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Africa’s Common Position on Internet Governance - The Dakar Resolution
by Dorcas Muthoni 30 Sep '05

30 Sep '05

Information Africa’s Common Position on Internet Governance - The Dakar Resolution <http://africa.rights.apc.org/?apc=he_1&x=1500640> 09/20/2005 (WSIS) -- We, the African Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Ministers, gathered to consider “Africa’s Common Position on Internet Governance”, in Dakar from 5 to 6 September 2005, thank His Excellency Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, for taking the initiative to organise this conference which has given us the opportunity to debate on building a fairer new world to improve people’s lives and eradicate poverty through the creation of opportunities to generate, use and share knowledge, Considering: - The Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), - The Accra Declaration for the Tunis phase of WSIS, 2005 - The African Regional Plan of Action for Economy and Knowledge (ARAPKE), initiated by the Bamako Bureau and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), - The Arab Plan of Action for the Information Society, 2005 - The African Partnership framework for Infrastructure Development - The Arab and African Joint Communiqué adopted in Cairo in May 2005, - The Recommendations of the Bamako Conference on «Multilingualism for cultural diversity and the involvement of all in cyberspace», - The Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) report, Considering that the Information Society would accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular for the developing countries. Considering that Internet Governance should be accountable, democratic and participatory; Given the general principles that should guarantee - A stable and secure functioning of the Internet; and - The open and decentralized nature of its architecture; Noting with satisfaction that the conclusions of WGIG reflect the concerns Africa expressed during the Accra Regional Conference (security, cultural and linguistic diversity, access, etc.); Recognising the need to reinforce the participation and association of developing countries effectively in the process of Internet governance; Convinced that, to arrive at practical solutions for the respective problems raised by Internet Governance, Africa should stand as one bloc at PrepCom3 and the second session of WSIS in Tunis 2005 and speak with one voice based on our interests; Convinced that the achievement of our priorities is an ongoing process requiring broad-based consensus among the international community on Internet Governance mechanisms associating States, civil society, the Private Sector, and international agencies; Considering that the creation of a World Internet Council (WIC), which reflects the recommendations of Chapter 48 of the Geneva Plan of Action and constitutes the final step that needs to be attained, can not be achieved immediately and necessitate the establishment of several different mechanisms; The Conference adopts, as follows: 1. The establishment of a global consultation framework to review in depth the general policies on Internet Governance. Such a framework should authorise equal participation for all stakeholders (Government, the private sector, civil society, and international organisations). 2. The expansion and reinforcement of the existing institutions for Internet Governance to enable all stakeholders to participate and ensure Internet Governance is efficient, accountable, and democratic, and that Internet services and resources are distributed in an equitable manner among all actors and all continents. The Conference also recommends: 1. Reinforcement of the role of the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in all Internet Public policy development issues; 2. Internationalisation of root sever management; 3. African Member States should set up root server instances to facilitate access; 4. Setting up of a regional high speed Internet backbone allowing the creation of national, sub regional and regional Internet exchange points 5. Participation of specialized African institutions in technical Internet Governance bodies; 6. Reinforcement of the Internet Resource Management Institution, African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), to guarantee the region’s independence in Internet resources; 7. Establishment in Africa of a reference framework for building a multi-stakeholder partnership at the national, regional and continental level, based on the basic principles of digital solidarity and in conformity with the spirit and provisions of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD); 8. Contribution of African countries to the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and utilisation of the Fund for building capacity, in particular for women and young people, and financing Internet-related projects in Africa; 9. Implementation of programmes that guarantee the presence of African languages on the Internet and use of free and open source software in order to fight against the linguistic digital divide and ensure the participation of all in the emerging new society; 10. The creation, in each African Member State, of a national structure responsible for the promotion and development of the Information Society, of knowledge sharing and the coordination of these structures at continental level; 11. The creation of Centres of Excellence around Africa for capacity development. Dakar, 7 September 2005 Date: 09/20/2005 Location: Senegal Theme: Internet Governance Source: WSIS Comments _______________________________________________ incom-l mailing list incom-l(a)incommunicado.info http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/incom-l

