. In Rangwe, there are plans by the constituents to connect the area with fibre over electric cables. Although ICTs future is still bright, only companies who have user centric models will survive, points Gakuru. Rebecca Wanjiku, journalist, p.o box 33515, Nairobi.00600 Kenya. Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html

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Privatisation the only way to keep Telkom afloat
by A. Wanjira Munyua 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

Privatisation the only way to keep Telkom afloat Story by JAINDI KISERO Publication Date: 3/28/2007 Finally, the Government has made the first step towards selling Telkom Kenya to a strategic equity partner. Last week, it circulated "a preliminary information memorandum" in which it invited potential investors to put in indicative bids for a 26 per cent stake in the State-owned company. I don't understand why this significant development was not announced formally. I only came across the information from contacts in South Africa. Potential investors have been asked to respond by writing a brief note to the Government confirming interest in buying Telkom. The memorandum also contains indicative pre-qualification criteria for the tender. For instance, the Government will only look in your direction if you have an annual ICT turnover of $200 million. YOU MUST ALSO DEMONSTRATE good financial standing, capacity to invest, and a clear vision for a future Telkom Kenya. In this initial stages, the Government is merely teasing the market by collecting the feedback it will need when designing the actual transaction. According to the plan, an additional 34 per cent shares of the company will be sold once the strategic investor comes in. Where is interest most likely to come from? It is too early to predict. Suffice to note, however, that these days, the biggest players in privatisation deals in the telecommunications sector, or infrastructure in general, have tended to be South Africans, Chinese or companies from the Middle East. For inexplicable reasons, the big European Telcoms have tended to give the region a wide berth when it comes to such transactions. Privatisation is a very painful thing. Indeed, many Kenyans will be sent to the streets to pave the way for this transaction. The plan is to bring down Telkom's 17,000-strong workforce to 3,200 ahead of the transaction. In an economy that has been losing formal jobs faster than it is creating, where automatic graduate employment by the Government was discontinued several years ago, the privatisation transaction is coming at a high social cost indeed for the country. Yet the case for privatising Telkom remains strong. If we choose to protect jobs at the expense of restructuring, then the company itself will not survive in future, let alone keeping the jobs. Despite the fact that Kenya has experienced phenomenal growth in the telecommunications sector, and that mobile companies have become the most profitable companies in the country, Telkom is in dire financial straits. While the number of mobile lines have been increasing exponentially, fixed line connections have fallen from a peak of 320,000 in 2002 to under 280,000 currently. Between 2003 and 2006, turnover has declined by an annual rate of 10.5 per cent. In 2003, the corporation returned a net loss of $27 million with the figure growing to $36 million in 2005. The point is this. If we postpone painful decisions now merely because we want to protect jobs, we will be left with a wobbly company that will sooner or later find it hard to survive competitive pressure from the more leaner and nimbler players. Predictably, there will be voices who will oppose the deal on the grounds that we should not sell what Harold Macmillan once described as the "family silver" to foreigners. I fail to understand why we tend to be obsessed with "owning" and controlling parastatals while ignoring the fact that at the end of the day, it is the quality and the prices of the services which these utilities offer that matters to the ordinary Kenyan. To the majority of citizens, the mere fact that the Government owns 100 per cent of of a parastatal matters little. In fact, our own experience has shown that state ownership of these parastatals only serves the interests of the political elite and their cronies, providing them with the means of rewarding political loyalty and allowing them to appoint their relatives to boards of these organisations. Privatisation is not popular in Africa because it removes parastatals from the control of the ruling elite. We all know how they make money from these institutions. There is, for example, the award of lucrative contracts at inflated prices to well connected merchants. And there is also the transfer of assets belonging to paratatals (especially land and residential property) to individuals. IN SOME CASES, MINISTERS AND managing directors have committed parastatals into massive investment into big capital projects of doubtful economic viability such as sports complexes, staff housing schemes, complete with nursery schools, games facilities and swimming pools. Ostensibly, this is to assist workers but, in reality, it is to create kickback opportunities for well-connected contractors. Left in the hands of ministers and politically-appointed directors and CEOs, Telkom Kenya will not be able to raise money to finance new investment or buy new equipment. If privatisation and restructuring is implemented well, the large and sick parastatals we see today can be broken up into several small successful enterprises operating in a competitive environment and providing wananchi with competitively priced services. Mr Kisero is the managing editor of The EastAfrican. http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp? category_id=25&newsid=94670 __

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Request for information: Offshore software development in Africa
by A. Wanjira Munyua 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

Dear all A Kenyan IT masters student requesting for information on offshore software development. Anyone with info please respond to her directly to her @: Leah.Riungu(a)lut.fi best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Offshore software development in Africa Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:01:30 +0300 From: Leah Riungu <Leah.Riungu(a)lut.fi> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Dear Alice, I am a master's in IT student at Lappeenranta University of Technology in Lappeenranta, Finland. I am writing my master's thesis titled "Outsourcing and Offshore Software Development in Africa." The aim is to investigate the history, the current state and the expected future of offshore software development practices in Africa. I read an article you wrote about New Generation of Policy Development. I would like to request you for any information that you might have regarding offshore outsourcing of software development in Africa. Anything ranging from written reports, articles or contacts to companies that are providing offshore software development services will be gladly appreciated. If you are interested in my findings, I can send you a pdf version of the thesis upon completion. Looking forward to your response, Best Regards Leah Riungu Leah Riungu International Master's Programme in Information Technology(IMPIT) Student Lappeenranta University of Techonology P O Box 20 53851 LAPPEENRANTA FINLAND tel(mobile) +358 4 6840 8744

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Re: [kictanet] Sasanet not working?
