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ICYMI- What to Watch at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 from Access
by Ephraim Percy Kenyanito 25 Oct '14

25 Oct '14

Dear all, ICYMI- Here's Access' Plenipot policy brief, "What to Watch at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014," Hope you might find this resource useful it provides an overview of the top procedural and substantive concerns to look out for at the Plenipot as well as recommendations for relevant and productive areas for the ITU to focus its work on in the coming four years. Please feel free to share: https://www.accessnow.org/page/-/docs/WhattoWatchatPlenipot_2.pdf -- Best Regards, *Ephraim Percy Kenyanito* Website: http://about.me/ekenyanito @ekenyanito PGP: E6BA8DC1

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FYI: Morocco ICANN meeting in jeopardy due to Ebola crisis
by waudo siganga 24 Oct '14

24 Oct '14

http://post.milathan.com/2014/10/morocco-icann-meeting-in-jeopardy-due-to-e…

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BD Executive required
by jwaruingi＠advantech.co.ke 23 Oct '14

23 Oct '14

Dear Lister, Business Development Executive required. Please circulate to your networks. Regards >

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Fw: Re: [discuss] ITU PP-14 has started in Busan, Korea
by Walubengo J 23 Oct '14

23 Oct '14

Folks, Good to keep tabs on what our cousins @ ITU are upto. Visit http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/Pages/default.aspx walu. --- On Tue, 10/21/14, Adam <ajp(a)glocom.ac.jp> wrote: > From: Adam <ajp(a)glocom.ac.jp> > Subject: Re: [discuss] ITU PP-14 has started in Busan, Korea > To: "Janis Karklins" <karklinsj(a)gmail.com> > Cc: "1net Discussion List" <discuss(a)1net.org> > Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 1:22 PM > Cut and paste the URL > > http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/Pages/default.aspx > > or directed to a Latvian govt > portal :-) > > Adam > > > > On > Oct 21, 2014, at 7:10 PM, Janis Karklins wrote: > > > Statements at the PP14 > can be found on: > > http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/Pages/default.aspx > > > > On Tue, Oct 21, 2014 > at 10:09 AM, Nigel Hickson <nigel.hickson(a)icann.org> > wrote: > > Good morning > > > > A good way to > remotely follow developments is to follow #Plenipot14 and in > particular tweets from @sgdickinson > > > > Best > > > > Nigel > > > > > > Sent from my > iPhone > > > > > On 21 > Oct 2014, at 05:40, Adam <ajp(a)glocom.ac.jp> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > >> On Oct 21, 2014, at 1:21 > PM, Veni Markovski wrote: > > >> > > >> Statements are important. Even > more is what you think about the internet-related documents, > which are now publicly accessible on the ITU site. > > > > > > <https://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/default.aspx> > > > > > > Internet > Society's work very helpful > > > > > > <http://www.internetsociety.org/blog/public-policy/2014/10/itu-plenipotentia…> > > > > > > > Particularly the issues matrix <http://www.internetsociety.org/doc/key-resolutions-and-issues-watch-2014-it…> > > > > > > Adam > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> On Tuesday, October 21, 2014, > Adam <ajp(a)glocom.ac.jp> > wrote: > > >> Thanks Paul. > > >> > > >> New > civil society statement might be of interest -- and I hope > will gain support, see http://bestbits.net/itu-plenipot-notes/ > > >> > > >> > Adam > > >> > > > >> > > >>> > > >>> On Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 4:38 > PM, Anne Jellema <anne(a)webfoundation.org> > wrote: > > >>> Dear colleagues > > >>> > > > >>> As you know, a fluid working group was formed > after the IGF to try to come up with joint recommendations > for the ITU Plenipot. We produced the open letter on > transparency and participation in the Plenipot process > itself, which many of you signed (thank you!). Our second > and harder task was to develop positions on some of the most > important substantive issues before the conference. The > output of this second phase of our work is a 7 page lobby > document that is now available for endorsement for the next > 24 hours at: > > >>> > > >>> http://bestbits.net/itu-plenipot-notes > > >>> > > > >>> The fluid working group struggled to obtain the > conference proposals on which to base our analysis and > recommendations, both because of the ITU's restrictions > on document access and because many Member States submitted > their proposals quite late in the day. As a result, our > drafting process has taken us hard up against the start of > the Plenipot itself. > > >>> > > >>> It is now very urgent to get > this text in front of delegations, so we are opening it for > endorsements rather than comment. If however someone has a > red flag, "absolutely can't live with it" > issue that prevents them from signing on, they should email > me personally in the next 24 hours to propose an edit(s) to > resolve this issue, and I will consult the other members of > the ITU fluid working group on whether to accept this > edit. > > >>> > > > >>> Due to the lack of time for comment and > consensus, we are not presenting these recommendations in > the name of Best Bits or on behalf of civil society in > general but only on behalf of the specific organisations > endorsing. > > >>> > > >>> If you would like your > organisation to be listed, please send your logo to Carolina > Rossini (crossini(a)publicknowledge.org) > by 22:30 CET (16:30 EST) tomorrow, 21 Oct. > > >>> > > > >>> Best wishes > > >>> > Anne > > >>> > > > >>> -- > > >>> Anne > Jellema > > >>> CEO > > >>> +27 061 36 9352 (ZA) > > >>> +1 202 684 6885 (US) > > >>> @afjellema > > >>> > > > >>> World Wide Web Foundation | 1110 Vermont Ave > NW, Suite 500, Washington DC, 20005, USA | > www.webfoundation.org | Twitter: @webfoundation > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >>> > On Oct 21, 2014, at 12:07 PM, Paul Wilson wrote: > > >>> > > > >>> Friends, > > >>> > > >>> You are probably aware that > the ITU’s 2014 plenipotentiary conference started > yesterday, and will run for the next 3 weeks. > > >>> > > > >>> The event webcast is available here: > > >>> > > > >>> https://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/webcast.aspx > > >>> > > > >>> and please note the links to real time > captioning services on this page. > > > >>> > > >>> For twitter, > the “official" hashtag is #Plenipot14 > > >>> > > > >>> > > >>> If anyone is > aware of useful reports or commentaries on the meeting as it > goes on, hope you will share them here. > > > >>> > > >>> All the > best > > >>> > > > >>> Paul. > > >>> > > >>> > > > >>> > ________________________________________________________________________ > > >>> Paul Wilson, > Director-General, APNIC > <dg(a)apnic.net> > > >>> http://www.apnic.net > +61 7 3858 3100 > > >>> > > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > > >>> > _______________________________________________ > > >>> discuss mailing list > > >>> discuss(a)1net.org > > >>> http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > > >> > > >> > > >> > _______________________________________________ > > >> discuss mailing list > > >> discuss(a)1net.org > > >> http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > > >> > > >> > > >> -- > > >> > Best, > > >> Veni > > >> http://veni.com > > > >> https://facebook.com/venimarkovski > > >> https://twitter.com/veni > > >> *** > > >> > The opinions expressed above > > >> > are those of the author, not of > > > >> any organizations, associated > > > >> with or related to him in > > > >> any given way. > > >> *** > > >> > > >> > > >> == Sent from my phone, so any > spelling mistakes are caused by the touchscreen keyboard. > Also, that's the reason for using short words and > phrases. > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > discuss mailing list > > > discuss(a)1net.org > > > http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > discuss mailing list > > > discuss(a)1net.org > > http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > > > > > _______________________________________________ > discuss mailing list > discuss(a)1net.org > http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

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Mobile Apps in Kenya - Any thats known to be making money?
by Bernard Kioko 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

Hi, Is there any mobile app from Kenya that's known to be generating income for the developer? I am interested to know. Over the last few years I have seen a lot of focus on young people being told to make mobile apps. Are we consuming them? I am sure SMS and USSD apps that make money do exist. Thoughts? -- * ------------------------------ * This e-mail and any attachments may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged and protected by law and is intended for the sole use of the named recipient(s). Any unauthorized review, use, or disclosure or distribution is prohibited. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting on any information contained in this email is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete the contents and notify the sender immediately; do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose or store or copy the information in any medium. Whilst our e-mails are checked for viruses, we cannot guarantee that this message or any attachment is virus free, does not contain malicious code or is incompatible with your electronic system and the Company does not accept liability in respect of viruses, malicious code or any related problems that you might experience. For further information about us, please contact us at the address indicated below. Bernsoft Interactive Limited - P O Box 15177-00100 Nairobi - Tel: +254 722 929192 Email: admin(a)bernsoft.com Web: www.bernsoft.com

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www.ecitizen.go.ke goes live...quietly
by Gideon 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

