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Employment Opportunity: Head of Policy, African Internet Service Providers Association
by Brian Longwe 05 Jan '09

05 Jan '09

Job Description: Head of Policy Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the Head of Policy for AfrISPA secretariat is a new position and is yet to be filled. This is a full time employee position. He/She reports to the General Manager and with his support monitors, manages and evaluates AfrISPA's policy agenda. He/She plays a key role in developing the AfrISPA community by enhancing the policy function, expanding the scope and range of policy actions and providing focused and sustained engagement with policy-makers, regulators and key stakeholders at national, regional and continental level. Under the supervision of the General Manager, the Head of Policy is responsible for; - Raising the profile of AfrISPA as a significant influence on policy and regulation for the Internet in Africa - Working strategically with members of the Board, management and development teams to create, shape and disseminate the association's policy positions and key messages - Developing the association's policy function - Representing the association at a senior level, engaging with appropriate stakeholders to maintain the quality and relevance of our work and to increase the association's impact on the development of public policy - Leading the policy function, managing the policy team - Leading the development and delivery of policy projects to meet strategic objectives - Identifying and disseminating the implications for the Internet and Internet stakeholders of changes in government, AU and international policy and regulation - Maintaining an overview and identifying gaps and new areas for policywork and making appropriate recommendations to the senior management team - Managing projects to improve the evidence base of our policy positions - Providing other members of the team with appropriate briefings, papers and presentations - Providing policy input to the association's interdisciplinary projects - Writing policy content for the website and other communications activities - Contributing to the planning and management of annual work programmes - Seeking out, developing and managing opportunities for grant funding and commissioned work - Taking part in corporate communications activities, development and fundraising efforts as required Interested candidates should email their CV and full contacts to brian(a)afrispa.org *AfrISPA Policy Advocacy* The next phase of AfrISPA's work requires enhanced capacity on the policy and regulatory front. To this end the secretariat will be expanded to include a "Head of Policy" position. This role would design, organise and implement policy advocacy actions across the entire spectrum of issues that affect Internet markets in Africa. This will follow AfrISPA Policy Development Strategic Canvas as follows: Policy Development: Strategic Canvas - Provide industry perspective on policy as it relates to the Internet industry and act as an interface between government bodies and the wider public - Develop policies in the best interest of the members and protect and promote these interests in regional and international fora - Provide and promote educational opportunities that will enhance and empower technical and policy understanding of the Internet - Develop policies that will guide members into active participation in the development of a free and open telecommunications market in their respective markets - Mobilise ISPAs to deal with legal issues such as child pornography and cyber crime as a real threat to the growth of the Internet as a business tool and enabler - Encourage the development and use of local content, particularly e-Government and online news services - Value addition through assistance in setting up standards and guidelines for web development and promoting the setting up of server farms - Develop policies to protect Internet user's privacy and rights of freedom of expression. Comment constructively on draft Bills in African countries relating to these issues. Activities - Create a new position within the AfrISPA secretariat for a Head of Policy. - Identify key issues currently affecting Africa's Internet industry at national, regional and continental levels and design, develop and deliver suitable policy interventions. *About AfrISPA* The African Internet Services Providers Association, AfrISPA, is the Pan-African association of Internet Services Providers Associations of the countries in Africa. AfrISPA was founded in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2001 when a gathering of ISP and ISPA representatives from various countries in Africa met to discuss and deliberate ways of addressing common issues and concerns that affect the growth and stability of the Internet in Africa. By engaging donors for funding and through the commitment of pioneer members AfrISPA has implemented a number of activities that include:- • Establishment of Internet Exchange Points: AfrISPA has directly and indirectly contributed to the establishment of IXPs in 22 countries. • Establishment of ISP Associations • High-level representations: AfrISPA has gained recognition as a key African institution that is passionate about the role of the Internet as a vital underpinning for national, regional and continental growth and development. On this basis, AfrISPA engages together in thought leadership, policy development and strategic planning through representation in various key local, regional and international fora. Key organisational affiliations include membership of the ITU through the ITU-D, a close working relationship with EuroISPA, involvement in the ICANN process, partnerships with various key African institutions such as AfriNIC, AfNOG, AfTLD, the ATU and platforms at key events. • Position Papers: A vital instrument in AfrISPA's advocacy activities is position papers that are developed around crucial issues that affect the development and growth of the Internet in the region. These have included areas such as: Infrastructure development, Content, Voice over IP, Spam and Regional Integration among others. In collaboration with others, AfrISPA has contributed towards the awareness and adoption of the Open Access framework for major communications infrastructure. It is worth noting that most of the currently ongoing submarine fibre optic projects as well as many of the terrestrial backbone projects have recognised the principles of Open Access and structured their funding and business models along those lines. • Regulatory reports: Regulatory regimes that provide an environment conducive to healthy growth of the ICT sector are essential for Africa's development. To this end, AfrISPA conducts periodic assessments of various countries' regulatory environments and provides these reports to members to facilitate local advocacy through benchmarking and to contribute towards smoother regulatory harmonisation across the region. These reports provide an important evidence base to justify local actions aimed at positive policy and regulatory reform. • Workshops and training: Capacity building is one of AfrISPA's primary objectives. AfrISPA is well positioned to identify needs in this area and respond through the development of appropriate materials which are delivered through workshops and training sessions. -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Freedom Next Time
by Gakuru Alex 03 Jan '09

