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Bulgarian position on WCIT is now officially published. Compare with
the <a href="https://isocbg.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/wcit/">position</a>
(in Bulgarian) of ISOC-Bulgaria, and you will see many common
points. Compare with the Party of European Socialists <a
href="http://www.pes.eu/en/news/pes-president-calls-european-parliament-vigilance-new-internet-governance-regulations-we-must-m">statement</a>
(in English), and you might see a common pattern. I am proud of the
work ISOC-Bulgaria has done. <br>
<br>
best,<br>
veni<br>
<br>
<br>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in" align="CENTER" lang="en-US"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>BULGARIAN
CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATIONS (WCIT-12)</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in" align="CENTER" lang="en-US"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US">Bulgaria
organized
a 7-week public consultation (July 23</span></font></font><sup><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">rd</span></font></font></sup><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US">-September
10</span></font></font><sup><font face="Times New Roman,
serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US">th,
</span></font></font></sup><font face="Times New Roman,
serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US">2012)
in order to receive views from stakeholders on the draft
revision of
the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs).
Within the
forthcoming revision and taking into account various
submissions,
Bulgaria is pleased to announce to the WCIT that its
position will be
based on the following key guidelines of national
importance:</span></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"
lang="en-US">
<br>
</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">The ITRs should establish </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>high-level, general principles </b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">for the provision and operation of
international telecommunications services and should not
address specific regulatory and technical matters
because of the various national specifics worldwide. The
ubiquitous principles should be </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>access</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> to contemporary telecommunications, </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>affordability</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> and </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>transparency</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> of prices, </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>accessibility</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> of services, and </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>encouragement</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> of investments in infrastructure and </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>innovations</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> and respectively, </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>stimulation</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> of demand.Principles of</span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b> technology and service neutrality</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> should become also part of the revised
regulations.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"
align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US">
<br>
</p>
<ol start="2">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">The ITRs should state that the ITU </span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>recommendations</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> are taken into utmost account but remain
non-binding documents which promote best practices</span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">.</font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">Being elaborated with the active
participation of certain companies, Sector Members of
the ITU, this might create market distortions.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in" lang="en-US"><br>
</p>
<ol start="3">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">.</span></font></font><font face="Times New
Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US"><b>International
telecommunications traffic </b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">should be based on greater international
co-operation between network operators and service
providers, but primarily should avoid causing burden to
consumers, regardless of the economic situation of the
countries they live in.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"
lang="en-US">
<br>
</p>
<ol start="4">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>International mobile roaming </b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">is also an issue of great importance which
settles relations between mobile operators worldwide
with significant direct impact on consumers. Therefore,
we would support proposals for incorporating provisions
fostering pro-competitive measures related tolowering
of, and achieving greater transparency on, prices.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"
align="JUSTIFY" lang="en-US">
<br>
</p>
<ol start="5">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>The Internet </b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">should remain free and unregulated, and
therefore we will support proposals stimulating freedom
of expression and openness of the Internet, which we
believe underpin the dynamics of the Internet and should
be respected as fundamental human rights.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"
lang="en-US">
<br>
</p>
<ol start="6">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>Cybersecurity
</b></font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font
size="3">and combating cyber crime should remain an issue
of national competence. We believe in</font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">,</span></font></font><font face="Times New
Roman, serif"><font size="3">and encourage all Member States
to further engage in enhancing bilateral, regional and
global cybersecurity cooperation</font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US">.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in" lang="en-US"><br>
</p>
<ol start="7">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>The ITRs</b></span></font></font><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"> should promote commercial negotiations
between various market players instead of regulating
those relationships which could stifle competition. The
ITU, as a recognized world organization, should not get
involved in settling disputes among operators, but could
call them through the ITRs for acting fairly under
competitive conditions, or give non-binding guidance in
accordance with its mandate, when applicable.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in" lang="en-US"><br>
</p>
<ol start="8">
<li>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"><font
face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span
lang="en-US"><b>Preventing the use of telecommunications
for malicious purposes (fraud, misuse of numbers etc.)
</b></span></font></font><font face="Times New Roman,
serif"><font size="3"><span lang="en-US">should be a
national priority and best approaches how to achieve it
could be devised locally, bearing in mind the particular
nature of such acts. There could not be a fits-all model
or a common framework since a given approach might be
applicable in one country but not in another and that is
why, we should insist on flexibility in this regard.</span></font></font></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in" lang="en-US"></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"
lang="en-US">
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%" align="JUSTIFY"
lang="en-US">
<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The Republic of
Bulgaria reserves its right to add to, or modify, the views
expressed
herewith in the course of WCIT discussions and forthcoming
coordination meetings.</font></font></p>
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