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Fw: [Chapter-delegates] ISOC@WSIS Blog
by Alex Gakuru 30 Sep '05

30 Sep '05

FYI, Also Kenya's real connectivity situation! ACTION is needed urgently!!!! rgds, Alex ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Gakuru" <gakuru(a)mail.co.ke> To: "Christian de Larrinaga" <cdel(a)firsthand.net>; "Alan Levin" <alan(a)futureperfect.co.za> Cc: <chapter-delegates(a)elists.isoc.org> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 7:20 AM Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] ISOC@WSIS Blog > Christian, > > Kenya embraces help from any household from this global village brought > about by the IP protocol. > > Alex > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Christian de Larrinaga" <cdel(a)firsthand.net> > To: "Alan Levin" <alan(a)futureperfect.co.za> > Cc: "Alex Gakuru" <gakuru(a)mail.co.ke>; <chapter-delegates(a)elists.isoc.org> > Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 7:29 PM > Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] ISOC@WSIS Blog > > > Alan > > You are building up a big head of steam then. > just don't be standing too close when the pressure cooker blows. > > I guess help from uk is out of the question right now? > > Christian de Larrinaga > cdel(a)firsthand.net > > > > On 28 Sep 2005, at 14:54, Alan Levin wrote: > > > > Hi Alex and others, > > > > On 26 Sep 2005, at 3:36 PM, Alex Gakuru wrote: > > > > > > > >> I am glad to note our ISOC ambassadors have kept their focus on the > >> unconnected individual, and the problems facing the connected one. > >> > >> > >> > > > > Regards the 'unconnected individual' and for your interest... > > > > We have experienced some backlash from our first Internet Fiesta in > > March. Subsequent to the fiesta (fully reported at our website at > > http://isoc.org.za/fiesta) we heard some rumours that the local > > community was unhappy with the outcome. Initially they would not meet > > with us but after a couple months they finally agreed. When we were > > there, we were confronted with a barrage of complaints. Basically > > they were so impressed by the Internet access they experienced at the > > Fiesta, that they were equally unimpressed with the fact that there > > is no way that they can afford it. > > > > Initially we considered a few routes and communicated to them for > > follow up: > > - The Universal Service Agency (government) have a programme where > > they install telecentres > > - The local government installs free internet at all libraries > > - The Provincial (state) government provides free computer labs at > > schools > > - There are start-up entrepreneurs that set-up internet cafe's > > so in fact that there are many government programs that establish > > cheap or free access for poor communities, as well private sector > > opportunities. > > > > We also considered that a Fiesta objective was to create demand and > > establish broader support - from those who are still unconnected - > > for telecoms liberalisation (deregulation and/or competition). > > > > Unfortunately it's resulted in accusations that all we did was > > 'tease' these poor people, by showing them the wonderful world of > > technology, even though they cannot afford it. Unfortunately all the > > options above are not going to just materialise or do not provide > > them with a real solution. Which in turn has understandably > > demotivated our volunteers who spent hundreds of hours assisting with > > the fiesta. > > > > Having said this, we've come up with a plan to deal with this and > > we're still planning on doing another 50 fiestas over the next three > > years. Considering 75% of our population has never had an internet > > experience, I thought it would be interesting to hear. > > > > If you're interested in reading more about the facts (a few short > > current articles show that we're still under a monopoly for all data > > connectivity and now have some of the most expensive prices by many > > fold). I'm quoted here: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/ > > national.aspx?ID=BD4A92253 > > > > But our government keeps saying: > > "We must modernise the telecommunications sector, and achieve the > > best for all South Africans in terms of choice, quality, innovation > > and value for money,” and “This is essential to promote a competitive > > economy and achieve the target growth rate of 6%. Effective and > > competitive telecommunications services must be available to all.” > > see http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A96210 > > and not doing anything about it.... > > > > warm regards, > > > > Alan > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Chapter-delegates mailing list > > Chapter-delegates(a)elists.isoc.org > > http://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/chapter-delegates > > > > > > > Christian de Larrinaga > cdel(a)firsthand.net > > > >