+1 Ali and Kivuva, T his is good progress, the web designers should ensure that the registration/verification email does not end up in the spam folder so that users can have ensured validity. Overall i think we could help the design team with comments for hitches or bugs at this 'test phase' as we browse through the portal. Regards Gideon Rop DotConnectAfrica > > Thanks Ali for sharing. > > Probably it's on testdrive, the reason for the silence. I like the > interface and simplicity of the system. Simplicity is a virtue. > > Just some comments, my email verification to signup to the ecitizen.co.ke > portal is being delivered straight to the spam folder by Gmail. The team > working on the system should see that the IP address is not blacklisted. > > You can renew or replace your driving license online here > https://ntsa.ecitizen.go.ke/ > I hope the service will be integrated so that we renew the DL online and > don't have to print and glue that paper on the driving license. I am sure > this system will be integrated with the smart-card driving license. > Currently " You can now renew your drivers license online, pay using > mobile money services of your choice and print your renewal slip. You will > need your Ref no found in bracket in C of C in your driving license page > 1." > > ______________________ > Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya > twitter.com/lordmwesh > > "There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on > higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson > > On 22 October 2014 13:59, Ali Hussein via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > Listers > > > > Finally! The eCitizen portal is live. > > > > A for effort. > > > > Still test driving it. I'm sure the ministry will appreciate the > feedback > > from the community so please go on and log in! > > > > *Ali Hussein* > > > > > > > > > > > > Tel: +254 770 906375/ 713 601113 > > > > Twitter: @AliHKassim > > > > Skype: abu-jomo > > > > LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim > > <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> > > > > Blog: www.alyhussein.com > > > > > > Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely > > mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the > > organizations that I work with. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kivuva%40transworldaf… > > > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > development. > > > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and > bandwidth, > > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > >

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New OGP Plan open for public consultation
by Grace Githaiga 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

http://www.icta.go.ke/draft-ogp-action-plan-kenya-2014/

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www.ecitizen.go.ke goes live...quietly
by Ali Hussein 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

Listers Finally! The eCitizen portal is live. A for effort. Still test driving it. I'm sure the ministry will appreciate the feedback from the community so please go on and log in! *Ali Hussein* Tel: +254 770 906375/ 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> Blog: www.alyhussein.com Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

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What is the position of the Kenyan government delegation to the Plenipot14?
by Mwendwa Kivuva 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

The ITU meeting started on 21st October 2014 in Busan, South Korea and will run for 3 weeks. ISOC Kenya Chapter is represented by several members who will share their experiences with the list. I hope our delegation on the ground will be reporting regularly on the daily outcomes of this important conference. Internet Society position on the ITU meeting is: 1. There is wide consensus that there is no single "governance" structure for the Internet. Nor is there a single, global platform that can serve to coordinate, organize or govern all the issues that may arise. 2. The Plenipotentiary should not adopt policies that lead to a regulatory role for the ITU in the governance of the Internet. 3. The Plenipotentiary will not agree to place the future of the Internet policy development under the control of an inter-governmental organization. 4. Make the Plenipot more transparent, to listen to the voices of stakeholders and to be responsive to the concerns we and other stakeholders have brought to the ITU The event webcast is available here: https://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/webcast.aspx and please note the links to real time captioning services on this page. Policy statements and speeches are available here: http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/statements/Pages/default.aspx For twitter, the "official" hashtag is #Plenipot14 Some civil societies have issued statemets that may be of interest to us and they can be found here: http://bestbits.net/itu-plenipot-notes/ The Internet Society has released a statement on it's position on the ITU Plenipotentiary meeting. The statement by the ISOC president is available here:http://www.internetsociety.org/blog/public-policy/2014/10/road-busan The ISOC VP of global policy too has a statement on the meeting here: http://www.internetsociety.org/blog/public-policy/2014/10/itu-plenipotentia… *What is the position of the Kenyan government delegation to the Plenipot14?* Warm Regards, ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya Secretary, Internet Society Kenya Chapter.

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Fw: Logo Competition in Commemoration of 10 Years of AFRINIC
by Walubengo J 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

For the creative minds/designers. Plse accept the challenge below. walu. --- On Wed, 10/15/14, AFRINIC Communication <comm-announce(a)afrinic.net> wrote: > From: AFRINIC Communication <comm-announce(a)afrinic.net> > Subject: Logo Competition in Commemoration of 10 Years of AFRINIC > To: members(a)afrinic.net > Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 12:10 PM > Calling all artists and design > enthusiasts! > > In commemoration of its 10 years of existence, AFRINIC > invites all individuals to participate in this anniversary > celebration. > > For this occasion, AFRINIC is organising a logo competition > to draw all design talents for this proud moment. > > The winning logo design will be featured on all AFRINIC > communication materials, both in print and online throughout > the Year 2015. It will also be used during the Africa > Internet Summit and the AFRINIC-23 Meeting. > > Prizes > > The winner will receive a certificate of appreciation from > AFRINIC in addition to a prize. > > How to Enter > > Submit entries by uploading your designs at: http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-21/en/agenda/logo-competition > as a scalable vector graphic in EPS format, and also as > a JPG. > > Include in your submission form your name, age, postal > address, phone number and email address. > > There is no fee to enter the Contest and only a maximum of 3 > Entries can be submitted per contestant. > > Required Elements > > The logo must contain the image of AFRINIC’s current > corporate logo, which can be found at https://www.afrinic.net/en/about-us/branding > > The colors to be used are Black, Orange, and/or Gray on a > white background. > > The logo must also contain the words “AFRINIC 10 > years”. > > The logo must not contain any other text besides that > required above. > > Upload your submission through our online web form at : http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-21/en/agenda/logo-competition > > Entry Deadline > > The deadline for Entries is 9 November 2014 at > midnight UTC. > > *** Disclaimer: The winning design of AFRINIC’s 10 > years and all other designs submitted will become the > property of AFRINIC and cannot be used by designer for any > other purpose. > > Good luck! > > Regards > > AFRINIC Team > > _______________________________________________ > AfriNIC - The internet numbers registry for Africa

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Developing mobile or IoT apps | Developer Economics
by Mbugua Njihia 22 Oct '14

22 Oct '14

VisionMobile has just launched their latest Developer Economics survey and is tracking developer trends across platforms, app revenues and dev tools - as well as investigating the emerging IoT market. The key findings from the survey will become available in the form of a free research report in February. Aside from contributing to the research, respondents to the survey will also get a chance to win some great prizes, including an iPhone 6, an Oculus Rift DevKit, and a Samsung Gear Smartwatch! You can take the survey here: http://vmob.me/DE1Q15Symbiotic

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Re: [kictanet] IANA Transition does Kenya have anything to say
by waudo siganga 21 Oct '14

21 Oct '14

Awareness is another problem. I am just from an International Internet Security conference in Dar es Salaam. The conference is 5 days and though I spent only 2 days there I never heard ICANN or IANA mentioned. I met one guy from TZ who said he is an Internet Security expert but he seemed not to know ICANN. On Tue, Oct 21, 2014, at 07:29 AM, Harry Hare | African eDevelopment Resource Centre via kictanet wrote: > Hey Badru, > > You you have explained has been my biggest criticism of the ICANN process > and of course of the ICANN cousins. Local businesses will only engage > with > a process that they perceive is relevant to their bottom line. The > American and some European companies get the ICANN and wider internet > issues and they are pretty much embedded in the process looking out for > opportunities and also making sure that there interests are taken care > of, > but not African businesses who have become whole sale consumers of policy > yet they have an opportunity to engage and become part of the process and > define the future together with the rest of the world. > > And when I say local businesses I am not looking at the Telcos and other > internet companies, I am talking about companies such as Kenya Airways, > East African Breweries, Kakuzi Ltd etc. > > My ration for the month :-) > > Harry Hare > > Director | African eDevelopment Resource Centre > PO Box 49475 00100 | Nairobi, Kenya > Tel +254 20 4041646 | Cel +254 725 650044 > > > > > > > On 10/17/14, 11:44 AM, "Badru Ntege via kictanet" > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > >HI Barrack and all > > > >I think the main question would not only be anything to loose but also > >what are the gains. The worrying thing in all the limited engagement is > >that at this moment our communities all seem to think that IANA, ICANN etc > >are way out of their circle of influence. So we are aware of the goings > >on but they are in our circle of concern. The general assumption seems to > >be that whatever the outcome there is very short term impact on business > >as usual. > > > >The challenge is that we have not been able to breakdown the issues to a > >point of relevancy to the common internet user. > > > >How we break these issues down is still the biggest challenge. > > > >Regards > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >On 10/16/14, 1:29 AM, "Barrack Otieno via kictanet" > ><kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > >>Listers, > >> > >>I wonder how our local Internet community is engaged in the ongoing > >>debate on the IANA transition, as a country do we have anything to > >>lose? > >> > >>Best Regards > >> > >>_______________________________________________ > >>kictanet mailing list > >>kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > >>https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >> > >>Unsubscribe or change your options at > >>https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/badru.ntege%40nftco > >>n > >>sult.com > >> > >>The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > >>for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > >>regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > >>sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > >>development. > >> > >>KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > >>online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and > >>bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect > >>privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >kictanet mailing list > >kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > >https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > >Unsubscribe or change your options at > >https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/harry%40africanedeve > >lopment.org > > > >The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > >for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > >regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > >sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > >development. > > > >KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > >online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and > >bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect > >privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan… > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and > bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect > privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Re: [kictanet] IANA Transition does Kenya have anything to say
by Barrack Otieno 21 Oct '14

21 Oct '14

Listers, I wonder how our local Internet community is engaged in the ongoing debate on the IANA transition, as a country do we have anything to lose? Best Regards

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How to ensure success of ITeS enabled National Masterplans
by Mbugua Njihia 17 Oct '14

17 Oct '14

Many of the masterplans presented by the digital government, whether carried forward from previous regimes or structured as part of election manifestos have information technology or knowledge sharing as a key component. Since they are likely to take more than two political cycles to realize, the frameworks for success must be solidly in place to avert personality driven projects and ensure continuity regardless of the leadership in place. Find my thoughts on this here - http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/business/ensure-success-ites-enabled-national-m…

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iTunes Video
by Adam Nelson 16 Oct '14

