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INVITATION TO THE LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL BROADBAND STRATEGY ON 23RD JULY 2013
by Alwala, Rachel 18 Jul '13

18 Jul '13

Dear Listers, Reference is made to our invitation to the launch of the National Broadband Strategy initially planned for 17th July 2013. The Commission, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology, appreciates your understanding for the postponement of the launch occasioned by unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. We are glad to inform industry stakeholders that the launch has been re-scheduled to Tuesday, 23rdth July 2013 at a breakfast to be held from 7:00 am - 9.00am at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi. The Ministry and the Commission will be honored to have your presence during the launch that will be officiated by His Excellency, Deputy President, William Ruto. Stakeholders interested in attending the launch are requested to contact Anastasia Makeba on +254 20 4242450 or makeba(a)cck.go.ke<mailto:[email protected]> for confirmation of attendance or any further clarifications. The proposed programme is attached for reference. Your participation in this event will be highly appreciated. Sincerely, FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL Rachel Alwala Manager/Events & External Affairs Communications Commission of Kenya PO Box 14448 Nairobi 00800 Tel: +254 20 4242000 Fax: +254 20 4451866 Email: alwala(a)cck.go.ke Website: www.cck.go.ke Connect with us: Facebook: CCKKenya Twitter: cck_kenya Disclaimer: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use by the individual(s) or entity to whom it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately by a reply e-mail. [cid:[email protected]]

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Project Loon
by Amos Ochieng 18 Jul '13

18 Jul '13

When a company is full of executives who only ask each other "But why not?" these are the kind of proposals that come up: Google is putting forth an audacious proposal to use baloons to cover the world in Wi-Fi. The balloons will be carried by wind at altitudes twice as high as planes and beam Internet access to the ground at speeds similar to today’s 3G networks or faster. I know this project has been around for couple of months now but I had not read this article<http://www.wired.com/business/2013/06/google_internet_balloons/> . This blew my mind, I had to share. -- Amos Ochieng | Programmes Officer Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) Shalom House - Dagoretti Corner, Nairobi, KENYA Tel: 254 0202379949, Mobile: +254 729355 550 Skype: amos.ochieng, Twitter: @ochiengamos Website: www.kcomnet.org

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CCK sets standards for next registrar of top level domain
by Ali Hussein 18 Jul '13

18 Jul '13

To whom it may concern at CCK/KeNIC Keeping mum on the issue of what's going on at KeNIC results in headline distortions (like the one above), speculation, suspicion of vested interests, corruption etc. A few days ago when the initial report came out from Rebecca's blog I urged the respective bodies concerned to officially let us know what is happening. We are still waiting. This is a national issue and worthy of your time and comment. I urge you once again to do the right thing and let the community know the way forward. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/CCK-sets-standards-for-next-registrar-of… Ali Hussein CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd +254 713 601113/ 0770 906375 "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb Sent from my iPad

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Barred from using Airtel
by Grace Mutung'u (Bomu) 17 Jul '13

17 Jul '13

I am sorry to make a public complaint here but I am barred from using my Airtel line reason given is that it has been three months since I loaded airtime via scratchcard. Mark you I have sufficient credit that I bought from Airtel Money. And to think that the same company spam calls me at least once a day and spams my inbox with offers, yet they cannot use the same technology to activate my line? Is there anyone from Airtel here? -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya Skype: gracebomu Twitter: @Bomu Website: http://www.diplointernetgovernance.org/profile/GraceMutungu

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Fw: KENIC set to be wound up
by Walubengo J 17 Jul '13

17 Jul '13

Not sure if this is true...but I thought only the KENIC AGM can wound up KENIC. Not sure of the Regulator can do this single-handedly... read more... Kenyan regulator looks to decommission domain registrar The country's communications agency is looking to put in place a new registry, but the process is controversial http://www.itworld.com/internet/365167/kenyan-regulator-looks-decommission-… walu.

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CCK set to duel with ICANN over KENIC issues
by Rebecca Wanjiku 16 Jul '13

16 Jul '13

Here is my take on KENIC, its a long piece that traces the history of KENIC and subsequent relegation in December 2002 http://www.wanjiku.co.ke/2013/07/cck-set-to-duel-with-ianaicann-over-ke-clo… Tel. 254 720 318 925 wanjiku.co.ke

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Cyber-Security - Are we sitting ducks?
by Ali Hussein 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Listers As countries move hostilities online in search of the competitive advantage - socio-economic and national security wise all bets are off. Tactics include setting up a cyber security brigade in the armed forces (China), creating and funding cyber security divisions within the National Intelligence apparatus, outsourcing hacking to hackers etc. Does anyone know what we are doing to ensure we are not sitting ducks? Especially after the fiasco a few months ago when most Kenya government ministry websites were hacked by amateur hackers from Asia.. This article from the New York Times is instructive, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/world/europe/nations-buying-as-hackers-se… Ali Hussein CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd +254 713 601113/ 0770 906375 "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb Sent from my iPad

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Fwd: Washington Post: Web industry officials balk at domain expansion plan
by waudo siganga 15 Jul '13