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Fwd: CIPESA Commentary writing competition: publication plus $100 cash prize
by Brian Longwe 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

Begin forwarded message: > > > Commentary Writing Competition > A competition to support writers and encourage reflection on > international > ICT policies that affect East and Southern Africa > > COLLABORATION ON INTERNATIONAL ICT POLICY FOR EAST & SOUTHERN > AFRICA (CIPESA) > -------------------------------------------- > > CIPESA commentaries are short informative articles or essays on > current > issues affecting East and Southern African stakeholders. They focus > specifically on international policy-making processes related to > information and communications technology (ICT), and the use of ICT > for > poverty reduction. Commentaries present basic facts, explain points of > tension, and highlight areas of concern, and they stir discussion by > presenting strong views and raising provocative questions. The > objective is > to spark thinking and dialog around the topic, rather than just to > present > expert opinions in an authoritative way. Commentaries are > disseminated via > the CIPESA website and our Stakeholders email list, and > readers are encouraged to respond to the points raised by submitting > comments that are also published. > > COMMENTARY WRITING COMPETITION > We are holding this writing competition to spur writers from the > East and > Southern African region to share their perspectives on the issues and > initiate discussion and debate. > > => Eligible participants must be from countries that fall within the > CIPESA mandate (see list below). > => Participants are invited to submit 2-3 page articles on one of the > themes listed below. > => Our panel of judges will select 5 winners. > => The winning articles will be edited by a CIPESA staff member > who will > work with each author to fine-tune the piece, and the final > commentary will > be published on the CIPESA website and newslist by the end of the > year. > => In addition to publication, the 5 winners will receive a $100 > cash prize. > > Deadline for submissions is 15 October 2005. > Winners will be announced 30 October 2005. > > PARAMETERS FOR SUBMISSIONS > Themes to choose from: > * Interconnection costs for telecommunications and Internet > * Intellectual property rights > * Harmonization of e-government strategies in view of regional blocks > (such as the East African Community or Southern Africa Development > Cooperation) > * Trade agreements and ICT in the context of the World Trade > Organization > > CIPESA countries include: Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, > Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, > Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, > Zambia, > Zimbabwe > > The following tips can greatly increase your article's chances of > winning: > * Use a catchy title that frames the main point or question of > your article > * Make the first paragraph a good summary of the rest of the article > * Explain the background to the issues before launching into > opinions on > them > * Include appropriate references to the work or opinions of others > that > have informed your views > * Describe points of controversy or disagreement > * Raise unresolved questions > * Try not to write in the first-person voice using "I" or "we" > > The criteria we will use for judging winners: > * Issue has a direct impact on East and Southern Africa stakeholders > * Issue is relevant to the field of information and communications > technology policy > * Issue is timely and falls within the context of the designated > themes > * Article has an international dimension > * Argument is presented well with flow from one point to the next > * Grammar and writing style is appropriate to a commentary format > > To submit commentaries or for more information contact: > Vincent Waiswa Bagiire > Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org > > The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East & Southern > Africa > (CIPESA) is an initiative to help Africans to better understand the > policy-making processes that affect them, especially in the area of > ICT and > development. Our objectives are to raise awareness about key issues, > provide useful information to assist African participation in > policy-making, and stir debate by sparking discussion and convening > productive gatherings. Decision-making related to the use of ICT for > poverty reduction is a primary area of interest. > > CIPESA was established under the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa > (CATIA) initiative, funded by the UK Department for International > Development. CIPESA is a program of bridges.org. > > For more information see www.cipesa.org. > > -------------------------------------------- > Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East & Southern > Africa (CIPESA) > Plot 30, Bukoto Street, Kamwokya, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala - Uganda > Tel: +256 31 280073, +256 41 533057, +256 41 533054, Website: > www.cipesa.org > >