by Jose' 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

Eh!! Alex,I didn't know such figures existed thats interesting.I will visit there offices and ask.Tomorrow I should have an answer. Best Regards, Jose' Njuki-Imwe Ngunjiri || +254 722 336754 || ----- Original Message ---- From: Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> To: ngunjirijnr(a)yahoo.com Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 4:07:50 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Sasanet not working? There were 400 million sms sent were from Safaricom and Celtel in (NOTE) 2005 when we had about half the current 8 GSM million subscribers. At 5/= per sms this amounts to shs 2 billion additional revenue to the networks. Assuming per user texting levels remained in 2006 when the subscribers doubled then the number of sms could have also doubled, implying shillings 4 billion to the two (Telkom CDMA sms of shillings 2.5 may not have had a big impact). SMS traffic usually increases wherever affordability lessens...... but I am looking for the actual data. Considering a company such as Kenya Breweries' annual profits last year were 1 billion, I am convinced it would not be unreasonable nor unfair to ascertain the real reasons why *little* sasanet is down? We only want to ascertain that no extraneous forces are at play here than we are all happy to have this piece of information. Regards, Alex Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com> wrote: In simpler English, Sasanet gives its subscribers an opportunity to send 10 sms's free to the local network(celtel or safcom)a total of 90 characters...then an advert takes up the rest of the characters,to make 160(a norm sms). For this service to be provided..sasanet fully depends on the sposnsors(adverts),like any other business definately you cannot give your clients the real reason as to why the services are not available.........but there are no sponsors...as per now to support the free sms......if any one one has been using this services,frequently,then you can agree that it has been an ON/OFF...kind of service...but since its free why make noise? just keep checking till it works......So there's no need to panic, it has nothing to with AT&T or something fishy,reading between the lines..... Kind Regards, On 2/21/07, Jose' <ngunjirijnr(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Hi Walu, What Alex is expressing is the free sms service that sasanet gives.Everything else is up and running except the free sms service thats why we use it. I copied and pasted this from the site FYI "Due to a system upgrade that is currently in progress, the Sasanet Free sms service and purchase of sms credits are temporarily unavailable. Please check back again later." We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused, but strive to continually improve our service to you. Best Regards, Njuki-Imwe ----- Original Message ---- From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: ngunjirijnr(a)yahoo.com Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:45:48 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Sasanet not working? well, am not a subscriber to them - i got jittery when their registration form had too many of what I thought were personal questions without equivalent demonstration of how they would secure my data... Nway, I just checked their website and it is up and running...so what do you mean when you say they are no longer working? walu. --- Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Wouldn't you be curious to find out a very popular free > internet-based www.sasanet.co.ke is now no longer > working? I wonder why? > > /Alex > > Mike Theuri <mike.theuri(a)gmail.com> wrote: Alex, > > Thank you for sharing the blog on the anti-consumer > setting in the country. The blog has very useful > information that is not being shared with Kenyan > consumers and it is key that consumer rights are upheld. > Your blog out to be brought to more attention of key > stakeholders in ICT and to consumers alike. > > Yes, the Ministry and CCK are best placed to > authoritatively comment on such an issue. However I > believe that what AT&T is discontinuing is the ability to > use a "call back" number from Kenya to the US. It is very > likely that the call back numbers which are 0800 numbers > are no longer profitable for AT&T especially given that > they cost as high as $3/min. Technically they are > supposed to be cheaper to use than if one was to "call > back" the US direct from any other country be it Kenya or > the UK. However with AT&T's rate to call the US from > Kenya as high as it is and with local providers beating > their tariffs they may have opted to drop this service. > What this might do, is it might leave AT&T US based > customers unable to call the US using their AT&T calling > cards for what would otherwise be exorbitant prices. > > The wording of the AT&T notice on the lack of no future > support for calls originating from Kenya wasn't very > clear and after some digging around it appears that it > referred to users of AT&T who utilize call back services > while traveling overseas, it might just be due to stiff > competition now that VOIP has been deregulated and > tariffs have fallen (though not low enough) and that no > one in their right mind would be willing to pay $3+ per > minute for a call to the US when for a extremely small > fraction one could make the same phone call at a lower > rate. > > Even then the tariffs in general are not fair enough for > Kenyan consumers and it is an uphill battle to enforce > changes when some of the largest tax payers happen to be > communication providers. It is unthinkable that the > government would do much to jeopardize a large and steady > tax revenue stream to save the honorable consumer. > Increasingly huge profits in a formerly depressed and now > recovering economy like ours raise the question whether > the consumer is getting a fair deal. It is akin to oil > companies making several times over some nations GDP in > profits and claiming that they are struggling themselves > and offering the best prices possible. Price regulation > in the industry is something that should be looked into > to further to try and strike a fair balance between > consumers needs and investors return on equity. > > Mike > > On 2/18/07, Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Mike: > > Although this is a consumer issue, you may notice we have > quite some domestic wars with the prevailing > anti-consumer setting, http://ictconsumer.blogspot.com/ > for example. > > By engaging foreign networks, I am afraid the ICT > Consumers Association of Kenya could be considered acting > ultra vires thus the Ministry of Information and > Communications, CCK, and perhaps also Foreign Affairs are > best suited to comment. > > Would a provocative question, like "why has a private US > telco unilaterally cut-off communication from Kenya to > the US jeopardizing both a basic human right and the > national outsourcing strategy" earn a quick response from > government? > > rgds, > > Alex > > Mike Theuri <mike.theuri(a)gmail.com > wrote: As an after > thought, this may mean calls dialed through this number > which by itself is a very expensive option and which may > reflect the effects of voip and lowered costs of > international calls: > > Kenya 0-800-2201-15 (608) > > On 2/18/07, Mike Theuri <mike.theuri(a)gmail.com > wrote: > Does anyone know why the below might be the case ? AT&T > printed this in small print on bills sent to customer in > January. Considering > that AT&T is the largest telco in the US this is a > serious issue : > > International Call Origination: > Effective March 1, 2007, our International Call > Origination service will change. Current access > numbers for calls originating internationally > will change. Please visit att.com/dialing-guide > to print the new dialing-guide for your reference; > or call the number on your bill to order a new > dialing guide. Calls from Kenya to US will > no longer be supported. International to > international calling from St. Martin will no > longer be supported. Also, International > service will be expanded to over 60 additional > countries. To find out rates and countries where > we provide service, please visit > att.com/intl-rates. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alex.gakuru%40yahoo.com > > > --------------------------------- > The fish are biting. > Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search > Marketing. > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mike.theuri%40gmail.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alex.gakuru%40yahoo.com > > > --------------------------------- > Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. > Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.> _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Finding fabulous fares is fun. Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains. http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngunjirijnr%40yahoo.com TV dinner still cooling? Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/judyokite%40gmail.com -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there." _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alex.gakuru%40yahoo.com Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business._______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngunjirijnr%40yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate in the Yahoo! Answers Food & Drink Q&A. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545367

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Fwd: [Chix] Chris Nichol FOSS Prize - Reminder
by Judy Okite 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jennifer Radloff <jenny(a)apcwomen.org> Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:08:14 +0200 Subject: [Chix] Chris Nichol FOSS Prize - Reminder To: chix(a)africalinuxchix.org Cc: femme(a)africalinuxchix.org Please circulate ==================================================== APC CHRIS NICOL FOSS PRIZE 2007 - Last days to apply! The nominations for the prize will be collected until the end of March 2007. ==================================================== The APC Chris Nicol FOSS Prize recognises initiatives that are making it easy for people to start using free and open source software (FOSS). The prize will be awarded to a person or group doing extraordinary work to make FOSS accessible to ordinary computer users. The APC FOSS Prize has been established to honor Chris Nicol, a long time FOSS advocate and activist who for many years worked with APC. We are looking for initiatives that: * improve the accessibility to, knowledge of and/or usability of FOSS * are user-oriented * are documented so that others can learn from and replicate the model * have demonstrable impact and have increased the number of people using FOSS on a day-to-day basis THE PRIZE IS OPEN TO: Any person or group anywhere in the world who supports or promotes user-oriented free and open source software. The application form must be completed in either English or Spanish however there are no language restrictions regarding the language of the project. Small-scale activities are encouraged to apply. THE PRIZE: US$ 4,000.00 may be shared by up to two initiatives at the jury's discretion. DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: March 30, 2007 MORE ABOUT THE APC CHRIS NICOL FOSS PRIZE: http://www.apc.org/english/chrisnicol http://www.apc.org/espanol/chrisnicol or write to fossprize(a)apc.org ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROGRESSIVE COMMUNICATIONS (APC) http://www.apc.org The Association for Progressive Communications is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and individuals through the strategic use of information and communication technologies, especially internet-technologies. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: chix-unsubscribe(a)africalinuxchix.org For additional commands, e-mail: chix-help(a)africalinuxchix.org -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507,+254-734252336 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there."