16 Oct '14

HBO recently announced that they would be launching a streaming service to non-cable customers next year ... but only in the US. This got me thinking about what the current state of iTunes video is and I came to this list: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3599#video_content Does anybody know why Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Niger, Egypt and a bunch of other African countries are there but not Nigeria, Angola, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Kenya? Is there some sort of intellectual property law that hasn't been passed here? It can't be market size since Kenya, Nigeria, and Angola are some of the biggest markets. -Adam -- Kili - Cloud for Africa: kili.io Musings: twitter.com/varud <https://twitter.com/varud> More Musings: varud.com About Adam: www.linkedin.com/in/adamcnelson

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Vision 2030: A meeting of Industry, Policy Makers, Technologists, Innovators and Educators
by Sean Moroney 16 Oct '14

16 Oct '14

Dear Listers, The IEEE meeting next week, which is focussed on technology and investment strategies for Vision 2030 is a great opportunity to share ideas and perspectives with fellow stakeholders. The invitation is attached. Participation is free, on application. Please email mikeo@aitecafrica if you would like to attend. Regards, Sean Moroney Chairman AITEC Africa seanm(a)aitecafrica.com|Skype: seanmoroney UK Mobile: +44(0)7973499224|Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721845674 www.aitecafrica.com<http://aitecafrica.com/> [AITEC-East-Africa-signature banner] Follow us on: LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/535138?trk=vsrp_companies_res_name&trkInfo…> Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aitec-Africa/143207745706922?ref=ts&fref=ts> Twitter<https://twitter.com/aitecafrica> YouTube<http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgwROsywDI7i9AYHAHnL67Q> AITEC Africa is the trading name of AITEC Conferences Ltd UK registration number 4698475 From: Mike Otieno Sent: 16 October 2014 11:26 To: bella.akinyi(a)kam.co.ke Cc: Sean Moroney; Joyce Wambu; Judith Orjiako Subject: Vision 2030: A meeting of Industry, Policy Makers, Technologists, Innovators and Educators Hi Bella, It was nice speaking to you this morning about this event scheduled for 22nd-23rd October at the Intercontinental Hotel. Please see attached the invitation letter as well as a brochure that will give you more details about the event. I would really appreciate if this invitation can be sent out to your relevant members to RSVP. I will make a follow-up phone call on this. Kind Regards, Mike Mike Otieno Event Marketing Manager AITEC Africa mikeo(a)aitecafrica.com<mailto:mikeo@aitecafrica.com> Mobile: +254(0)723764118 Skype:mike.otieno3 Twitter:@myquestmike www.aitecafrica.com<http://www.aitecafrica.comfollow/> Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/aitecafrica

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The .ug debate: Is Re-delegation Necessary? Comparison with .ke
by Mwendwa Kivuva 15 Oct '14

15 Oct '14

Uganda seems to want to go the .KE way (public ownership), while .KE wants to go the .UG way (private ownership). Are there any lessons the two registries can learn from each other? http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/368-blogger-the-ug-debate-is-redelegation -necessary.aspx *There has been a lot said about the .ug ccTLD (Country Code Top Level Domain) management over the years and by the look of things we seem to be reaching the peak of this debate. * Legislators have been drawn into the debate and judging from what we hear them say, there is definitely a lot of misinformation going on. There is cause for concern when one comes across news headlines like, "A Private Firm Owns Uganda's Internet Domain Name" and MP Taaka's query that "Is Uganda safe considering that .UG as a domain name is privately owned?" For starters, a ccTLD is a two letter domain name extension that corresponds to a country (.ke - Kenya, .tz - Tanzania, .rw - Rwanda, .uk - United Kingdom) , territory or geographic location. So, to make things clear, .ug isn't a domain name as is being insinuated in the discussions going on in the august house. In the early 1990s at the start of the globalised internet age, ccTLDs were issued to various countries and for those that never had the capacity to manage them, help came from ICANN through various agencies. Uganda was one of those countries that never had the capacity and Randy Bush <http://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/randy-bush> an Internet Pioneer and founder of the Network Startup Resource Centre (NSRC) <http://www.nsrc.org> volunteered to carry out the technical management of the .ug ccTLD. Around the same period, a then youthful and ambitious Ugandan Engineer, Charles Musisi <http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c> had picked a lot of interest in the nascent internet technologies of the times. His interest led him to set up the first email service in Uganda (FIDO-NET) and as well join a group of internet pioneers on the African continent. This interest and exposure led him to pick interest in the management of the .ug ccTLD as far back as the mid 1990s. On application, he was assigned the administrative rights and Randy Bush continued to offer the technical management support as Charles' company then, Uganda Online (now called Infinity Computers and Communications Company Ltd - i3C) started developing local capacity to do the same. Eventually, he was able to wean off Randy Bush's support and his company took over full technical and administrative management of the ccTLD. Did he buy the .ug ccTLD as is alleged? NO. Around the same time, his colleagues in Kenya and Tanzania also undertook management of their countries' ccTLDs albeit with mixed results. Dr. Shem Ochuodho was eventually booted out of .ke ccTLD Management having failed to perform to the expectations of the community which led to the set up of KENIC <http://www.kenic.or.ke>. It is worth noting that Uganda Online was able to successfully commercialise the management of the .ug ccTLD and this is evidenced by the fact that the ccTLD has operated in a stable environment over the years without seeking any financial aid. However, like anything, change in the internet landscape will always necessitate changes in the supporting technologies and services. Currently, there has been a significant growth in the state's interest in ICT infrastructure and services provision. This has seen the country undertake numerous interventions like the roll out of the National Fibre Backbone, promotion of the Business Process Outsourcing, e-Government implementation among others. The .ug is also being looked at as one of those services that are likely to help fill the puzzle of ICT proliferation in Uganda. The Draft Policy Framework for the management of the .ug ccTLD has as its major objective, "to formalize management of .ug Country Code Top Level Domain Name and come up with a management framework that will ensure transparency and greater accountability towards the Internet community of Uganda and the rest of the Global Internet Community." The current status-quo is characterised by: * Efficient assignment of domain names * Decent Support for technical issues * Uniform domain registration costs * Stable Domain Name System (DNS) services It is clear that i3C <http://www.i3c.co.ug> is performing well on the technical front and not much can be said in that regard. However, as a private company, it has limitations on what can be achieved especially if one asks the following questions; 1. What governance systems are in place for the .ug ccTLD as a national resource currently? 2. What policies and procedures are there for the issuance, renewal, and arbitration of domain related disputes? 3. If policies are present, who designed them and was there community participation? 4. What strategies are in place to promote the usage of .ug by nationals? 5. What universal access measures are in place to ensure that various sections of society aren't alienated on the basis of gender, rural/urban divides, youth, disability among others? 6. What measures are in place to ensure that the Government of Uganda (the custodian of Uganda's resources on behalf of the people) actively participates in influencing the direction of the .ug ccTLD? 7. What measures are in place to ensure that civil society can have its input/feedback into the .ug ccTLD management process? At the current pace, there are more gaps being created in the overall .ug management and the earlier they are addressed, the better. A quick look at the .ke ccTLD, one is able to get updated information on how many domains that are registered and active, standing at 30,156 domains with a target of 33,800 domains by the close of 2014. Not only is it hard to get accurate information on the number of domains registered and active at the .ug ccTLD but the last time I got a whiff, the estimate was 3000 domains and assuming the numbers have doubled since then, our next door neighbors are definitely rounding us up five times. For purposes of cross comparisons, this table reveals a couple of things; The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of ICT <http://www.ict.go.ug> has come out to crusade for the formation of the Uganda National Information Centre (ugNIC) a not for profit company comprising of representatives from government, Internet Service Providers, Civil Society/ NGOs, consumers, infrastructure providers, academia and the business community. The ugNIC shall have the mandate to manage the operations of the .ug. According to the outlined functions for the ugNIC, it is worth noting that some issues were left out. It is vital that the company created should also undertake; * Marketing of the .ug ccTLD to win national appeal * Handling domain dispute resolution according to the set out guidelines and policies On the basis of this, it should therefore be clear that the following are mere myths: 1. That Charles Musisi <http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c> or his company i3C <http://www.i3c.co.ug> OWN the .ug ccTLD 2. That the .ug ccTLD was assigned to a private company in bad faith. 3. That Government officials gave away the .ug ccTLD to a private entity. As an active member of the Internet Space in Uganda, some of the reasons why I support the proposed changes in the .ug ccTLD administration are; * Increased public accountability of the .ug resource * Increased community participation in determining the future of the .ug resource * The need to separate the Technical and Administrative management of the . ug resource. While i3C may have performed well handling the Technical aspects, it has fallen short on the Administrative front. * The lack of a well incentivised reseller programme has greatly hindered the promotion of the .ug ccTLD locally. * The need for serious promotion and marketing of the .ug ccTLD * Opportunity for using Government resources to upskill the technical managers of the .ug ccTLD. * Having witnessed companies fold, what happens if i3C closed shop out of the blue? It happened to Enron <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron> (One of the largest energy companies in the world during the last century). Risking the .ug ccTLD resource to this level can have a massive impact on the nation in case such a scenario plays out. As the Ugandan Internet community, we need to be careful to avoid the misinformation that is flying around and also ensure that we lend our support in a manner that will put national benefit at the forefront while not forgetting the patriotic work people like Engineer Charles Musisi <http://ug.linkedin.com/in/charlesi3c> have rendered this nation in the past. Twitter: @wirejames <https://twitter.com/wirejames> Email: lunghabo [at] gmail [dot] com ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya twitter.com/lordmwesh "There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson