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from WIPO general assembly proceedings..
by Emmanuel Njenga 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

Hello all, Just reporting back of a detour from the WSIS process where I went to the WIPO Meeting General Assembly: today (29/09/2005 3.30 - 4.30 pm) The main focus of the meeting is around the ICG ( intergovernmental committee) on Intellectual property, Genetic Resources, Traditional-Indigenous knowledge and folklore. The relevant document under discussion was WO/GA/32/7 - and can be found on the WIPO website. Among some of the items discussed is the extension of the intergovernmental committee (IGC) tenure to continue its work for two more years in keeping with its present mandate. Most governments seem to support this statement. There is also the issues of establishment of a voluntary fund to support participation of indigenous communities to attend relevant decision making forum. Many governments delegates presented statements with regard to these issues.. I just noted some of items from the statement presented by Kenya. ---- That a consultation process/committee was set up under the office of the Attorney General regarding the development of policies on intellectual property, genetic resources, traditional -indigenous knowledge, culture e.t.c...The outcomes of this process will be expected to present its results at the end of the year. The consultation process/committee is comprised of a multi stakeholder process with govt, private sector and NGOs - civil society. ---- It would be good for all interested to follow up regarding this process, interact with those involved and especially find out which civil society organizations/NGOs and thus participate in the process to make contributions on the policy development. Regards, Njenga

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New Strategies for MSP in Kenya
by Wainaina Mungai 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

Heres a clarification from someone else in the fraternity. It may guide our discussion on what is the real issue. QUOTE: Kenya is coming from situation where communication services have been provided by a monopoly - consequently most of the MSP including the civil society were involved with lobbying the Government to liberalize the telecommunication sector. Here is the transition: Liberalization has now happened! The next phase is to ensure the protection of consumers in a competitive environment. I therefore feel that MSP need to change strategies. Firstly there are no active communication consumer lobby groups in Kenya...this I believe could constitute the new role for civil society! Secondly, MSP should be lobbying relevant organisation to reduce communication costs, this would include telecommunication operators, service providers and government agencies. END QUOTE -- Technical and Product Development Manager Oneworld International 4th Floor, Kimathi House Nairobi. Kenya. Tel: +254-20-316800 Fax: +254-20-241920 ----- Free SMSNews4theDEAF: SMS the text DEAF ON to the number 560 and you will receive FREE SMS News on issues relevant to people who are deaf or have Hearing Impairment. To stop the messages, send DEAF OFF to the number 560.

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[Fwd: <incom> MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS – LESSONS FROM THE KENYA ICT FRATERNITY!!]
by Dorcas Muthoni 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

I think we should sit together first and iron out our local issues before broadcasting them to the world. I am sorry but i feel disapponted when we fail to see that any positive change will come from our own efforts, not by fighting each other, but listening to our different opinions. Regards, Muthoni

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RE: List Merger/amalgamation
by Wainaina Mungai 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

My question to Mucheru & Florence is why should KIPlist continue to exist in any form (kiplist.or.ke or other) if as was initially suggested, it could be absorbed into KICTANet as the KIP project has come to an end in 3 weeks? Wouldn't that progress the duplication? Or is it that KICTANet should be absorbed into KIPList and not the other way round? Forgive my ignorance but I thought we were all working to build KICTANet and I fail to see why we cannot just move KIP into KICTANet and move on. Wainaina

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Using Yahoo mail within your usual eMail client?
by Alex Gakuru 29 Sep '05