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CHAKULA: Opening access to Africa: Interviews and analyses
by A. Wanjira Munyua 27 Mar '07

27 Mar '07

CHAKULA Issue No. 16, February 2007: Opening access to Africa: Interviews and analyses CONTENTS 1. EASSy: MAPPING THE PLAYERS - EASSy stakeholder analysis by Abiodun Jagun - Interview with Edmund Katiti, the policy and regulatory advisor to NEPADs e-Africa Commission - Interview with Isidoro Pedro da Silva, CRASAs executive secretary - CIPESA speaks to Uganda Telecoms Donald Nyakairu - Whats in a name? The controversy over the EASSy name change 2. A CREDIBLE THREAT: Kenya in the drivers seat - Interview with Bitange Ndemo, Kenyas Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication - Wairagala Wakabi asks if too much competition is a bad thing - Its like waiting for a Matatu, says Russell Southwood - KICTANeT reports back on its online discussion and workshop - Rebecca Wanjiku spices up the debate 3. APC/UNDP WORKSHOP FOCUS - Interview with Ben Akoh, OSIWAs ICT programmme officer - Interview with Polly Gaster, head of the Centre for Information and Communication at the University Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM) in Maputo, Mozambique - Links to workshop reports and presentations 4. LATEST ANALYSES - Satellite failure shows Africas underbelly, argues Russell Southwood - CIPESAs Vincent Bagiire questions whether open access will bear much fruit if universal access does not begin to create effective demand - Eric Osiakwan gets back to EASSy basics - Telkom SA under pressure from consumer activists 5. BACKGROUND READING - A selection of introductory content from www.fibreforafrica.net to get you going //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ INTRODUCTION: THE FIBRE RUSH FOR AFRICA If Kenya is anything to go by, the rush for cheap, effective broadband in Africa is moving fast: everyone from multinationals, to governments, to individual investors, both local and foreign, are involved, and they all seem to want a piece of the opportunity. A centrepiece of all the action is the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), a much-maligned and delayed attempt to link up several coastal countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to other global submarine cables systems in the North (See: http:// fibreforafrica.net) The US$300 million plus project, which will result in about 9900km of fibre-optic cable being laid, is struggling, and a number of countries, like Kenya, have decided to go it alone. The project has the misfortune of raising several key issues about the fibre rush for Africa. Such as: Who is going to own and run the cable? Who is going to pay for it? And who will benefit and who will lose out? This issue of CHAKULA tries to offer some sense of direction. It maps out some of the players in the EASSy project, provides a taste of some of the recent controversies, asks questions about open access, and offers links to analyses, as well as background reading for beginners. Two useful links for those who need to orientate themselves to the discussions in this newsletter: In Saturating the marketplace (See: http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5057717) Wairagala Wakabi from Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) outlines some recent fibre-optic plans for the continent, and asks: Is too much competition a bad thing? It is a good place to get an overview of whats happening and some of the political and economic challenges involved. Some of these challenges are detailed, and technical in nature. Recently the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANeT) held an online discussion to talk about the various regulatory and institutional challenges to fibre-optic cables in Kenya. John Walubengo produced an excellent explanatory document on the ownership options to get the discussions going. (See: http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058919) This issue of Chakula has been compiled by Abiodun Jagun, Ory Okolloh and Alan Finlay. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ 1. EASSy: MAPPING THE PLAYERS STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS This paper by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) ICT policy researcher for the African region, Abiodun Jagun, adopts a stakeholder approach to analysing EASSy. It provides a graphical illustration of the hierarchy of power and interest among the different stakeholder groups engaged in the EASSy process. The paper highlights how different stakeholder groups are able - through forming coalitions to influence the proposed ownership structure of the fibre-optic cable. The paper provides a graphical illustration of the current impasse within the EASSy project, which has been described as a disconnect between the commercial and political ends of the cable. The analysis of this impasse shows two competing groups; one the NEPAD Protocol coalition, and the other the Submarine Fibre Consortium. The analysis identifies that the powerful position initially held by the consortium has been diluted, and that the impasse has created high levels of uncertainty about the viability of the EASSy project. Download the stakeholder analysis: http://fibreforafrica.net/ main.shtml?x=5057715 WERE NOT TELLING ANYONE WHAT TO DO Edmund Katiti is the policy and regulatory advisor to the New Partnership for Africas Developments (NEPADs) e-Africa Commission. The e-Africa Commission is charged with the coordinated development of NEPADs ICT policies, programmes and projects. A top priority is to ensure that all African countries will be connected to one another by broadband fibre-optic cable systems that will, in turn, link them to global telecommunications networks through existing or planned submarine cable systems. CHAKULA asked Katiti some easy, and more difficult questions [Interview took place in January 2007] ************************************* The NEPAD process of conducting business does not permit any country to dominate the process or behave undemocratically. -- Edmund Katiti, policy and regulatory advisor to NEPADs e- Africa Commission ************************************* CHAKULA: What exactly is NEPAD's role in the EASSy project? EDMUND KATITI [EK]: On the 9th March, 2003, the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee adopted the development of a broadband ICT network linking all countries in Africa to one another and, in turn, to the rest of the world as a top priority NEPAD project. As a result, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission has been working towards the development of two regional networks, and a continent- wide satellite network. The first network is what we call the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network for Eastern and Southern Africa. This comprises a submarine (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable) segment, and a terrestrial segment. This network was agreed at a workshop of stakeholders (including telecom operators) held in Johannesburg in July 2004. The second regional network is the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network for Central, West and North Africa. Then theres the NEPAD e-Schools satellite network. As you can see from this, the submarine project is just part of a bigger ICT infrastructure programme for the African continent, and its the NEPAD e-Africa Commissions mandate to coordinate the structured developed of the ICT sector on the continent. CHAKULA: Youve also being working on regulatory barriers? EK: Yes. With a view to resolving policy and regulatory issues