03 Jan '09

Recently posed to "ke-users" list:- > I find there exists several kinds of reality, e.g. "prepared" reality, > "imagined" reality, "forced" reality, "others' " reality, "real" > reality, etc. The question: which and whose, of them all, is the "one > true reality"? Advised by a member: Try getting hold of John Pilger's, the Australian journalist, book "Freedom Next Time" and you might get a very good idea of the "one true reality" on this unending conflict. Enjoy reviews: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/jun/03/highereducation.news> <http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php/Freedom_Next_Time_by_John_Pil…> Happy New Year, Alex

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Undersea cable cut disrupts Mideast and India communications
by S.Murigi Muraya 01 Jan '09

01 Jan '09

Happy New Year to KICTANET We need at least 5 undersea fiber optic cables connecting us (on different routes) to the rest of the world. Trust that our government requires cable companies to involve and educate Kenyan telecom engineers in the installation and repair of any cable Kenya.go.ke owns a part of. http://telecommagazine.com/newsglobe/print.asp?ID=AR_4670 *Undersea cable cut disrupts Mideast and India communications (Summarized)* by Kendrick Struthers-Watson Mon. December 22, 2008 A French cable ship, the CS Raymond Croze, has begun repairing two badly damaged cables in the Mediterranean that were severed on Friday, Dec. 19, disrupting Internet and telephone communications. Sources indicate the cables were cut within five minutes of each other, possibly by a trawler net. A robot submarine will locate the ends of the cables on the sea bed and bring them to the surface to be reconnected. This is not the first time there's been trouble along these cable routes. Last January, two of the three cables connecting Europe with Asia via the Middle East were cut. What is more pressing about the current situation is that all three cables were affected. Until these cables are fixed, service providers in the Middle East and South Asia must route their European traffic through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Despite the problems these cable cuts have caused, Alan Mauldin, Research Director for Telegeography, believes that new cable construction should help prevent future outages. "Many new cable systems are slated to enter service between Europe and Egypt in the next few years, including Telecom Egypt's TE North cable, Orascom's MENA system, FLAG's HAWK cable, the IMEWE consortium cable, and the EIG consortium cable," he said. Mauldin added that while constructing multiple cables does not guarantee against outages, the introduction of these new systems will provide additional routing options and improve resiliency.

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(no subject)
by Florence Etta 31 Dec '08

31 Dec '08

My dear, Allow me to wish you a 2009 full of joy, laughter & accomlplishments. As you review your 2008 and move in to a full embrace of the new year, may you acknowledge the gift of the new year, cherish the opportunities in the new year and live the experiences of the year to the full so as to make a difference in our world. May the good Lord bless you and yours in a really special way in 2009. Best wishes, Florence Etta New York

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Legal Opinion by Haron Ndubi
by Bill Kagai 30 Dec '08