29 Sep '05

Hi, Ever needed to use you yahoo mail in your usual client seamlessly? · YPOPs! and IncrediMail Xe (40650 Reads) · YPOPs! and Calypso 3.x (6085 Reads) · YPOPs! and Outlook 2003 (42794 Reads) · YPOPs! and Mozilla Mail (60975 Reads) · YPOPs! and nPOP (10073 Reads) · YPOPs! and Outlook Express (217579 Reads) · YPOPs! and Outlook XP (140911 Reads) · YPOPs! and Forte Agent News/Mail Reader v1.93 (2802 Reads) · YPOPs! and Outlook 2000 (76728 Reads) · YPOPs! and Pegasus Mail 3.12c (7124 Reads) · YPOPs! and Eudora 5.x (19735 Reads) · YPOPs! and Lotus Notes R6 (6355 Reads) · YPOPs! and Netscape Mail 4.x (12888 Reads) · YPOPs! and Outlook Express 6 (78646 Reads) · YPOPs! and Opera M2 (8945 Reads) · YPOPs! and Mozilla Thunderbird (27880 Reads) OS Versions: Linux (4) Linux versions of YahooPOPs! These are currently delivered in source form. Mac OS (2) YahooPOPs! for Mac OS. Source Code (2) Source code downloads Sun Solaris (1) Sun Solaris version of YahooPOPs! Windows (2) Win32 versions of YahooPOPs! These versions will work on Windows 9x, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 and XP. An opensource program with very small memory footprint is available here http://yahoopops.sourceforge.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=… Regards, Alex

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Re: List Merger/amalgamation
by Joseph Mucheru 28 Sep '05

28 Sep '05

Dear Florence, Many thanks for taking the time to provide the information as you did. If you remember as TESPOK, we registered the domain name kiplist.or.ke and that is still available for any eventuality. We certainly do not lay claims to that and as you are also aware we also registered and provided the KICTAnet.or.ke list services for FREE to the everyone. I would just like to add that even though Bill has this view that we in private sector were out to get donor funds, this is purely an isolated view and that most people that have interacted with TESPOK know that we have played a partner support role rather than as implied. National ICT issues are not necessarily for only civil society. I therefore strongly feel we need a list where all stakeholders can discuss issues of national interest. As is already stated, each group should have it's own list but we must have a central common list to discuss common issues. be they price or quality of service. The fact that am in private sector (in the Internet business) does not mean I do not have a view on say GSM or other services. I would therefore like to propose an even wilder view - let us get use one list that is Kenyan based kiplist.or.ke and get that hosted by KENIC who are the closest thing to a truly multi-stakeholder body. The list should also be moderated by KENIC - Sorry Victor/Michuki for not consulting you first. This way KICTANet can continue with it's advocacy activities. My two cents worth. -- Joseph Mucheru Chairman Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK) 14th Floor, Bruce House - Standard Street P O Box 27589 -00506 Nairobi, KENYA Tel: +254-20-245036 Cell: +254-722522135 Http://www.tespok.co.ke On 27 Sep 2005, at 19:23, Bill Kagai wrote: > Dear Florence, > > I also salute you for taking time to respond to the queries > raised...(mostly mine). > The bottom line unfortunately remains that Civil Society was > short-changed by 3 factors; > 1. Inactive CS leaders who we feel have to go and a new crop to > take over. > 2. Some stakeholders mostly private sector organisations masquerading > as civil society domineering and sucking CS organisations out of the > process. > 3. Lack of support (mostly donor funds) which went to the > organisations mentioned in (2) and thus rendering real Civil Society > inactive. > > All the same I'm happy it is all out in the open and hope > recommendations suggested on improving the Civil Society sector will > be taken seriously in the projects currently being developed. We look > forward to Wainaina leading Civil Society into true engagement in the > multistakeholder activities. > > Guess mine was to 'inspire then expire'. > > -- > With Kind Regards, > Bildad Kagai > CEO - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd > Coordinator - Free Software & Open Source Foundation for Africa > (FOSSFA) > Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue > P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 > Nairobi, Kenya > Tel. 254 20 2728332 > Fax. 254 20 2726965 > Cell. 254 722 379409 > E. fossfa(a)gmail.com > URL. www.fossfa.net > > --- > Submitted by: Bildad Kagia <billkagai(a)gmail.com> 2005-09-27 > 12:27:59 EDT4 > (Please reply to original submitter for private communication) > --- > You are currently subscribed to kiplist-cl as: [mucheru(a)wananchi.com] > To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-kiplist- > cl-99183W(a)lyris.idrc.ca > > !DSPAM:43397228375961234514069! > >

