[Chapter-delegates] Press release: "Broad and Equitable Access to the Internet" to be subject of Internet Society conference in Sénégal

[Gerard Ross]

Hello

For your information, here is a press release that we will be issuing  
shortly.

Kind regards
- Gerard

--
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager
Internet Society
Email: ross at isoc.org



--------------------------------------
Press release: for immediate release
--------------------------------------

"Broad and Equitable Access to the Internet" to be subject of Internet  
Society conference in Sénégal


RESTON, VA, USA and GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - 7 October 2008 - Questions  
of Internet access, infrastructure, and regulation are on the agenda  
for an upcoming Internet Society (ISOC) conference. The event, "Broad  
and Equitable Access to the Internet" will be held in Dakar, Sénégal,  
on 16 October 2008.

This event, which is specifically addressed to high level  
policymakers, is organized by ISOC in collaboration with ISOC Sénégal  
and the Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes  
(ARTP) of Sénégal, following three days of regional meetings dedicated  
to Internet Governance and Development (13-15 October 2008).

ISOC is pleased to continue expanding its work with high-level policy  
makers and regulators," says Frédéric Donck, ISOC Director of Public  
Policy. "This important meeting in Sénégal is another step in forming  
new models of partnership, especially in the areas of access which are  
crucial for Internet development in Africa. We welcome the efforts of  
key regional stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities  
that lie ahead.

Broad and Equitable Access to the Internet is intended to address the  
regulatory challenges that African policy makers face in this new era  
of Internet and telecommunication infrastructure development.

"Africa used to lag the rest of the world in every aspect of  
telecommunications development," explains Dawit Bekele, ISOC's  
Regional Bureau Manager for Africa. "Lack of access to submarine  
cables and high bandwidth infrastructure held back the economics and  
performance of the Internet for much of the continent."

"But this is changing," says Bekele. "Mobile networks are growing  
faster in Africa than in any other region, and technologies such as  
3G, WCDMA, and WiMAX are reaching areas that have never before  
connected to the Internet."

"The Internet already brings economic benefits within Africa, but it  
is important that policy makers understand how to enable its  
opportunities in their own countries," says Bekele.

The meeting is expected to trigger high level policy discussions  
between the participants on the issues that African heads of states,  
ministers, regulators, and other policy makers have identified as  
important for Internet development on the continent. These discussions  
will develop the dialogue from other recent forums, including Connect  
Africa in Kigali, the Second Conference of African Ministers in charge  
of communication and information technologies in Cairo, and the 9th  
Forum on Telecom/ICT Regulation and Partnership in Africa in Dakar.

Full event details, are available on the ISOC web site:

http://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/inet/08/senegal.shtml

For additional information please contact Mr Dawit Bekele, Regional  
Bureau of ISOC via email bekele at isoc.org or phone +251 911 22 13 33.


About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to  
provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and  
policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is  
dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the  
Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.

For further details
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: ross at isoc.org
Telephone: +41-228-071-444 x2261
4, rue des Falaises
CH-1205-Geneva
Switzerland
Best Regards