30 Dec '08

* A LEGAL OPINION ON THE LEGISLATIVE PROBITY AND PROCEDURE FOR THE KENYA COMMUNICATIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL 2008.* *For Kictanet through Mediacorp* *By Haron M Ndubi, Advocate* The Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill 2008 was introduced by the government through the minister for Information to parliament. The object of the new amendment is found primarily in both the preamble and the memorandum of Objects and Reason explaining the Bill. The preamble is herewith reproduced: * "….An ACT of Parliament to amend the Kenya Communications Act, 1998, to make minor amendments to the statute law, and for connected purposes"* The long title of the 1998 Act provides thus: *"….to facilitate the development of the information and communications sector (including broadcasting, multimedia, telecommunications and postal services) and electronic commerce*" Generally speaking and found in the memorandum of objects and reasons, the Bill proposes to and indeed does affect three major sectors. 1. Communications 2. E Commerce 3. Media and Broadcasting 4. Criminal and evidence law 5. (Possibly inadvertently, the Constitution of Kenya). The objects proposing to bring developments in technology within the law so as to provide for investments in technology and to acknowledge and deal with cybercrime can hardly be faulted. Actually this has been long in coming. However, one needs to look into the cause(s) of the public and loud disquiet that has characterized debate leading to the petitions to the President to refuse to sign the Bill and return it to parliament as provided for under section 46 of the Constitution. Simply put, that section of the constitution provides the procedure for making law. Once a Bill is introduced, it goes to the House committee responsible for the matters therein for consideration. At this time the Bill is not in the house yet. The committee may make such changes as it may deem fit then approve it for the house. Upon, the tabling of the Bill, parliament debates it and decides one way or the other. If the Bill is rejected in toto. Then it may not be reintroduced onto the floor of the house until the expiry of six months. If the House amends it then it may pass with the amendments. Then it may go through the various readings until it becomes a proposed law awaiting the signature of assent from the President. (It must be noted though, that the House recently passed a raft of amendments to the Standing orders. One such is the time lapse before re introduction of a rejected bill into the house. The new rules become operational in March 2009. The new procedures allow faster, if not immediate reintroduction of a rejected Bill.) Once a Bill has been passed, on the other hand, it will be presented to the President by the Speaker for his Assent. In event the President refuses to assent to the bill, he is expected to return the bill to the Speaker, within fourteen days of such refusal. He has to accompany the refused bill with a memorandum or reasons for the refusal. Parliament is expected to; within twenty one days reconsider the Bill in consideration of the President's objections. If the House is convinced, they will make the proposed amendments and return the same to the president who SHALL then sign it into law. In event that the parliament rejects the president's objections, the bill will be returned to the president who may sign it. If he declined to sign it automatically becomes law within fourteen days of such presentation to the President. That the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill 2008 was proposed singularly to amend the 1998 Act is in no doubt. Therefore, the opportunity to amend the obnoxious section 88 of the 1998 Act indeed lay before the house. However, we are told that the proposal to amend section 88 of the 1998 Act was rejected at the committee stage. It was therefore not debated by the house. The question that then emerges is this; can the President take the bill back to ask that Parliament reconsiders that section 88 for repeal? My answer is YES. He can. In doing so, the president will be dealing with another function that the Attorney General would have performed. That of advising that the section 88 would be unconstitutional. He didn't in 1998, he hasn't now. If the President assents to the Bill he will do so having failed to promote the deletion of section 88 in the 1998 Act, yet he will have protected the gains relating to ICT rather than broadcasting and other media. If he refused to assent, then the question is how long will it be before it becomes law? If the Parliament stays in recess until March as envisaged, then the president may withhold his decision on the Bill until parliament resumes. This is because time will be expected to run as soon as he advises the speaker of his rejection. Should he assent, it will not be said to automatically come into force immediately. The Bill contains provision for phased implementation of the law. The minister may appoint *effective* dates either for the whole law or diverse dates for various sections. This means that the concern on time on the part of Kictanet is not resolved by the mere passing of the Bill. But there are other reasons for which the media, some political leaders, civil society and others have sought the President's refusal to assent to the law. Broadly stated the issues are three fold. 1. The power on the minister to confiscate equipment 2. The power of the government to control and regulate content 3. The lack of independence of the Regulatory body. On 1 above we have the foregoing text has a response. Without going into the merits of the other two concerns, it needs to be acknowledged that they are legitimate questions but have the potential of hamstringing one sector in favour of another. On the issue of 2 above for instance, the regulator needs to be able to help the media and the public classify material and allow it to be available for the respective client without undermining the public good. Therefore, an argument for a free hand will be inimical to public good. That said, and related to 3 a regulatory authority must be legitimate and credible. Therefore representation and greater presence of the diverse sectors responsible is a valid and legitimate concern. The initial error may have occurred when the ICT investment and advancement issues were mixed up with telecommunications and broadcasting. But that is debatable by the experts in the respective areas. In conclusion,, I would opine for two options: A). The President should be requested to expedite the decision on the Bill either way B)The President should be requested to recall parliament earlier than March so as to deal with the outstanding business. This way, if he assents to the Bill, those members of parliament opposed to the Bill could use their privileged position to move amendment motions. c)The affected sectors opposed to the existence of section 88 of the 1998 Act can move to the constitutional court and seek the judicial declaration that the section is unconstitutional thus it be repealed. -- Bildad Kagai MD - MediaCorp Limited Nairobi Stock Exchange Authorised Information Vendor Suite B2, Tetu Court, State House Avenue P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Tel. 254 20 272 8332 Fax. Rendered Obsolete S - 1°17'13.8" E - 36°48'22.7" www.mediacorp.co.ke ---