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$100 Laptop moves closer to reality
by Brian Longwe 28 Sep '05

28 Sep '05

The $100 laptop moves closer to reality Published: September 28, 2005, 8:55 AM PDT By Mike Ricciuti Staff Writer, CNET News.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--A low-cost computer for the masses moved one step closer to reality on Wednesday. Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, detailed specifications for a $100 windup-powered laptop targeted at children in developing nations. Negroponte, who laid out his original proposal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, said MIT and his nonprofit group, called One Laptop Per Child, is in discussions with five countries--Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa--to distribute up to 15 million test systems to children. In addition, Massachusetts is working with MIT on a plan to distribute the laptops to schoolchildren, Negroponte said. "This is the most important thing I have ever done in my life," Negroponte said on Wednesday during a presentation at Technology Review's Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT. "Reception has been incredible. The idea is simple. It's an education project, not a laptop project. If we can make education better--particularly primary and secondary schools--it will be a better world." He said a goal of the project is to make the low-cost PC idea a grassroots movement that will spread in popularity, like the Linux operating system or the Wikipedia free online encyclopedia. "This is open-source education. It's a big issue." Negroponte said the idea is that governments will pay roughly $100 for the laptops and will distribute them for free to students. The proposed design of the machines calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. The display makes the laptop "both an electronic book and a laptop," he said. One display design being considered is a flat, flexible printed display developed at MIT's Media Lab. Negroponte said the technology can be used to produce displays that cost roughly 10 cents per square inch. "The target is $12 for a 12-inch display with near-zero power consumption," he said. Power for the new systems will be provided through either conventional electric current, batteries or by a windup crank attached to the side of the notebooks, since many countries targeted by the plan do not have power in remote areas, Negroponte said. The machines, which will run a version of the Linux operating system, will also include other applications, some developed by MIT researchers, as well as country-specific software. "Software has gotten too fat and unreliable, so we started with Linux," he said. For connectivity, the systems will be Wi-Fi- and cell phone-enabled, and will include four USB ports, along with built-in "mesh networking," a peer-to-peer concept that allows machines to share a single Internet connection. "In emerging nations, the issue is not connectivity," Negroponte said. "That was the issue, but there are many people working on it, (thanks to) global competitiveness. But for education, the roadblock is the laptop." Five companies are working with MIT to develop an initial 5 million to 15 million test units within the year: Google, Advanced Micro Devices, News Corp., Red Hat and BrightStar, Negroponte said. He said the current plan is to produce 100 million to 150 million units by 2007. Negroponte admits that his goals are ambitious. Currently, the world production of laptops is just under 50 million, he said. While the initial goal of the project is to work with governments, Negroponte said MIT is considering licensing the design or giving it to a third-party company to build commercial versions of the PC. "Those might be available for $200, and $20 or $30 will come back to us to make the kids' laptops. We're still working on that," he said. Others have launched low-cost PC ideas in the past, though MIT's project may be the most ambitious. Last year, Advanced Micro Devices announced plans for its Personal Internet Connector--a prototype with a price tag of at least $185, with no display. And an Indian company called Novatium said it plans to offer a stripped-down home computer for about $70 or $75. In addition, Microsoft's antipiracy-minded Steve Ballmer last year called for a move toward the $100 PC for developing nations.

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