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Webinar invite: PCI 3.0 is knocking on your door - are you ready?
by Bernard Mutai 15 Oct '14

15 Oct '14

Dear All, If you are interested in protecting PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard), this webinar from Trustwave is for you. Please register to participate. Regards Ben Mutai [image: Trustwave]Send to a Friend <http://go.trustwave.com/v/b0000qFl3RA0Mg5z030gZ4c> [image: Trustwave] <http://go.trustwave.com/p0400R05AM0g0BcFql0gZ33> PCI 3.0 is knocking *Watch the webinar live on 16 October, 10AM UK* The implementation deadline for PCI DSS version 3.0 is right around the corner - is your organization prepared? With an evolving threat landscape, it may seem overwhelming to approach the new requirements of PCI 3.0. Join Trustwave, in partnership with ETA, for our educational webinar to help prepare you for the change. During the webinar, we'll cover: - Why PCI is so important in protecting your customers' data and your business - How to secure your business and prepare for PCI 3.0 - Tactics that will help ensure compliance and security are always top-of-mind for you and your employees *Date and Time:* 16th October 2014 10:00 am UK, 11:00 am Europe Register to reserve your spot <http://go.trustwave.com/f003q0l0ZC005F3gRcMBg04> [image: Webinar: PCI 3.0 is knocking] <http://go.trustwave.com/v04Z0c3D0qlMRgC5F03g000> Follow us: [image: LinkedIn] <http://go.trustwave.com/wFZMc4qRl0000g5D00g3E03>[image: Twitter] <http://go.trustwave.com/wFZMc4qRl0000g5E00g3F03>[image: Facebook] <http://go.trustwave.com/F5ZFl00GF0R0g33g000Mqc4>[image: Trustwave] Trustwave.com <http://go.trustwave.com/A30G04RF30cq5gg00l0H0ZM> | Legal Information <http://go.trustwave.com/G5F0M330ZH4IR0ql0000gcg> | Privacy Policy <http://go.trustwave.com/f003q0l0ZJ005F3gRcMIg04> © 2014 Trustwave Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. ------------------------------ This transmission may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and/or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information contained herein (including any reliance thereon) is strictly prohibited. If you received this transmission in error, please immediately contact the sender and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format.

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FW: Call for feedback on two important IG issues...
by Grace Githaiga 14 Oct '14

14 Oct '14

From: stephaniep(a)diplomacy.edu Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 17:25:51 +0200 Subject: Call for feedback on two important IG issues... To: igcbp(a)diplomacy.edu Dear friends, We would like to invite you to share your thoughts on two very important and current issues in Internet governance - issues which you may have already thought about and discussed with you colleagues or in the community: #1 Overcoming policy silos: Across different countries and regions, stakeholders and policymakers often approach the same IG issues from various angles and policy routes. Parallel debates often take place, with the risk of policy incoherence and even turf battles among the forums discussing the same issues. So, how can we overcome policy silos or policy segregation? To arrive at possible solutions, we first need to understand how the policy process works in different countries by taking, as example, three areas: (a) data protection and privacy; (b) cybersecurity and cybercrime; (c) intellectual property rights. With this in mind, please take part in the survey on policy silos, and contribute to the discussion forum. #2. A one-stop shop: IG is a highly complex policy space with hundreds of actors addressing more than 50 different policy issues in a wide range of forums. So, to whom do we address our concerns? Which organisations do we get in touch with if we need information about different IG aspects? Where can we learn about the latest developments? A possible solution is the creation of a one-stop shop, or a ‘clearing house’, with the underlying aim of assisting players – especially governments and stakeholders from developing countries – in making better use of existing processes to help shape their own policies on national levels. The design is key: Should it be a new international Internet organisation, a global multistakeholder IG clearing house, a distributed governance system, or...? What functions should it have? Please share your views on discussion forum. Your contributions will be help us (a) identify approaches to overcome policy silos, and (b) make concrete proposals towards a clearing house. Needless to say, your contributions will be highly appreciated. The discussion is hosted by the Geneva Internet Platform, in preparation for the upcoming international conference, the Geneva Internet Conference. If you have any questions/comments, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thanks in advance,Stephanie -- Stephanie Borg PsailaDiploFoundation www.diplomacy.edu The latest from Diplo... Join our Internet governance community at www.diplointernetgovernance.org To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to igcbp+unsubscribe(a)diplomacy.edu.

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Young Innovators Competition Challenge 4
by Grace Githaiga 14 Oct '14

14 Oct '14

Dear Friends, We are sharing this information so that you could circulate to your networks for the benefit of our youth. We would also appreciate receiving contacts that you think would find this of benefit to them so that we could reach out to them. Thank you, Alice Begin forwarded message: From: Zürcher, Robin <robin.zurcher(a)itu.int> Date: October 1, 2014 at 10:07:04 AM GMT-4 To: "sg(a)atu-uat.org" <sg(a)atu-uat.org> Cc: "absoumaila(a)yahoo.fr" <absoumaila(a)yahoo.fr> Subject: Young Innovators Competition Challenge 4 To the attention of Mr Abdoulkarim SOUMAILA As part of the ITU, the UN agency responsible for ICT-related issues, ITU Telecom World Young Innovators Competition launched the 4th and last challenge of this year. Given your work with the ATU - African Telecommunications Union we kindly ask for your support in promoting the competition in your network in order to give the opportunity to participate to as many young people as possible. Please kindly pass the information to the relevant national administrations in order to spread the word among university students and other young bright minds in your country who might be interested in applying. This challenge is in partnership with the IEEE IoT Initiative and we are looking for the best ideas for new businesses and innovations on how the Internet of Things can be used for social good. We will be accepting ideas until November 03, 2014. The competition is open to 18-30 year-old young people from across ITU’s 193 member states. The winners are invited to the ITU Telecom World 2014 in Doha in December this year where they can showcase their innovative ideas and will enjoy mentoring and workshops on entrepreneurial skills. Prize money of up to USD 5,000 in the form of seed funding will be awarded to implement and bring to scale winning start-ups. Participants should go to https://ideas.itu.int to get more information and apply. Please feel free to distribute the flyer which you can find in the attachment. Please find more information in the Press Release in the six official UN languages, English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Russian, and Chinese. You can also learn more about the competition at http://telecomworld.itu.int/take-part/innovate/. For any further material or assistance, please email us at young.innovators(a)itu.int. Best regards, Robin Zuercher Young Innovators Competition Team --Forwarded Message Attachment--

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] EMEA Newsletter Issue #2
by Bob Omondi 13 Oct '14

