[Air-l] Fwd: [Reader-list] IGF theme proposal: asserting the public-ness of the Internet as a guiding principle for Internet Governance

Jeremy Hunsinger jhuns at vt.edu
Fri Mar 24 04:13:43 PST 2006



Begin forwarded message:

> From: "lawrence at altlawforum.org" <lawrence at altlawforum.org>
> Date: March 24, 2006 4:21:39 AM EST
> To: commons-law at sarai.net, reader-list at sarai.net
> Subject: [Reader-list] IGF theme proposal: asserting the public- 
> ness of the Internet as a guiding principle for Internet Governance
> Reply-To: lawrence at altlawforum.org
>
> Hi All
>
> Please see below a request for endorsements from organizations on  
> the role
> of public interest conseiderations in the Internet Governance  
> Forum, as a
> part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process.  
> Do get
> in touch with Parminder (Parminder at ITforChange.net) for more  
> details. The
> last date for the endorsements is the 31st of March
>
>
> Lawrence
>
> Original Message:
> -----------------
>
> Dear friends,
>
>
>
> We wish to bring to your notice what we think is an important issue
> regarding the future of the Internet.
>
>
>
> The most important institutional gain from the World Summit on the
> Information Society (WSIS) is the setting up of an Internet  
> Governance Forum
> (IGF) which is mandated to take up important public policy issues  
> relating
> to the Internet. Even though it is not a negotiating or decision  
> making
> body, in the present context wherein the governance of the Internet is
> captured mostly by dominant interests, the IGF becomes an important  
> global
> policy space for pushing progressive and pro-development agenda in  
> relation
> to the Internet.
>
>
>
> A noteworthy thing about the IGF is that civil society has  
> important, and
> almost equal, official status in the IGF as governments and the  
> private
> sector. Therefore, if the IGF  does indeed evolve into an effective  
> global
> policy space, it can serve as an important global governance  
> innovation as
> well.
>
>
>
> We write this with concern over that fact that progressive forces  
> promoting
> the public domain, communication rights, media rights etc do not  
> seem to be
> engaged with the possibilities of the IG Forum sufficiently. And as  
> the
> Internet increasingly emerges as a main arena for these issues,  
> this lack of
> engagement can be disastrous.
>
>
>
> The imperative NOW:
>
>
>
> IGF has called for submission of themes for its first meeting. The  
> way the
> substantive business of the IGF takes off initially will in many ways
> determine and delimit the scope of the IGF. Civil society groups  
> need to put
> forward progressive themes early enough to be able to define the  
> substantive
> spaces within the IGF. (Experiences in forums like WIPO for pushing
> development agenda are instructive on how it is necessary to capture
> thematic spaces early in these global policy forums)
>
>
>
> We are especially concerned that with issues like network  
> neutrality already
> threatening the Internet in very basic ways, (please see
> <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4552138.stm>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4552138.stm for one such  
> report on how
> a multiple tiered Internet with content, services and access  
> differentiated
> by ability to pay, and other considerations, is already taking  
> shape) there
> is a need for the public and egalitarian nature of the Internet to be
> asserted unequivocally as a fundamental principle for global public  
> policies
> regarding the Internet.
>
>
>
> Why your participation in this process is URGENTLY REQUIRED
>
>
>
> Fostering the Internet's 'public' character- as a principle and in its
> concrete policy expressions is an urgent imperative. The  
> implications for
> policy span the three layers of the Internet -  logical, content and
> physical infrastructure - and the essential public and egalitarian  
> nature of
> the Internet concerns all three layers. (Openness in Domain Name  
> System
> space pertains to the logical layer, network neutrality and  
> preserving the
> public domain issues implicates the content layer, while issues  
> like open
> spectrum, community/municipality wireless, wireless commons etc  
> concern the
> physical layer). The IG Caucus (a civil society caucus that has been
> involved in the WSIS process) had invited themes for submission to  
> the IGF
> and from IT for Change we have made a proposal on 'defining and  
> fostering
> the public nature of the Internet' to be submitted for being taken  
> up at the
> first meeting of the IGF. We are of the view that this issue should  
> get
> wider support.
>
>
>
> If you feel that this is an important issue which must be taken up  
> by the
> IGF, please send your endorsement to this proposal. As you will  
> appreciate,
> the number of organizations backing this issue will decide whether  
> it will
> be taken up by the IGF or not.
>
>
>
> The last date for submissions is 31st March, and therefore your  
> endorsement
> should reach Parminder at ITforChange.net  by the 30th. In case you have
> further clarifications, please write to us.
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
> Parminder
>
>
>
>
>
> Suggested theme for the first meeting of the Internet Governance  
> Forum:
> Defining and fostering the 'public-ness' of the Internet - issues  
> of public
> interest, public domain, public infrastructure and public good in the
> context of the Internet.
>
>
>
> a.      A concise formulation for the proposed theme
>
>
>
> In determining global public policy issues and directions for IG,  
> it is
> important to first define and characterize the Internet. Its essential
> public and egalitarian nature must be asserted as basic principles  
> through
> open discussions at the IGF. And these principles can then be  
