<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=iso-8859-1"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>I don't think many would suggest ISOC-NA is not serving as "a focal point for cooperative efforts to promote the Internet as a positive tool to benefit all people throughout the world." Of course, there is always more to do and more issues to cover.</div><div><br></div><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; ">Best regards,<br>Paul Brigner<br><br>Regional Bureau Director, North America<br>Internet Society<br><br>"The Internet is for Everyone"<br><br><br></span>
</div>
<br><div><div>On Dec 20, 2012, at 4:27 PM, Thomas Lowenhaupt <<a href="mailto:toml@communisphere.com">toml@communisphere.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
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Dave,<br>
<br>
"The Internet is for everyone" is the Internet Society's <a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/mission">vision</a>.
And bullet 7 of its Mission explains that to achieve this vision the
Society,<br>
<ul>
<li>Serves as a focal point for cooperative efforts to promote the
Internet as a positive tool to benefit all people throughout the
world.</li>
</ul>
So what's the plan to achieve this here in the U.S.?<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
<br>
Tom Lowenhaupt<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/20/2012 2:51 PM, Dave Burstein
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:CAAUuzMTU02n9M_N75+7L-y33-7zmfoY1_VUQzNLfk8nFUA9LQw@mail.gmail.com" type="cite"><font face="verdana, sans-serif">On the NY ISOC list,
Thomas writes </font>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">"Here's
the vision thing. What would have happened if I'd have said</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">something
like,</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
* ISOC-NY advocates for universal access to a quality Net
experience</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
for every New Yorker. We believe every resident should have
Internet</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
access with enough speed that it enables them to fully
participate</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
in deciding upon and receiving government services."</span></div>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">I just spent two weeks in
Dubai where ISOC had strong opinions on how poor countries
should bring down costs. I wanted to cry out "Physician heal
thyself" because the increases in U.S. costs lately have been
unconscionable. Verizon's fees start at $55 as far as I can
tell (only 1 megabit!)and for most in NYC (FiOS territory) the
minimum is over $78. The standard service at Time Warner cable
is $58. I just doublechecked those prices with the companies.</font></div>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"> That's much higher than
the $20-45 that was a common fee in years past. Verizon by
most measures is up 50-100%, Time Warner 20%. All this at a
time the cost to deliver the service is going down. (Routers,
modems, capex of the companies, even support, as I've reported
elsewhere).</font></div>
<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> Before that,
I was at ECTA Brussels where speaker after speaker pointed out
European prices are often half what the Americans charge for
similar. That's slightly exaggerated but the gap is clear. </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> It's time to
start working - hard - to make sure the Internet is affordable
to Americans. Otherwise, our advice to the Africans is
hollow. </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"> How do we
turn around ISOC to start doing something about prices going
up in America.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">db</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">p.s. I cc'd this
directly to Paul, North American ISOC rep. As a former Verizon
employee, he knows they are looking to maximize profits so of
course take advantage of weak competition. He and Sally have
done a great job bringing the chapters and members into the
ISOC discussion. They also have been doing a great job getting
the telcos involved in ISOC. It's particularly difficult for
ISOS to get involved in bringing affordability to the U.S.,
but that's what we need to do.</span></div>
<br>
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