13 Oct '14

FYI... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 10:55 AM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] EMEA Newsletter Issue #2 To: AfrICANN list <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hi all / Bonjour a tous Please see below the second edition of our EMEA Newslettter. My apologies for the size of the text. Priere trouver dans ce message la deuxieme edition du Journal EMEA (Europe/Moyen-Orient/Afrique). Nous vous ferons parvenir la traduction lorsqu'elle est terminee. Mes excuses pour la longueur tu texte. Thanks/Merci - Yaovi Atohoun Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager – Africa ICANN – www.icann.org Mobile : +229 66015649 / 97891228 ============================================================= Issue #2 *Jump To:* Istanbul Hub Events <#148fe362255cb0a5_IHB> | EMEA News & Activities <#148fe362255cb0a5_ENA> | Regional Insights <#148fe362255cb0a5_IRI> | Spotlight <#148fe362255cb0a5_S> | Upcoming Events <#148fe362255cb0a5_KRUIE> | News Highlights <#148fe362255cb0a5_NH> Welcome to our second edition of the EMEA newsletter We’ve had a busy quarter, especially last month in Istanbul with various activities planned around the 9th Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Our newsletter provides a snapshot of activities within our Istanbul hub along with highlights from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and also a few insights into what we have been doing and why. You will also find a special feature ‘Spotlight’ in this edition, which highlights efforts in the EMEA community and stories of successful multistakeholder collaboration designed to ensure the safeguarding of a secure, stable and resilient global Internet. This issue’s spotlight is the Lebanon Internet Center (LINC), a multistakeholder body mandated with overseeing Internet policies in Lebanon. It is the first national multistakeholder body in the Middle East launched earlier this year. LINC’s CEO shares his thoughts with us. We hope you find our news and features engaging and, as always, we welcome your feedback. *Happy Reading!* *The EMEA Team* ICANN’s Hub in Istanbul – Regional and Local Focus on Internet Activities The opening of the Istanbul Hub marked a significant milestone in the evolution of ICANN as it spreads its operational functions across three global headquarters—Los Angeles, Istanbul, and Singapore. Since then, the Istanbul hub office and its staff have served as both hosts and conveners with events stakeholders for across all of its sectors. Additionally, the hub provides full support to the engagement offices and their staff throughout the EMEA, along with standard ICANN services in the following areas: policy development, contractual compliance, operations, registries and registrars’ services, communications, meetings, and Board support. In our host city, Istanbul, we have been active in our outreach efforts on several levels, meeting and collaborating with members of government, business, academia, and civil society, a testament to ICANN’s commitment to the region and to its globalization efforts. Hosting and convening meetings of stakeholders from various sectors helps achieve ICANN’s engagement efforts in Turkey and the EMEA region more broadly. From meetings with researchers and scholars to planning a forum of DNS experts, ICANN appreciates the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to globalizing its services and resources for the multistakeholder community. ICANN looks forward to expanding the Istanbul hub and further elevating its work in Turkey and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. *David Olive* *Vice President, Policy Development Support* *General Manager, ICANN Regional Headquarters –Istanbul* Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) _Istanbul Hub Events Meeting with law students from the Bilgi University IT Law Institute http://cyberlaw.bilgi.edu.tr/ Local Officials, ICANN President and CEO Launch .ist and .istanbul The Municipality of Istanbul signed an agreement with ICANN for the registration of .ist and .istanbul as domain extensions. Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and ICANN President and CEO Fadi Chehade attended the signing ceremony on 2 September 2014 in Istanbul. “Istanbul will also have a central presence on the Internet via the new '.ist' and '.istanbul' domains,” said the Mayor Topbaş. The Mayor said Istanbul was "in a position that can influence the world in many fields" and that the municipality is exerting efforts to turn Istanbul into "a hub for everything." Mentioning that few cities had their own domain names, Mayor Topbaş continued, "I believe it is a great opportunity to boost recognition of Istanbul and further expand its role as a financial hub." He emphasized that the city became the first of 81 cities in Turkey to have its own domain name. Fadi Chehadé noted that Istanbul has managed to preserve its past while building its future. "Istanbul is a unique city and imitated by others”, Chehadé said. “It will now have more online visibility and websites will benefit from those new domain names." Broad Multistakeholder Participation as IGF 2014 Wraps Up in Istanbul ICANN participated <https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2014-08-25-en> in this year's 9th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/> meeting in Istanbul. The overarching theme of the meeting was Connecting Continents for Enhanced Multistakeholder Internet Governance <http://www.igf2014.org.tr/about.igf.html>. This year's meeting built on previous IGFs and furthered the dialogue on Internet governance and emerging Internet issues. It also built on the success of this year’s NETmundial in Sao Paulo, Brazil and promoted its outcomes. ICANN believes that the IGF plays an effective role in fostering global multistakeholder cooperation in Internet governance and strongly supports its continuation beyond its 2015 mandate. *Key IGF 2014 statistics* - 2,374 onsite participants - 1163 remote participants *Onsite Participation by Region**Onsite Participation by Stakeholder Group* Africa Asia Pacific Eastern Europe Host Country Host Country Latin America and the Caribbean Western Europe and Others 215 423 153 706 158 714 Civil Society Government Intergovernmental Organizations Host Country Private Sector Technical Community 836 542 98 516 289 Briefing by the Academic Community on Multistakholder Research Projects On 3 September, the IT Law Institute at İstanbul Bilgi University and the Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet and Society, both members of the Global Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Centers (NoC <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/network_of_centers>), introduced a preliminary report of ongoing research to members of the ICANN Board, senior ICANN executives, members of the Turkish Internet Improvement Board, and other Internet stakeholders. As an academic community, an integral part of the multistakeholder Internet governance approach, this group decided to make an academic contribution to the ongoing debate on the distributed, decentralized Internet governance ecosystem. They prepared a report based on the foundational principles of NetMundial and framework for a global, collaborative, and decentralized Internet governance ecosystem as described in the report of the Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms. http://networkofcenters.net/event/evolution-internet-governance-ecosystem Future Activities Planned in Istanbul Taking place on the 18th November 2014 in Istanbul, is the Turkey DNS Forum where participants from ICANN, registries, registrars, registrants, ccTLDs, new gTLD applicants, policy makers, Internet service providers, IT businesses, brand owners, and legal firms all will attend in an attempt to build bridges between interested parties in Turkey and the world's experts in these fields, to share experiences and best practices, inform the audience of what is taking place in the domain name industry at a global level, and to discuss emerging business opportunities. The first edition of the forum is expected to be the building block for future annual forums. The purpose of an annual forum is to spread the message and introduce interested parties to the key players in the DNS industry, hopefully leading to a stronger domain name industry in the region. More details will be provided soon. _ EMEA News & Activities September 20143 SeptemberICANN signed an MoU with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration. Read more here <https://www.icann.org/news/blog/macedonia-and-icann-sign-cooperation-agreem…>Skopje, Macedonia8-11 SeptemberDNSSEC Workshop: http://dnssec-deployment.icann.org/training/AMM/Amman, Jordan15 SeptemberDanish IGF <http://www.fremtidensinternet.dk/> – Panel: Internet Governance – Who is in Control. Speaker – Jean-Jacque Sahel, VP Stakeholder Engagement, EuropeCopenhagen, Denmark17-19 SeptemberDNSSEC RoadshowYaounde, Cameroon17-19 SeptemberSouthern Africa IGF <http://giplatform.org/events/saigf-malawi> - Speaker: Bob Ochieng Lilongwe, Malawi24-26 SeptemberDemo Africa <http://www.demo-africa.com/events/event-details/demo-africa-2014>,; Speaker: Bob OchiengLagos, Nigeria28-30 SeptemberConnect to Connect <http://extensia-events.com/events/connect-2-connect-2014>,; - Main topic : Internetworking in Africa; Speaker: Bob OchiengTanzania22 SeptemberPanel “Roundtable on Internet Governance” <http://www.chathamhouse.org/event/multi-stakeholder-model-internet-governan…>, Speaker: Sally Costerton, Senior Advisor to the President, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)London, UK23 SeptemberTunisian ICT Association Panel on “Internet Governance, present situation and new approaches”, Speaker: Baher Esmat, VP, Stakeholder Engagement, Middle East Hammamet, Tunisia October 20142-3 OctoberHigh Level Workshop on Internet Governance <http://www.smartrwandadays.rw>, ICANN Africa team and Mike Silber, ICANN board Member will be speaking. Kigali, Rwanda Government Engagement Group Activities8 SeptemberUN New York briefing hosted by the Polish and Mexican Permanent Missions to the UN - 40 attendees and active dialog with China, Egypt, the Philippines, Turkey and othersNew York15 SeptemberRegional IGFMacedonia22 SeptemberLunch briefing in Geneva to all missions and most IGOs and Internet organisations - Keynote by Fadi ChehadeGeneva29 SeptemberParis meeting convened by SG OIF of the steering committee on Forum de la Langue FrançaiseParis1 OctoberWTO Public Forum: Presentation on Internet and Trade by ISOC and ICANN _ ICANN Regional Insights The Internet Governance Forum: From Dialogue to Action *By Baher Esmat, VP Stakeholder Engagement, Middle East* IGF Photo Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/icann/sets/72157647157492522/ When the Internet Governance Forum (IGF <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/>) came to birth nine years ago, many perceived it as a mechanism for damage control. During its first couple of years, skepticism was rife about both its continuity and its ability to address controversial IG issues. However, over time, the IGF succeeded in bringing different stakeholders closer by offering them an open space for dialogue, very much like the Internet itself, where they can debate IG related issues. It has even gone further in building bridges of trust and knowledge transfer across stakeholders. The 9th IGF meeting was held in Istanbul, Turkey during 2-5 September 2014, bringing together more than 3,500 onsite and remote participants. This is credit to how the IGF has become a meeting point for those who are interested in the broad spectrum of Internet Governance, to come together, engage in discussions, interact with one another, and perhaps launch new ideas and initiatives. In fact, the very first IGF meeting took place the same year Twitter was created and Facebook was opened to the public. This was only eight years ago, yet the Internet has evolved tremendously since then. While one could argue that the IGF has evolved at a much slower pace than the Internet, the fact of the matter is that it is the IGF participants who have been shaping its evolution in a bottom-up, multi-stakeholder fashion, which by its very nature takes time to develop and thrive. But nevertheless, the IGF has continued to improve, particularly following the recommendations <http://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/a67d65_en.pdf> of the CSTD working group on improvements to the IGF. This year’s IGF had a lot on the agenda, covering the current affairs of Internet Governance with a wide range of topics inclusive of ICANN accountability, network neutrality, Internet rights, digital trust, empowering youth, spam, content creation, to name just a few. Improvements to the IGF this year were manifested in many aspects that may be hard to cover in full here; but some are worth noting. In an attempt to make outcomes of the IGF more visible and tangible, the MAG Chair has put an open call for information on concrete actions and decisions taken by organizations as a result of their participation in the IGF. Feedback along with a summary document is available online <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/documents/contributions/call-for-information>. Best practice forums have been introduced with an aim to have more informed discussions on specific topics and produce outcome documents. The IGF website has been given a facelift and become in some parts more streamlined. On the financial side, an IGF Support Association has been launched <http://www.internetsociety.org/news/new-association-launched-support-intern…> to support and complement existing funding, and to strengthen the IGF secretariat as well as regional and national IGFs. As in previous IGF meetings, ICANN was present <https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2014-08-25-en> in Istanbul with staff, Board, and community members organizing and taking part in various sessions. The IGF offers ICANN the opportunity to reach out to a wider community that is not regularly present at ICANN meetings. The ICANN Open Forum attracted more than 100 participants who came to hear from ICANN leadership and have a dialogue with them on any issues related to ICANN. This year, the issue of IANA stewardship transition and ICANN accountability was the subject of discussion in several sessions. A Town Hall meeting was held on Day 1 to further engage with community and clarify any points in relation to the Enhancing ICANN Accountability and Governance Process <https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-08-2014-09-05-en>. This was yet another opportunity for ICANN to listen to community members and assure them that we are taking their feedback seriously. Statistics in the Chair’s summary <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/documents/igf-meeting/igf-2014-istanbul/246-…> show that almost half of the IGF attendees this year were from developing countries. Enhancing participation from developing