that may impede or prevent the realization of the rationalised network, the e-Africa Commission has worked with government ICT experts, ICT policy advisors, regulators, civil society, legal experts, executives of telecom companies, and development funding institutes to develop a policy and regulatory framework within which the network could be developed. The experts and policy advisors agreed that the integrated ICT broadband backbone should be based on several principles. These are: non-discriminatory open access; equitable joint ownership of the backbone infrastructure across the region; the separation of ownership of the infrastructure from its use; the use of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to build, own and operate the broadband ICT network; and that the infrastructure should be viewed as a public good and operated on a cost-recovery basis. CHAKULA: Do these principles apply to EASSy? EK: The experts and policy advisors agreed that these principles would cover the submarine cable as well as the terrestrial network. In addition, they recommended that a Protocol should be signed between the countries of the region in order to underpin their collaboration in developing this network. A Protocol that encapsulates these principles in a policy and regulatory framework, as well as the details of the SPVs that will own, operate and maintain the NEPAD network, was developed and accepted by a number of governments in Eastern and Southern Africa. This Protocol has been signed under the auspices of the African Union, by 12 countries: Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe [As of January 2007]. The countries that have not yet signed the Protocol may accede to it in the future. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is the implementing agency of the Protocol, and is also the Secretariat of the Inter- Governmental Assembly (IGA). CHAKULA: Of the countries that haven't signed, the sticking point seems to be differences over the IGA. I understand the IGA to be a government-run structure for the ownership and management of the cable's inter-connection points between countries. How flexible is this issue, if countries continue to refuse to sign the protocol because of it? Could the requirements for an IGA be dropped from the protocol or changed? EK: The IGA is not an issue with most of the countries that are yet to sign the Protocol. Most countries were unable to sign because of the internal procedures for approving the signing of a regional treaty. In some of the countries the Protocol has to be approved by Parliament before the Minister responsible for the sector can sign the Protocol, and this takes longer than the three months the countries had from the date the Protocol was finalized to the deadline for signing. The countries that did not sign the Protocol by November 30, 2006, will be able to accede to the Protocol when it comes into effect sometime in the first half of 2007, when it has been ratified by seven signatory countries. The IGA is not a government-run structure for the ownership and management of the cables interconnection points between countries. The IGA will ensure that the policy and regulatory aspects of the Protocol are upheld by the SPVs. The SPVs will have a Board of Directors and a Management Team and these are the structures that will be responsible for the ownership and management of the SPVs. There is therefore no need for the IGA to be dropped from the Protocol. CHAKULA: Some role-players say that NEPAD is asserting ownership of the project. Is this true? EK: As you can see from the above, NEPAD was created before the submarine project was started, and the NEPAD e-Africa Commission has been involved in the project right from the beginning. CHAKULA: Kenya recently said South Africa was behaving undemocratically. One can't help the feeling that some tensions around NEPAD more generally (and South Africa's role on the continent) are being reflected in this specific issue. Do you feel this may be true? EK: The inability of some countries to sign the Protocol within the three months window was due to legislative procedures within those countries and not resistance to the Protocol. Only one country has expressed reservations about a few aspects of the Protocol. The NEPAD process of conducting business does not permit any country to dominate the process or behave undemocratically. ************************************* WE ARE NOT GIVING UP ON NEPAD Kenyas sudden exit from the EASSy project has set tongues wagging and the controversy has not been helped by South Africa apparently unilaterally changing the projects name to The Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN). CIPESA recently spoke to Uganda Telecoms Donald Nyakairu. Katiti is also canvassed by CIPESA for his views. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058257 WHATS IN A NAME? The recent announcement by South Africas communications minister that the EASSy had been renamed the NEPAD Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN) was as astounding as her assertion, during the same function, that the original model developed for the cable is not what international financial institutions such as the World Bank would have liked, writes Anthony Mugeere. http://www.cipesa.org/246 See also: NOTHINGS FIXED, SAYS NEPAD NEPADs e-Africa Commission issued a statement saying that the projects shareholders can chose any name they want at an up-coming meeting in April/May. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058917 OPEN ACCESS IS NO LONGER JUST A CONCEPT The Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) is a forum of communications regulators and other ICT services stakeholders in Southern Africa. CRASAs objectives include introducing effective competition through liberalization, and promoting an effective and efficient regulatory environment. CHAKULA spoke to its executive secretary, Isidoro Pedro da Silva. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058892 //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ 2. A CREDIBLE THREAT: Kenya in the drivers seat Kenya has become a vocal player in the drive for faster and cheaper connectivity in Africa, and the country is fast emerging as a spirited leader on the issue. It recently announced that it is pursuing no fewer than three major access initiatives in the country: The East African Marine System (TEAMS), a Kenya Data Network (KDN)/ Flag Telecom initiative, and EASSy. The countrys spiritedness has caused some controversy, with a representative from the World Bank adding fuel to the fire by stating that the Kenyan plans are a credible threat to the EASSy project. Indeed: it withdrew from EASSy a few months later. But, backed up by an open and inclusive policy development process, that involves a range of stakeholders and sectors through the countrys multi-stakeholder network KICTANeT, it looks like the countrys take no prisoners approach may yield results. Bitange Ndemo is Kenyas Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication which means, effectively, that hes the person who gets things done. CHAKULA asked him about TEAMS. ************************************* Bottom line we have real opportunity to change our country irreversibly. -- Bitange Ndemo, Kenyas Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication ************************************* CHAKULA: The Kenyan government is stepping up efforts to address the high cost of internet access in the country. Why has infrastructure become a priority for the government and your ministry, and what impact do you see these efforts having on the