> interpreted in
> terms of specific issues that face us today - content issues  
> (protecting and
> promoting the public domain, network neutrality) infrastructure issues
> (universal access, public infrastructure, open spectrum, Internet  
> as public
> good), as well as many other issues.
>
>
>
> b.     A brief description of why it is important
>
>
>
> The Internet, as understood by most of us, is what it is basically  
> because
> of its egalitarian and public nature. It is important to articulate  
> these
> fundamentals of the Internet strongly, and use them as the guiding
> principles to debate and develop global public policies on IG. WSIS  
> was an
> arena that required quick resolutions for consensus positions. This
> imperative did not allow sufficient informed debates on developing  
> public
> policy principles for IG, including characterizing the essential  
> public and
> egalitarian nature of Internet as the technology that promises a  
> 'better
> world for everyone'. IGF is the right forum for initiating this  
> process, and
> taking it forward in a sustained manner. Formulating these  
> 'essentials' of
> the Internet, and due exposition of their implications in various  
> contexts,
> will enable better global policy responses to pressing issues  
> including
> network neutrality and universal access. If these essential  
> principles that
> define the Internet are not discussed and settled urgently, the  
> Internet is
> likely to disintegrate, along both political and economic lines.  
> Even if it
> is going to be a difficult and protracted process, discussing and  
> resolving
> this is essential and the IGF is the right forum to initiate it.
>
>
>
> c.           How it is in conformity with the Tunis Agenda of the  
> World
> Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
>
>
>
> The WSIS Declaration of Principles assert ". . our common desire and
> commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development- 
> oriented
> Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and  
> share
> information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and  
> peoples to
> achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable  
> development and
> improving their quality of life.. ".
>
>
>
> The earlier mentioned issues of characterizing the global resource  
> of the
> Internet fall within these overall ideals agreed at the WSIS. Para  
> 31 of the
> Tunis Agenda declares
>
>
>
> "We recognise that Internet governance, carried out according to  
> the Geneva
> principles, is an essential element for a people-centred, inclusive,
> development oriented and non-discriminatory Information Society."
>
>
>
> d.     How it fits within the mandate of the IGF as detailed in  
> para 72;
>
>
>
> Discussion on the stated issue is important in order to develop  
> guiding
> principles for laying down a public policy framework on IG.
>
>
>
> (72 a of Tunis Agenda: Discuss public policy issues related to key  
> elements
> of Internet Governance in order to foster the sustainability,  
> robustness,
> security, stability and development of the Internet;)
>
>
>
> Such discussions will lay the guiding principles for, and help  
> clarify,
> possible policy responses to important emerging issues of network
> neutrality, public internet infrastructure, spectrum de-licensing etc.
>
> (72 g: Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the  
> relevant
> bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make
> recommendations;)
>
> And most importantly, it puts IG discussions in the context of the  
> broad
> guiding principles adopted at Geneva, and later in Tunis.
>
> (72 i: Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS
> principles in Internet Governance processes;)
>
>
>
> e.      Who the main actors in the field are, who could be  
> encouraged to
> participate in the thematic session
>
>
>
> All stakeholders - from governments, civil society, business and
> multi-lateral organizations to those organizations currently  
> involved with
> IG, like the ICANN, have an important role in discussing these issues.
> However, more stress needs to be placed on the inclusion of  
> representation
> from developing countries and (2) the development community without  
> core ICT
> backgrounds.
>
>
>
> f.       Last but not least, why should this issue should be  
> addressed in
> the first annual meeting of the Forum rather than in subsequent ones.
>
>
>
> The first phase of Internet development was driven purely by  
> enterprise and
> innovation, and in many ways by private sector leadership, which  
> served us
> well. Internet grew mostly autonomous of public policy in this phase.
>
>
>
> But now with the power of Internet firmly established, and its  
> economic and
> political threat to many entrenched interests increasingly obvious,  
> we are
> into an important phase of development of the Internet where its  
> egalitarian
> and public nature is increasingly under threat. To stem this trend and
> possibility, global public policy response in the form of clearly
> establishing the public and egalitarian nature of the Internet, and  
> laying
> out its policy consequences, needs to come in urgently.
>
>
>
> In the absence of this, it may soon be too late to reclaim the  
> promise of
> the Internet for developing a "people-centred and development oriented
> information society" as envisioned by the WSIS. As a commentator  
> recently
> said in the context of the issue of 'network neutrality', if urgent  
> policy
> action is not taken, the situation may soon become intractable, and  
> it will
> then be like trying to push the 'genie back into the bottle'.
>
>
>
>
>
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Jeremy Hunsinger
Center for Digital Discourse and Culture
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