15 Jul '13

Could be of interest [1]http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/web-industry-officials-b alk-at-domain-expansion-plan/2013/07/14/c69dcda4-ea69-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_ story.html?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer4db6b&utm_ medium=twitter Web industry officials balk at domain expansion plan By [2]Craig Timberg, Published: July 14 A plan to dramatically expand the [3]number of possible Web addresses — by adding more than 1,000 new domains such as “.buy,” “.casino” and “.gay” — could cause widespread disruption to Internet operations, say some industry officials. Efforts to augment existing domains such as “.com” and “.gov” have been underway for several years and are entering a critical new phase as industry officials meet at an international conference that began Sunday in Durban, South Africa. By summer’s end, the new domains could be going live at a pace of 20 or more each week. The plan has touched off a scramble among investors eager to gain control of the virgin Internet real estate, potentially worth billions of dollars in annual licensing fees. But a vocal group of critics is calling the speed and scale of the expansion reckless, given its possible impact on the Internet’s global infrastructure, which relies on interactions among computer networks owned by companies, universities and individual users. Particularly troubling is the possibility of widespread “name collisions” that could happen when domains used by internal corporate computer systems — such as “.corp” or “.home” — get assigned to the Web more broadly. This could cause systems to fail, blocking access to e-mail or other internal programs, and also could open sensitive information to theft, some experts say. “This could affect a million enterprises,” said Danny McPherson, chief security officer for Verisign, which is based in Reston and manages several of the most popular existing domains. “It could absolutely break things.” McPherson and other security experts say the nonprofit group that oversees the designation of Web addresses, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (usually known by its acronym, [4]ICANN), has not done enough study on the impact of the new domain names and does not have procedures in place to respond quickly if systems malfunction. Among those posing risk could be domains such as “.med” or “.center” that might be critical to the functioning of medical systems or emergency-response networks. Similar concerns have been expressed by the Association of National Advertisers, which represents hundreds of major companies, and the Internet commerce site PayPal, which issued a letter in March saying, “The potential for malicious abuse is extraordinary, [and] the incidental damage will be large even in the absence of malicious intent.” Defenders of the plan have called such fears overblown, arguing that the potential problems have been long understood and will be resolved before new domains are approved. Because the new domains will be released gradually, over the course of months, there will be time to manage problems as they arise, said Jeffrey Moss, chief security officer for ICANN. “It’s not like it’s a runaway train without recourse,” Moss said. “We’re not going to do anything that harms the security or stability of the Internet.” [5]U.S. officials who oversee Web security issues through the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration expressed confidence in the management of the domain program, issuing a statement saying, “We would expect these issues to be discussed and resolved within the ICANN multistakeholder process.” Whoever wins control of the new domains will be allowed to sell licensing rights for the resulting new Web addresses, typically for annual fees, with a portion going to fund ICANN, which is based in Southern California. Just bidding for a domain costs $185,000. [6]Donuts Inc., an investment group that made the largest number of bids, with 307, said Verisign’s criticism of the process for launching the new domains was a result of self-interest. The company controls the popular “.com” and “.net” domains — giving it a degree of market power that could be diluted if new ones gain widespread acceptance. “ICANN was created in large part to break Verisign’s monopoly over domain names,” Donuts spokesman Mason Cole said in a statement. “Now that the organization is on the verge of achieving that goal, it’s not surprising that Verisign is uncomfortable.” Verisign officials say they support the program for adding new domains but believe the rollout should proceed more cautiously than currently planned. The stakes are high in an era when a large and growing share of the world’s economic activity happens over the Internet. Even traditional brick-and-mortar businesses use online systems to communicate, manage inventories and interact with customers. Many also count on the security of networked computer systems to protect lucrative intellectual property and other valuable strategic information. Moss, the ICANN security chief, acknowledged that some internal corporate systems will malfunction as new domains are created, and he said it would be the responsibility of company officials to resolve these problems. “We want everything to work, and we’re going to try to make everything work, but we can’t control everybody’s networks on the planet,” he said. Moss said the number of domains likely to cause problems is a “really, really small number.” But critics have said it is irresponsible for ICANN to approve new domains before it knows the extent of the problems they would create and has plans in place to fix them. The cost of repairing systems — or the loss of security — would be borne by private companies that in most cases have little to gain from the hundreds of new Internet domains. In addition to expressing such security concerns, corporate leaders have been complaining that the sheer number of new domains will cause a sharp rise in fraud and abuse as criminals buy up Web addresses intended to deceive consumers. Already, many companies are attempting to defend against this by acquiring many different Web addresses that include their corporate names. But that will become far more difficult, they say, with hundreds of new domains, including “.corp,” “.inc” and “.sucks.” “If everything ran perfectly, this would extraordinarily transform the Internet,” said Dan Jaffe, executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers. “There is every reason to believe that, as of now, there could be serious problems.” References 1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/web-industry-officials-ba… 2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/craig-timberg/2011/05/17/AFM2rbAH_page.html 3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/donuts-incs-major-play-fo… 4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/icann-set-to-release-list… 5. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR201102280… 6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/donuts-inc-and-its-domain-duel/2012/…

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Regulator allows telcos to join fund after 3-year tussle
by Grace Githaiga 12 Jul '13

12 Jul '13

IN SUMMARYCommunications Commission of Kenya (CCK) said it had expanded the membership of the Universal Service Advisory Council (USAC) to nine from six to include representatives of the telcos, broadcasters and postal operators.The move ends a three-year standoff that had stalled the fund, which was to receive 0.5 per cent of revenues from firms regulated by the CCK like Nation Media, Safaricom and Postal Corporation of Kenya. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/Regulator-allows-telcos-t…

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Laptops4Schools
by robert yawe 12 Jul '13

12 Jul '13

Hi, As many of you are aware yesterday KICTANET held a forum at Strathmore to come up with a position paper on the Class 1 Laptop project that will be rolling out in January 2014. We had a number of very enlightening position papers but most important was a presentation by the Ministry of Education on the project. Your core team will be compiling the final report which will be presented on behalf of KICTANET to the relevant government and parliamentary groups on the 19th of July 2013. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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