average Kenyan citizen? BITANGE NDEMO [BN]: Our national ICT Policy objectives include lowering cost of access to emerging technologies, including internet. Besides, unemployment in this country has reached chronic levels. To curb the problem the Government realized that we had an opportunity to utilize the highly educated youth in the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry. We had the first conference in February this year [2006] and by then there was only one 200- seat call centre. We then started to market our country as a BPO destination. It became apparent that in spite of the human resource capacity that we have, bandwidth, with acceptable levels of latency in the BPO sector, was the bottleneck. Nevertheless, we now have 4,000 Kenyans working in this new sector. The cost of accessing internet continues to hurt the growth of ICT in the country. Thus the frustration with the delays in the implementation of EASSy. CHAKULA: The government recently announced the launch of TEAMS. Can you tell us a bit more about the project and how it will be financed? BN: Kenya is a regional gateway and as such cannot wait to be guided on what to do in the region. Although TEAMS is being driven by the Government of Kenya, the aim of the project is to fast track connectivity to the East African region. The ultimate ownership of TEAMS would not be entirely Government, but by willing investors and Governments in the region. This project is like a road whose objectives are to open up the region and on this road you can have many buses competing. Therefore on TEAMS shall be many operators and other investors from the region. We consider TEAMS as a means to an end that would enable us compete with India and other parts of the world. CHAKULA: Will non-governmental actors have a role in the project and how will you ensure that access to the fibre will be truly open? BN: The Government will have a minimum role; probably not beyond regulation. The initial seed money will come from the Government and as more operators/users join, the Government would maintain minimum shareholding but leave the running of a special purpose vehicle to the private sector that will be eventually be listed on the stock exchange through an IPO. The Government, as well as other public institutions (e.g. universities), would buy their capacity requirement like all other users. Our model is more like the Swedish one that is probably the Gold Standard of open access with minimal impact on the environment. Whether you are Telkom Kenya Limited (TKL) or a newly registered operator, you will buy your capacity requirement at the same price as TKL CHAKULA: How do you see EASSy co-existing with efforts like TEAMS? BN: Africas problems emanate from monopolies (read National Telecoms; and note the problems being experienced with SAT-3). We must avoid these problems by encouraging a competitive environment in all infrastructure projects. Therefore EASSy or TEAMS have a role in maintaining low prices that would make the continent competitive. Kenya also has another fibre project being undertaken by the private sector, and we as a government welcome all these developments as they truly become a means to economic and social development. Fujairah, for example, has four cables that are benefiting the region enormously [Interview by Ory Okolloh] ************************************* SATURATING THE MARKETPLACE Marine cables could flood the east coast of Africa, but how viable will the competing cables be? asks Wairagala Wakabi. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5057717 THE FINAL FRONTIER The East African coast remains the only seabed in Africa yet to be covered by international submarine fibre-optic cable. An online discussion and face-to-face workshop hosted by KICTANeT charted the best way forward. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058762 ITS LIKE WAITING FOR A MATATU Its like waiting for a matatu. You wait for ages and none come along. But just when youre about to give up hope, three come along at the same time, all trying to come to a screaming halt in front of you. Balancing Acts Russell Southwood discusses Kenyas options. [Source: Balancing Act, www.balancingact-africa.com] http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5045073 SPICING UP THE DEBATE When Kai Wulff, CEO of KDN and Bitange Ndemo are in one room discussing issues of internet connectivity, you can be assured of fireworks. But the common denominator is that they are concerned about reducing internet connectivity charges, writes Rebecca Wanjiku. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058921 //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ 3. APC/UNDP WORKSHOP FOCUS OPENING UP ACCESS FOR ALL Open access, what it means, and how best to get communities connected came under the spotlight at a three-day workshop held in Johannesburg late last year. The workshop was billed a dialogue and exchange on promising options and critical issues and was organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and APC. It aimed to share project success stories and innovations, and explore ways of supporting policy and capacity development initiatives that promote open access on the continent. Participants include community ICT practitioners, researchers, policy advocates, regulators, academics and donors from across Africa. http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=n30084e_1&x=504386 3 WORKSHOP REPORT AND PRESENTATIONS For a run down of the workshop proceedings and links to presentations visit: http://www.propoor-ict.net/content/view/21/1/ WE CANT STOP AND WAIT FOR MEGA-PROJECTS LIKE EASSy Polly Gaster is the head of the Centre for Information and Communication at the University Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM) in Maputo, Mozambique. She has been involved in telecentre development in Mozambique for many years, and attended the Johannesburg workshop. CHAKULA asked her what she expected from the EASSy project. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058916 GETTING POLITICAL Ben Akoh is the ICT programmme officer at Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). OSIWA supports the creation of open societies in West Africa: societies marked by a functioning democracy, good governance, the rule of law, basic freedoms, and widespread civic participation. OSIWA is based in Dakar, Senegal. CHAKULA caught up with Akoh at the Johannesburg workshop. ************************************* Its about people talking to people for next to nothing, and its about encouraging my African brothers and sisters living outside the continent to return home and contribute in the building of our crumbled societies because there is cheap, affordable means of communication. --- Ben Akoh, ICT programme officer, OSIWA ************************************* CHAKULA: There were a number of definitions of open access put forward at the workshop. Yours struck me as having a distinctly political aspect to it, because it included the idea of media freedoms. What is open access to you? BEN AKOH [BA]: The concept of open access has been a tug-of- war within development circles. I have seen (or heard) definitions from 'open source' to 'open content' and then 'open access'. Pre- pending the word 'open' to any other word seems to automatically qualify that word to be included in what I will call the general 'open concept' framework or parlance. It becomes difficult to then define, and in turn accept as final, any one or the other definition of open access. I will also not attempt to define it, though at the workshop I managed to 'say' what