The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has produced an important document concerning the World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12). This document provides useful guidance to for discussions for industry stakeholders who intend to participate at the WCIT-12. ICC submits recommendations for ITU World Conference success [http://www.iccwbo.org/policy/ebitt/index.html?id=47144] The document highlights that WCIT-12 as a critical opportunity to ensure that the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) can support the future development of telecoms markets, services and technological innovation. To do this, given the contemporary pace of market change, it is vital for the ITRs to give guidance on high level strategic and policy issues relating to the provision of international telecommunications services, rather than adopting specific regulatory and technical rules. Keeping the ITRs at a strategic high level is important given the rapid pace of change in the sector, because an attempt to craft a treaty-level document that micro-manages the sector would risk either stifling the sector, or making the ITRs rapidly obsole It stresses that detailed rules for the establishment and settlement of accounting rate arrangements are no longer relevant in the contemporary competitive international marketplace, and this aspect of the ITRs should be significantly amended or removed. The ITRs should be minimalist in structure, to avoid undermining pro-competitive policies that have fuelled the massive growth of the telecommunications industry since 1988, when the ITRs were last negotiated. Another important ICC position in the paper; the ITRs should not address areas of Internet policy, such as international Internet connectivity, or the allocation of Internet addresses. Expanding the ITRs in this way would not be consistent with the Tunis Agenda agreed by heads of state at the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 — and would undermine the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, which has underpinned the success of the Internet to date. The ICC stresses that rather than expanding the ITRs to include such areas of Internet governance, pro-competitive policies in each country will best achieve practical policy objectives, such as more efficient Internet interconnection flows. The paper concludes that ITU members should remain cognizant of the appropriate limits of the ITRs, and not attempt to expand the ITRs beyond those substantive and procedural limits. This paper provides useful factual background on ITU’s WCIT conference for policymakers and businesses, especially in light of the upcoming February WCIT preparatory meetings. Please do not hesitate to contact ICC Basis for further information. Ayesha Hassan International Chamber of Commerce Senior Policy Manager ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy Executive in charge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy 38 Cours Albert 1er 75008 Paris, France tel: +33 1 49 53 30 13 fax: +33 1 49 53 28 59 Email: ayesha.hassan@iccwbo.org website: www.iccwbo.org BASIS website: http://www.iccwbo.org/basis/ --