countries and involving new stakeholders was one of the key recommendations of the CSTD working group. Obviously, IGF Istanbul has made progress in this direction. Another issue the IGF has been looking into is how to strengthen its linkages with regional and national IGFs. Such regional and national forums, particularly those in developing countries, deem the global IGF as the place where they can showcase their work and at the same time get to learn from other experiences and return home with homework to do. As one participant from Yemen told me during the meeting “there is a lot going on in Internet governance and we’ve got enormous work to do back home”. So, “action” is what the IGF community is after, and many have felt that the IGF this year was more focused on the action side of the things, or as the Chair’s summary puts it: “From dialogue to action”. The importance of the 7th annual conference of registries and registrars in Baku this year *TLDCON-2014 was held on Sept.10-11 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan* *By Michael Yakushev, VP Stakeholder Engagement * Traditionally this conference attracts not only regional companies and organizations, but also a wider number of stakeholders and jurisdictions. This year more than 100 delegates from 24 countries gathered in Baku. The TLDCON-2014 was preceded by a regional ENOG conference, organized by RIPE NCC. The week was packed with interesting and fruitful discussions, by both the IP/Telecom and DNS business communities, on the most current Internet issues. Naturally, discussions focused on the new technical issues and legal challenges that arise with the evolving nature of the Internet and its ecosystem; becoming more complex and more diverse. The DNS industry, which was considered at the TLDCON-2014 as a ‘cornerstone’ of the Internet infrastructure, is heavily influenced by the nGTLDs Program, and we can see not only rapid regional development of some new domains, but also a certain decline of the growth rate of many ccTLDs, and failed expectations of the business success of other new GTLDs. This factor raised discussions on the future of the Internet, its technical infrastructure and its role in the global economic processes. Which is healthy and helps bring more awareness to the issues and processes that need to be followed in order to circumvent and overcome the hurdles faced with the growth of the Internet. Both events (TLDCON and ENOG meeting) are important for our regional efforts to engage stakeholders, to share best practices, and to understand better regional and global trends in the development of the network infrastructure, Internet-related business, and government regulation. Events in Baku were really cross-regional: people came there not only from the region of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but also from different Western and Southern European Countries, United States, and Asia. There were also proposals on better integration of such regional events into the overall ICANN meetings strategy, as many ‘Regional-specific’ issues may be fruitfully discussed and solved at the regional (or cross-regional) level, saving more room for global questions of the Internet Governance at ICANN meetings. ICANN had good presentation at the TLDCON-2014 by myself, Patrick Jones - Global Stakeholders Engagements Senior Director, and Sarmad Hussein-IDN Program Senior Manager. Issues like new GTLD Program implementation, development of the L-Root infrastructure, IDN Variants and Label Generation Panel for Cyrillic names, NTIA transition project, and forecasts for the “Internet-2020”, were covered. All such issues are among the most discussed in the local technical and business communities. A lot of commercial companies and government agencies expressed their interest to the possible new cycle of the nTLD program. Many regional companies would like to install L-Root servers for improving their global connectivity. As the official languages of many countries in the region are based on Cyrillic letters, and there may be new IDN gTLDs in the future, the corresponding technical issues should be solved as soon as possible. And, finally, any proposals for the regulation and/or technical projects should be based on the vision, what the main trends in the Internet development are now and may be visible in the future. Further information on the conference may be found at http://meeting.cctld.ru/en/. >From Westphalia to Sao Paulo: building our future (governance) together *By Jean-Jacques Sahel, VP Stakeholder Engagement, Europe* Evolution is happening at an exponential rate in our time. You need only remember, the Radio took 38 years to reach a market of 50 million users; Television took 13 years to reach 50 million users - and the Internet took only about 4 years to reach the same number. Today, close to 3 billion users have increasingly come to rely on Internet access to facilitate basic, everyday needs and aspirations, all over the world. In less than one generation, the Internet exploded in the number of users, mobility, data volumes, economic importance, and global reach. These achievements are due in some significant part to the Internet’s peculiar bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model of governance which, by bringing together different stakeholders' particular remit and expertise, helped to achieve a scalable and robust Internet. Yet, for all the progress enabled by the multi-stakeholder model we are mindful that the Internet is relatively young, and likewise is our pioneering system of governance. The very pace and magnitude of the Internet’s development has also brought with it a whole set of new challenges we have to address as we build our future Internet governance together. It is a long road ahead of us. Relying on, and improving, our decentralized, collaborative, multi-stakeholder model of governance is the best way to address these new challenges and evolve the way the Internet is governed in the future. One of the major steps in consolidating and improving the model is happening right now with the transition of oversight for the IANA functions, and the accountability & governance review that comes with this change. It is perhaps interesting to look at what the multi-stakeholder model often gets compared to, or contrasted with: the nation-state model enshrined in the treaties of Westphalia in 1648; when the major powers in Europe agreed on a number of peace treaties aimed to end the wars that had plagued much of continental Europe for most of the century. As often, nothing happens overnight. The model did not achieve its aim of peace immediately: France and Spain were at war for another 11 years after the treaties were signed. In short, what this experience could tell us is: give peace – and multi-stakeholderism – a chance to develop. It is incumbent on us all to engage positively and constructively towards improving our processes, and to allow for the necessary time for the model to develop and thrive – we are after all, experimenting with a model, which could solve more than just the Internet’s problems. Just over 20 years ago, Samuel Huntington famously raised the prospect of a looming ‘clash of civilizations’, of cultural conflicts. Others since – and many more recently, in the wake of the multiplication of regional and transnational conflicts – have expanded to talk about the end of the nation-state system as initiated in 1648. As we enter the 21st century and are waking to the realization of the immense benefits of the Internet - our first truly global tool of human ‘inter-connectedness’ - the multi-stakeholder model presents an interesting evolution in governance possibilities. One that could not replace, but coexist with and relieve, the nation-state system. Over the next year, in taking forward the Net Mundial Roadmap and transitioning the USG oversight of IANA to the ‘global multi-stakeholder community’, we have a great chance - and a common responsibility: to work together to build on and reinforce the multi-stakeholder global model of governance that has permitted the Internet to serve the whole world so amazingly over the past quarter of a century. As someone stated once: ‘Internet Governance in in Your Hands’. Or as I would say, in my understated fashion: ‘the future is in your hands’ – together we can build a better and evolving Internet that serves all of our needs and aspirations. Monetization of the Africa domain name space *By Pierre Dandjinou, VP, Africa* Domain monetization is one of the largest and most profitable online industries. Simply put, a company or an individual decides to purchase domain names either to sell, lease, or to park them with the purpose of making money. The ROI (return on investment) rate through domain monetization depends on the entrepreneur’s plans and initiative. Registries and registrars also can reap benefits through the potential of domain monetization. Why should one discuss monetization in Africa? The recently held Africa Domain Name Forum in Abuja Nigeria offered many examples of how African registries and registrars have taken advantage of new opportunities through investment and monetization. Moreover, registries feel the need to increase their customer base; hence the necessity for engaging in targeted marketing activities. The ICANN African strategy calls for a series of initiatives including capacity building that could boost the African domain name market and business. One obvious result of increased monetization of the domain name space in Africa is the potential transformation of the current ecosystem, with a total of approximately 1,200,000 registrations (out of a population of 1.2 billion). Of these, nine hundred thousand (900,000) are solely from South Africa. This alone shows how much work we need to do to fully capitalize on the domain industry. Indeed there are different methods of monetizing domain names: - Developing Affiliate Websites - Developing Pay Per Click(PPC) Websites , which originates from PPC advertising systems such as Google AdSense and Yahoo Publisher Network. - Domain Parking - Domain Leasing – Renting the domain name to advertisers or other interested parties - Domain Purchase and Resale - Domain Development which entails development of a website with unique content and a business model For African registries, one way of monetizing is the development of registrar and reseller friendly TLD policies. Other avenues include the development of local content and scalable automated registry platforms as well as through the improvement of the technical and business capacity of registry operators through continuous training and packaging of domains as a service and not as a commodity. For registrars and resellers, the reduced taxation, which has a direct impact on the overall cost of domains, should be the norm as this will lead to a reduction in the cost of registering domain names. Consequently, African Governments should also consider tax waivers for ccTLDs to promote uptake. Marketing is another key element, which starts by the registries offering reliable and predictable service to their clients. Hence, the technical staff plays as equal a responsibility in marketing as the business staff by ensuring stable, reliable and secure registries. Moreover, registries should look for agile and adapted payment solutions. For example, e -payment and cash payment should run in parallel. Many online payments solutions (especially PayPal) exist but have yet to be implemented in most parts of Africa. As was noted in the Africa strategy, there is a need to build capacities for business development within African ccTLDs and registrars; issues pertaining to quality of service (QoS), and quality of experience (QoE) as well as trademarks and Intellectual property concerns should be considered and embedded within comprehensive and operational policies and procedures. In so doing, one paves the way for the advent of an African business and industry of the domain name. The Story behind ICANN’s BCG Road show *By Chris Mondini, VP Stakeholder Engagement, Global Business and North America* The work of ICANN in coordinating the names and addresses of the Internet helps keep it global, expanding and interoperable. Furthermore, increased access to a global, expanding, and interoperable Internet is good for business and national economies. Support for this point can be found in the Boston Consulting Group’s report on E friction, “Greasing the Wheels of the Internet Economy” <https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/bcg-internet-economy-27jan14-en…> . The BCG report came out in January, and continues to resonate with governments and business leaders around the world by providing a clear roadmap of how businesses and national economies can continue to benefit by fully embracing a global, borderless Internet. Why did ICANN commission the research? In part because much of the current reporting in global Internet governance has focused on the “doom and gloom” scenarios of an Internet fragmented or “balkanized” by a patchwork or national regulatory regimes. And in part, not much research has been done on the effect of barriers and hurdles in the online world, and the drag they have on economic growth. The E friction report has made it easier to identify the areas of friction that hold back the digital economy and at the same time has helped ICANN to emphasize the opportunities for advancement that come from making the most of the ever expanding, globally interoperable Internet. This last point is especially useful for business users of the Internet and the Domain Name System. In conducting their research, BCG found that Small and Medium Enterprises with a robust web presence, who make the most of online marketing, sales and systems management, and who embrace cloud computing can considerably grow their revenues. By creating an index and measuring the performance of 65 countries, BCG has provided a valuable benchmark against which future gains can be measured. But it is all predicated on an Internet that remains borderless and interoperable, hence complementing other reports that highlight the benefits of reducing or eliminating barriers to Internet access and its affect for both countries and companies. Each ICANN-BCG roundtable gathers a mix of government officials and business leaders and takes on its own regional characteristics. A representative from a global telecommunications firm described the discussions a “crisp and brisk … full of innovative thinking and interesting people”. Another participant asserted: “the world needs to know about the risks faced by the global Internet. It is up to business to help governments understand what’s at stake”. In creating a country index, BCG has opened the door to possible future iterations of the report to see how countries perform. In the meantime, at least one ICT ministry has reported that they will use the report as a menu of ways to work with business to improve their country’s friction score. The report has also successfully underscored ICANN’s