it meant to me. And these are purely my thoughts on open access until it is subjected to scientific and social discuss, theorized and then proven - in scientific parlance. Russell Southwood and Eric Osiakwan [see below], in their open access infoDev paper say (carefully choosing my words) that open access is the separation of services from infrastructure and that the base infrastructure (which I will call the medium - and not to be confused with media) is the responsibility of those that have the means and power to build this. So in telecommunications it is the copper cable, fibre; in broadcasting it is the airwaves (frequency allocation, spectrum management and the associated speak - 'open spectrum') and the attendant last mile exchanges; in electricity it is the poles, transformers, substations; in mobile technology, the base stations, etc. And government usually has the means to build this type of capital-intensive infrastructure and should stick to it; although in recent years the private sector has entered into this space. The second component of the open access framework is the services which run on these mediums. The definition of open access has therefore been firstly the separation of this spectrum and secondly the advocacy for unrestricted access to any of the components of the spectrum (re: infrastructure - or mediums - and the services that run on these mediums). I have added the broadcast sector to this definition because of the sooner rather than later shift towards the convergence of technologies. It will become 'difficult' to separate what runs on the medium - difficult but not impossible to distinguish the type of traffic. And if convergence will 'force' all technologies towards a converged media then the broadcast sector should be included in the open' speak. Broadcast can be further subdivided into various little components - the content, the broadcaster, the human resource within the broadcast sector (re: journalists and his editor/publisher), the spectrum, base stations, policies that surround broadcast, public/private broadcasters, etc. This is a sector that is often held captive and tightly controlled by the state and/or ruling party in most countries of Africa, if not the world. Hence its political undertone. Advocating for open access in this sector (not known as that) has been a long-time struggle. Indeed media advocates have fought for some form of open access right back in the day with 'freedom of information' and 'freedom of expression' struggles. We should as well include the broadcast struggle in this fight. CHAKULA: How do you understand open access in the context of West Africa: Do you think West Africa is ahead of East Africa in the access stakes, so to speak? BA: One thing for sure is that SAT-3 had greatly improved connectivity in West Africa in spite of its high cost of connectivity induced by the closed consortium model of its ownership. This sets West Africa far ahead - in communication terms - of East Africa. Although the individual cost of connectivity per country still impacts heavily on the consumer, it may have improved the social life and living standards of West Africans in terms of their ability and the ease of communication and access to information. Also, SAT- 3 has spurred or incentivized the growth of other regional inland, terrestrial fibre or submarine cables. While it is important to build terrestrial networks, it is unclear, especially amongst investors in East Africa, how much value such 'internal infrastructure' would have without a regional submarine cable that carries the generated internal content to other parts of the world. I believe this is the underlying, hidden issue that has negatively impacted the rapid development and deployment of regional terrestrial and regional submarine infrastructure in that part of the continent. While no-one would say it this directly, it is the reason why the interest in EASSy and its open access debate has led to no cable being laid up until the present moment. I however postulate that regions in Africa should not be compared against themselves. Its not a question of how far the West exceeds the East in regional infrastructure development terms. But rather, it is how Africa as a whole sees itself in the connectivity debate - perhaps against the rest of the world. It is about how much capital flight happens annually and how that could be curbed. Its about how Africans should encourage internal communication, which will, of course, lead to the development of our continent as a whole and not a certain part of it while the other suffers. (Indeed while technology growth is evident in West Africa, there are other aspects of development in which West Africa lags far behind its East African counterparts). Its about continental economics versus the poverty picture that the continent portrays to the rest of the world. Its about people talking to people for next to nothing, and its about encouraging my African brothers and sisters living outside the continent to return home and contribute in the building of our crumbled societies because there is cheap, affordable means of communication. Which, in my opinion, contributes greatly to the underlying reasons why the diaspora refuses to return and invest in the continent. Lets look at the fibre issue as a continental issue, from a holistic point of view rather than the sectored, fractured spectacles we have used up until now - of EASSy for East Africa and SAT-3 for West Africa. Then perhaps 'open access' would lose its meaning and become just 'affordable access.' Then we would have achieved our objective. CHAKULA: What are the key challenges in West Africa, as far as open access is concerned? BA: Firstly, the availability of SAT-3 gives us an illusion that all our communication needs have been met and hence we do not need to further research or invest into alternative or more available means of connectivity. Although there has been private sector activity in this area (for example, the GlobalCom fibre link to London, the Festoon cable, etc.) it may be insufficient to meet the future needs of communication especially, as I have already mentioned, that all services, including broadcast signals, would run on some of these channels. This is one amongst many reasons why this medium may not be sufficient in the near future. Secondly, the open access debate has not been an issue on the table of most West African connectivity discussions, because of - you got it right - SAT-3. "It ain't broke, don't fix it." Hence the struggle by civil society has been to lower the cost and improve connectivity as opposed to directly challenging the rather 'political' status quo and structure of the closed consortium; political in the sense that incumbents are tied to governments and, believe it or not, governments have closely guarded interests in the revenue generated by their cash cows - the telcoms. While we also advocate for the opening up of the 'governing' structure held tightly by the agreements countries (and their telcos) may have signed binding them to secrecy, we also advocate for the ease of accessing this infrastructure from whatever landing station one chooses. Could this be open access in another form? Or perhaps from a West African perspective? CHAKULA: During the workshop you suggested that technology can have a detrimental affect, and that in some instances customs and cultural habits may be lost. In this way, a different kind of 'access' is under threat - access to culture as it is being practiced. Could you elaborate on this? BA: I will put the discuss in context here, as the workshop focused on