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ZAIN's Club 20 Tarrif Suspended!
by Edith Adera 24 Dec '08

24 Dec '08

It was surprising to learn that subscribers are receiving notification from ZAIN that the club 20 Tarrif has been suspended for 24th December and 31st December, for what is indicated as system upgrade!! Why the specific dates of 24th and 31st December? Is it to cash in on the xmas and new year calls? What does consumer protection rights dictate? Can we hear from the regulator? Edith

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Rising voices grants
by Rebecca Wanjiku 24 Dec '08

24 Dec '08

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/12/23/rising-voices-seeks-micro-grant-pr… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Happy Holidays (and a clarification)
by Gakuru Alex 20 Dec '08

20 Dec '08

Dear All, This is to wish you most joyful festivities adding to what you already wish yourself for happy holidays. And have a Healthy, Prosperous and clearer 2009. Alex Gakuru PS: I've received several off-list comments suggesting that I am "in-charge" of kictanet. Well,,, I am not. I have never been, in any way, involved in kictanet administrative affairs; organizational, physical, lists. Alice Munyua and Washington Odhiambo run then. <http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet> Please direct future inquiries to Alice / Washington. The ICT Consumers Association of Kenya, runs own consumer rights advocacy/interests mailing list. <http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers/> My engagement has strictly been for consumers. Sincerely, Alex

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A call for assistance in translating documents developed by W3C
by Judy Okite 19 Dec '08

19 Dec '08

We welcome your assistance translating documents developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). http://www.w3.org/WAI/translation In regards to the above request,I wanted to share info from one of the most interesting sessions that I attended at the recently concluded IGF. *Internet accessibility for persons with disabilities *The internet is about empowerment. Access to information and communication is a key aspect for participation in society. If people with disabilities are to exercise their rights actively, participate and make choices about their lives, it is essential that they can access information through adequate communication systems. For many people with disabilities, accessibility of Internet is a pre-requisite, a stepping stone for getting access to education, employment, health care, etc.. Persons with disability are primary stakeholders when It comes to the Internet development, thus should be fully Involved regarding the development of standards and the design of new communication and Information systems .What we all have to remember, is, in order to bridge the digital divide this group of persons must be included and empowered. - It is essential that all web content be accessible and understood by persons with sensory, physical or cognitive disabilities. - Websites need to be transformed to meet the accessibility standard - Information accessibility in remote areas and disadvantage groups should be given priority The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG),stipulates that all web content must be: - Perceivable - Operable - Understandable - Compatible ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines) defines how authoring tools should help Web developers produce Web content that is accessible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). ATAG also defines how to make authoring tools accessible so that people with disabilities can use them The authoring tool accessibility guidelines 2.0,will be published in December 2008 and its adoption, immediate, by all stake holders. For Access for persons with Disabilities to be on equal basis with others ,we need; Accessible Web Design  Promoting Accessibility and ICT on the web to minimize cost at early stage in design ,development, production and distribution  Promote Universal Design in Development of Standards & Guidelines  Promote Assistive Technologies in Research, Development, Availability and Affordability  Provide Accessible Information about New Technologies and Support Services Best Practices for Government should include and not limited to;  Mainstreaming Disability Issues for sustainable development  Supporting Cross-Disability Stakeholder Engagement  Promoting Accessible Web Sites & Documents Resource  Free online information www.tiresias.org/publications/ disabilities_standardisation/ index.htm Closing remarks from the chair; There is a great need to have international and national legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the rights of People with Disabilities to promote accessibility for persons with disabilities This is a very personal and emotional remark, but we cannot allow isolation of a part of the population due to lack of appropriate functionality that prevents the use of ICT resources by everybody to the fullest possible degree. Links with further information and initiatives: http://www.icdri.org/ http://www.w3.org/WAI/gettingstarted/Overview.html http://www.itu.int/themes/accessibility/dc/ Food for thought: *Is your website accessible, understandable and perceivable by everyone? *Kind Regards, -- "Each of us is great insofar as we perceive and act on the infinite possibilities which lie undiscovered and unrecognized about us." James Harvey Robinson

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Google vs Transparency
by Judy Okite 19 Dec '08

19 Dec '08

I love this!! Find the reading on the link,below http://news.cnet.com/surveillance-state/?authorId=9750511 Kind Regards, -- "Each of us is great insofar as we perceive and act on the infinite possibilities which lie undiscovered and unrecognized about us." James Harvey Robinson

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