role as a partner in a shared aim to maintain an open, scalable and interoperable Internet. ICANN Business Engagement meeting successfully held in Africa *By Bob Ochieng, Manager; Stakeholder Engagement - East Africa* ICANN's work is crucial to the interoperability and growth of the Internet on which so many businesses depend regardless of geographical location.. Furthermore, ICANN is an open and participatory model – business advantage and useful information can be gained simply through participation. Knowing – and actually shaping – Internet policy related to the Domain Name System and other unique identifiers is a primary reason many companies participate today. But while participation has increased over the years, private sector involvement in general, especially in Africa, is minimal. This has prompted ICANN to engage this constituency to stimulate better and meaningful participation from across the world. And so as curtain came down on the 9th global IGF in Istanbul, Chris Mondini headed to Nairobi, Kenya where he convened a business engagement roundtable.. The event was titled “Sustaining the power of the global Internet for transformative economic growth” and was designed to encourage participants to focus on the Internet as a global business resource with the potential of contributing significantly to the growth of a national GDP as evidenced by the recent report by the Boston Consulting Group on “e-friction”. This meeting was just the first of many that will be held in various parts of Africa, targeting the business sector in line with the Africa strategy. In preparation for the Nairobi meeting, we collaborated with the Ministry of ICT, the Director General of the Kenya regulator (Communications Authority - CA) and key Telco’s and ISPs in Kenya while coordinating with the ISP Association in Kenya (Telecommunications Service Providers Association – TESPOK) and KeNIC (.KE registry) to widen our reach to the community. The two-day meeting engaged over 60 participants from two groups of business stakeholders, namely, telecommunications businesses - those involved in the ICT business including Telco’s – as well as other businesses involving banks, and the Chamber of Commerce. The mixed panel presentation areas focused on the ICANN Africa Strategy and the BCG report with a panel discussion on Business Engagement – the How & Why Engage? It was stressed during the panel discussions that the BCG report is meant to stimulate countries and its policy makers to refocus their attention in addressing key areas of e-friction (infrastructure; industry; information; and individual) by having all parties siting on the same side of the table to deliberate. All in all, the reception to the panels was positive with candid and constructive engagement from the attendees. The key takeaways from our panel was how to localize the data presented to better engage the African business community, and the recognition that there is definitely a need to spread this engagement through other parts of Africa. _Spotlight The Lebanese Internet Center (LINC) – A Democratic Multistakeholder Governance Initiative in EMEA *By Nabil Bukhalid, CEO* The Lebanese Internet Center (LINC) is a public/private, not-for-profit organization characterized by a democratic multistakeholder governance structure (Figure 1). LINC’s strategic alliance between civil society organizations, corporations, syndicates, universities, research organizations and the government of Lebanon emanated from major and long standing gaps in Internet governance in Lebanon affecting the sustainability and growth of the Internet and more specifically the operation and business continuity of the Lebanese Domain Name Registry (LBDR). LINC is initially responsible for the Internet’s Lebanese top-level domain (.lb ccTLD and .لبنان AIDN), including the registration of domain names, and the administration and technical maintenance of the national domain-name registry infrastructure. LINC will also promote the positive development of the Internet in Lebanon. A share of the fee that LINC intends to charge for domain name registration will be invested in capacity and community building activities and projects that promote the positive development of the Internet in Lebanon. There are currently less than 4,000 registered .lb domains. LINC intends to file with ICANN for the re-delegation of the .lb ccTLD, apply for the .لبنان AIDN, and develop the DNS industry in Lebanon by establishing friendly, efficient, secure and competitive registration processes based on the registry/registrars business model. LINC aims to grow into the natural choice for companies, organizations and individuals that want a domain name associated with Lebanon by providing the best services to the local Lebanese market, the globally spread Lebanese diaspora and the global market at large. The necessity for a multistakeholder body to assist in the amalgamation of different and competing interests was pinned by Fadi Chehadé, ICANN CEO, during a reconnaissance visit to Beirut in February 2013. The partners engaged in long sessions of critical thinking on governance structure outcome, impact and alternatives and, while they acknowledged that multi-stakeholder governance will introduce complex processes with insecure outcomes, they made a conscious decision that multi-stakeholder governance is a strategic and preferred option for the Internet governance in Lebanon. On June the 2nd, 15 months later, Fadi Chehadé returned to Beirut to celebrate with Lebanon the launching of LINC from the Ministry of Economy and Trade. As the incumbent .lb registrar and one of the key facilitators in the making of LINC, I would like to share my reflections and observations on the multi-stakeholder building process: - In a multi-stakeholder development initiative, the democratic process is as important as the outcome. Democracy is a complex and testing evolutionary process. - The Internet is a network of complex interdependent networks at the physical, economical, political and social levels. With growing complexity and interdependence comes growing needs for collaborative efforts. - In a multi-stakeholder development process confrontational parties develop trust relationships as a byproduct of: working together; sharing problems, concerns and dilemmas; and facilitating the exchange of information and the alignment of goals. Trust-building among the stakeholders is crucial for success. - Engaging in multi-stakeholder governance efforts opens the way to gradually introduce multi-stakeholder practices and get them transcribed in governmental policies and regulations. - The execution of multi-stakeholder governance requires from the partners to address the sustainability issues. The partners should secure sustainable means to finance the operation while neutralizing the power of money. I.e. since power equal money, the corporate partners’ financial might should not give them additional privilege over the NGOs, etc. - Interest diversity is at the core of multi-stakeholder governance, the more diverse interests are; the more diverse stakeholders should be involved in order to increase the effectiveness of the process. The target is to engage all stakeholders and leave nobody out. The price to pay is that this makes collaboration more complex and difficult. - Interest diversity in a dynamic and continuously evolving and mutating environment, such as the Internet, require a dynamic and flexible multi-stakeholder governance structure. Interests can change over time, new parties might want to enter the partnership and others might want to exit. - The success of the multi-stakeholder process dictates utmost transparency and open communication. - Participation in a multi-stakeholder initiative requires considerable resources and consumes a lot of time. _Key Regional Upcoming ICANN Events Please view the ICANN calendar for a more detailed look at all events <https://features.icann.org/calendar?keys=&field_date_value%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%…> in the ecosystem. October 201412-16 OctoberICANN51Los Angeles, USA19 Octobercollaboration with I* organizations to monitor Internet related resolutions and discussions at ITU PP 14 in Busan, Korea – [Government Engagement Group Activities]Busan, Korea22 OctoberJoint IIC-ISOC-London School of Economics workshop on IG evolution; http://www.iicom.org/iic-chapters/iic-uk-chapterLondon, UK30 October“The Internet Today and Tomorrow”: ICANN – NASK- Polish Government-FOSSF Workshop Warsaw, Poland November 20144-7 NovemberRIPE 69 <https://ripe69.ripe.net/>London, UK4-5 NovemberWorkshop on building sustainable domain names business in Africa and the Middle East - Organizers: ICANN, NTRA (Egypt), AfICTA (African ICT Association).Cairo, Egypt5-6 NovemberWorkshop on Investigating DNS Abuse/Misuse for Law Enforcement Agents; ICANN team participating. Organizers: Lebanese University and Ministry of InteriorBeirut, Lebanon18 NovemberTurkey DNS Forum <https://community.icann.org/display/MES/Turkey+DNS+Forum>Istanbul, Turkey19-21 NovemberRegistry Roadshow Workshop <https://community.icann.org/display/RH/Agenda+for+Registry+Roadshow+Workshop>Istanbul, Turkey24-25 NovemberInternet Day Sweden <http://internetdagarna.se/english/>: Panel “Internet governance – who will shape the future of the Internet?” and a panel session on the new gTLDs Speaker: Jean-Jacques SahelStockholm, Sweden26-27 NovemberArab IGF Beirut, Lebanon - Theme: “Arab Perspective for Shaping the Future of the Internet” http://beta.igfarab.org/ArabIGF2014.jspBeirut, Lebanon December 20147-10 DecemberITU Telecom World 2014 <http://www.itu.int/en/ITUTELECOM/Pages/world2014.aspx> - Panel “The Next Big Internet Step: Moving to IPv6 to Enable Everything” Speaking: Baher Esmat <http://www.itu.int/net4/Telecom/webs/TelecomWorld/session/description/C-000…>Doha, Qatar18-19 DecemberAfrica Telecom People 2014Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire ICANN51 in Los Angeles This could very well be one of the largest international Internet conferences of the year. The meeting is filled with interesting and engaging sessions on a wide variety of topics, such as: - The SO/AC-Led High Interest Topic Session, which will discuss the role of government representation in ICANN - Enhancing ICANN Accountability, which will address the issue how ICANN can remain accountable in the absence of its historic contractual relationship with the U.S. government, and the - Community Discussion with the ICG where the IANA Stewardship Coordination Group (ICG) will discuss the transition. Registration for ICANN51 is free – just go to https://registration.icann.org/. If you can’t attend in person, remote participation is highly encouraged – and easy to do. Just visit the online schedule and select the session you’re interested in – almost all have options for joining in from wherever you are. _ICANN News Highlights Accountability / NTIA IANA Functions Stewardship transition You need to be involved. All of the Accountability track information can be found here: https://community.icann.org/category/accountability https://www.icann.org/en/stewardship NMI launch in Geneva The Initiative is being undertaken by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with various partners including ICANN and key governmental, industry, academic and civil society stakeholders. This collaboration will facilitate a distributed environment of effective multistakeholder cooperation through innovative and legitimate mechanisms to: 1. Help solve global Internet challenges, especially the non technical ones 2. Inform and equip capacity development initiatives to ensure global participation in Internet cooperation, especially from under-represented regions; 3. Build trust in the Internet and its governance ecosystem. For more information: http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-internet-governance GDD News - ICANN Approves Name Collision Occurrence Management Framework | Special IP Address (127.0.53.53) Alerts System - Administrators of Potential Issue: http://goo.gl/vlDDMa. - Current statistics <http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/statistics> as the applications work their way through to the Internet: - Over 300 strings have been delegated. You can view them here <http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings>. - Look here to view the “new gTLD programme” timeline <http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/timelines>. - For more information about the GDD, follow this link: http://goo.gl/4A7wDQ. Latest posts by Fadi Chehadé *Internet Governance is in Your Hands* Who will run the Internet and how? The question is now galvanizing the mainstream media. Numerous stories are appearing on both the reportorial pages (i.e. WEF unveils 'crowdsourcing' push on how to run the Web) <http://news.yahoo.com/wef-unveils-crowdsourcing-push-run-210507320.html>, and on the opinion pages (i.e. The Internet Power Vacuum Worsens <http://online.wsj.com/articles/l-gordon-crovitz-the-internet-power-vacuum-w…>). In that context, this seems like an appropriate time to set the record straight and to correct some inaccuracies that are being spread across the media landscape. Read More >> *An Initiative for Action* Back in May, I wrote a blog titled "Turning Talk into Action after NETmundial." <https://www.icann.org/news/blog/turning-talk-into-action-after-netmundial> In it, I promised to work tirelessly on coalescing governments, private sector and civil society to operationalize the NETmundial roadmap. I did not make this promise lightly Read More >> <https://www.icann.org/news/blog/an-initiative-for-action> "We Need Your Input" Public Comment is a vital element of ICANN’s decision-making process. Here is an opportunity for all stakeholders to provide input and feedback on all facets of ICANN’s work. Find and participate in Open community discussions, review past work and browse upcoming topics. Visit https://www.icann.org/public-comments#open-public Stay in touch! We hope this edition gave you a glimpse into the issues at hand in our region, and our ongoing community activities to help pave the way to a sustainable multistakeholder governance enabling our Internet to stay open, secure, stable and resilient. Our newsletter focuses primarily on Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the newsletter, and perhaps suggestions you might have on topics of interest. On ways to participate at ICANN, please browse here <https://www.icann.org/search/#!/?searchText=participating>. For more information, please send an email to: emea.newsletter(a)icann.org. *Luna Madi* *EMEA Communications Director* ICANN Europe, the Middle East and Africa Offices *Istanbul, Turkey Hub Office* *Tel: +90.212.381.8727* *Geneva, Switzerland Engagement Office* *Tel: +41 22 819 1844* *Brussels, Belgium Engagement Office* *Tel: +32 2 894 7400* <https://twitter.com/ICANN> <https://www.facebook.com/icannorg> _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Fwd: RE: Digital Migration Ruling
by Bernard Kioko 04 Oct '14