access at the rural community level. I believe it is very important that our rural folks should be reachable and should be within either fixed or mobile coverage areas, fall within the electricity grid, have running water, and information (either via broadcast channels - TV, radio or the internet), etc. Our specific debate focused on the use and proliferation of 'free networks' in the rural community. This is clearly useful as I would be able to reach my grandmother from across the world and she me if that network is connected to the larger national backbone. But should my grand mum use that tool to speak to her neighbor in the next commune of huts - 10 meters away, just like we are used to doing in the urban areas? (Research shows that more 'neighborhood' calls amount for a larger percentage of the entire household phone bill). We happen to always drop into a friend's place as we find ourselves 'in the neighborhood' without making any prior calls or appointments. This social dynamic, though unpleasant in some ways, is often appreciated. I may be myopic in my thinking here and perhaps be looking at this using the eye of my village, the rural community that shaped my being. 'In the neighborhood' is not the unlikely, but rather the norm, in the rural context. Does the introduction of technology and rural communication affect this very fabric of rural culture? I believe so. When my grandmother would rather speak to her neighbor on the phone than visit her seems to me to negatively affect communication within the rural community - communication being the basis by which African communities exist. Ours is an oral culture. CHAKULA: As a donor, what sorts of initiatives do you think need to be supported in the context of open access in West Africa? BA: Clearly, the price of access needs to drop. Not just become affordable, but way below the disposable income of the rural person. Secondly, barter trade still subsists in must parts of African communities. I would like to see, putting it plainly, the ability to exchange a basket of tomatoes for x hours of airtime for the rural community farmer. I would also like to see the government, private sector, etc. putting rural access on the forefront of connectivity discuss and not just talking about it, but ensuring that something is done - enough of the talk now. And finally, I would like to see empowered and organised consumers and their interests cutting across rural and urban communities in the open access debate; and subsequent implementation. While I believe that regulation may be 'evil' in some form, a structured regulatory framework for both rural and urban infrastructure should exist as self-regulation may be totally impossible in connectivity issues. There are too many interests at stake. Background reading: Anders Comstedt, Eric Osiakwan and Russell Southwood (Spintrack AB): Open Access Model, Options for Improving Backbone Access in Developing Countries (with a Focus on Sub- Saharan Africa), 2005. http://www.infodev.org/files/ 2569_file_OPEN_ACCESS_REPORT.pdf //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ 4. LATEST ANALYSES SATELLITE FAILURE SHOWS AFRICAS UNDERBELLY The cost of satellite bandwidth has rocketed as much as 50% following the failed launch of a satellite last January. The story shows just how vulnerable Africa is. Russell Southwood explores the issue. [Source: Balancing Act, www.balancingact-africa.com] http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5058882 ENABLING OPEN ACCESS THROUGH UNIVERSAL ACCESS In this paper, CIPESAs Vincent Bagiire questions whether open access will bear much fruit if universal access does not begin to create effective demand. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5056029 OPENING UP EASSy In the wake of what he calls the EASSy fallout", Eric Osiakwan goes back to the basics of open access to get the project's engines started again. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5042385 BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON TELKOM SA The Telecoms Action Group (TAG) has been making waves in South Africa. That's after it took out a full-page advert in two South African newspapers slamming Telkom SA for its higher-than-fair connectivity costs. CHAKULA spoke to Alastair Otter, founding editor of Tectonic, who is part of the TAG initiative. http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=he_1&x=5052971 See also: CONSUMERS SHOULDNT SUBSIDISE TELKOM argues APC Director Anriette Esterhuysen http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=5057602 //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ 5. BACKGROUND READING WHY AFFORDABLE INTERNATIONAL BANDWIDTH MATTERS Currently Africa has amongst the highest international bandwidth costs anywhere in the world. Although it varies, the international element of the cost to the consumer is significant proportion of the overall cost he or she pays. The same is true for institutional users like governments or for companies in the private sector. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=4051584 FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE Before markets were liberalised, telephone companies were in the main government-owned institutions. When they wanted to build undersea cables, governments financed this activity and the project was carried out by the government-owned telephone company. In the age of liberalisation, things get a bit more tricky. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=4051585 HOW FAR DOES DEMAND FOR LOW-COST CALLS GO? Up until relatively recently, making international calls from Africa has been expensive. People were less inclined or unable to afford to make an international call and the majority of international calling was either corporate or government. A number of factors have fundamentally changed this position. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=4051587 SATELLITE vs FIBRE: DIFFERENT COSTS FOR DIFFERENT THINGS Satellite is extremely effective in reaching places where the volume of traffic would not justify a fibre connection. However satellite connectivity is often costly. On the other hand, the comparatively low price of fibre connectivity for the consumer may not be sustainable over the long-term in some instances. http://fibreforafrica.net/main.shtml?x=4051583 FLATTENING THE WORLD WITH FIBRE This paper aims to define fibre optic technology, how fibre-optic networks function, and explains how different this technology is from other communication infrastructures. The paper further outlines the prospects for fibre-optic technology in Africa, looks at some fibre- optic networks on the continent, as well as at how fibre-optic applications are being used to enhance technological and economic development. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/ thinking-1897.html //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ CHAKULA is a newsletter produced by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)s Africa ICT Policy Monitor <http:// africa.rights.apc.org> which aims to mobilise African civil society around ICT policy for sustainable development and social justice issues. We welcome your opinions about this newsletter. Send your comments, feedback or contributions to chakula(a)apc.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe e-mail chakula(a)apc.org or go to: http://lists.apc.org/cgi- bin/mailman/listinfo/chakula _______________________________________________ Grace mailing list Grace(a)apcafricawomen.org http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/grace

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