04 Oct '14

Walu, Find attached as requested. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Alwala, Rachel" <Alwala(a)ca.go.ke> Date: Sep 30, 2014 7:52 PM Subject: RE: [kictanet] Digital Migration Ruling To: "Bernard Kioko" <bkioko(a)bernsoft.com>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Cc: Bernard and colleagues, Please find attached, the ruling and the summary handed to media for your information. Regards, Rachel *From:* kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+alwala= cck.go.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Bernard Kioko via kictanet *Sent:* 30 September 2014 19:33 *To:* Alwala, Rachel *Subject:* [kictanet] Digital Migration Ruling Hi all, Could anyone kindly share the digital migration case ruling document made yesterday. Regards * ------------------------------ * This e-mail and any attachments may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged and protected by law and is intended for the sole use of the named recipient(s). Any unauthorized review, use, or disclosure or distribution is prohibited. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting on any information contained in this email is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete the contents and notify the sender immediately; do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose or store or copy the information in any medium. Whilst our e-mails are checked for viruses, we cannot guarantee that this message or any attachment is virus free, does not contain malicious code or is incompatible with your electronic system and the Company does not accept liability in respect of viruses, malicious code or any related problems that you might experience. For further information about us, please contact us at the address indicated below. Bernsoft Interactive Limited - P O Box 15177-00100 Nairobi - Tel: +254 722 929192 Email: admin(a)bernsoft.com Web: www.bernsoft.com -- * ------------------------------ * This e-mail and any attachments may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged and protected by law and is intended for the sole use of the named recipient(s). Any unauthorized review, use, or disclosure or distribution is prohibited. Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting on any information contained in this email is hereby excluded. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete the contents and notify the sender immediately; do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose or store or copy the information in any medium. Whilst our e-mails are checked for viruses, we cannot guarantee that this message or any attachment is virus free, does not contain malicious code or is incompatible with your electronic system and the Company does not accept liability in respect of viruses, malicious code or any related problems that you might experience. For further information about us, please contact us at the address indicated below. Bernsoft Interactive Limited - P O Box 15177-00100 Nairobi - Tel: +254 722 929192 Email: admin(a)bernsoft.com Web: www.bernsoft.com

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Neelie Kroes to ETNO - "Adapt or die."
by Gideon 03 Oct '14

03 Oct '14

Interesting read http://www.lightreading.com/services/broadband-services/telecom-sector-its-… (Kroes) attended a conference organized by European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) , the industry association that represents the region's major telcos, and witnessed the unveiling of ETNO's "Agenda for Europe," which calls for an "ambitious reform of current policy." Then Kroes took to the stage and fired thunderbolts into the crowd, starting her speech -- "Adapt or die: What I would do if I ran a telecom company" -- by noting that "sometimes I think the telecoms sector is its own worst enemy," before adding that the telecom sector's representatives in the room were "probably all looking forward to the very near future ... when you won't have to put up with me anymore." Cue uncomfortable shuffling in seats... She told the telcos that they "have to change" and be ready for a world set to be dominated by the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and 5G. "What is the telecoms sector's relationship to that digital future?" she asked. "Will you be leading us there? Or will you be dragged along behind, against your will, resisting until the last?" And while the telcos were still smarting at that virtual dig in the ribs, Kroes proceeded to tell them "how I'd steer a telco through dynamic digital developments." --------------------- The Kroes speech in full: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-647_en.htm ETNO's Agenda for Europe: https://www.etno.eu/etno-agenda-for-europe Regards Gideon Rop DotConnectAfrica

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Kenya’s digital TV migration: These days, empty-handed people don’t win
by Grace Githaiga 02 Oct '14

02 Oct '14

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that media houses and the Communications Authority of Kenya should go, sit down over coffee, and agree on a date for the complete switch-over to digital TV within 90 days. ...The digital migration debacle in Kenya, therefore speaks to a bigger problem…and to a solution. Why did the Chinese firm, Star Times, beat the local competition? Was it hostility against the local media by someone in government and an attempt to “fix” them? Did kola nut change hands?We don’t know, but there are lessons that Kenyan media and private businesses need to take away from this episode. In the world today, disinterested, purely public-good driven policy by governments is rare. http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Kenyas-digital-TV-migration/-/440808/2…

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Founder’s stories, demystifying techpreneurial journeys
by Mbugua Njihia 02 Oct '14

02 Oct '14

We need to capture and tell the real stories, beyond what a piecemeal take in the media interview can fully represent, of the journey taken by those who have gone before and either succeeded or failed. This will demystify the life and makings of an entrepreneur and help those who “dare” to have realistic expectations of what lies ahead. Full piece here - http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/business/founders-stories-demystifying-techpren…

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