[Chapter-delegates] Another ISOC program in India that at least one Chapter did not know about.

[Anne Lord]

Dear Sivasubramanian,

After receiving your email we investigated the situation.  Rajnesh  
informed the Indian Chapter leaders of the India Wireless Project on  
September 14th,  as the email below demonstrates, but unfortunately it  
appears that the email was not received. Rajnesh was in China on  
travel at the time and noted that he did have some difficulty in  
sending emails.
Thus, there was a genuine and sincere effort to keep the information  
flowing and extend invitations - it is very unfortunate it was not  
received.  Please accept our apologies for any distress caused.

On a more general note, please be re-assured that we are striving to  
work together more effectively and in partnership with our Chapters,  
members and partners. The breadth, range and diversity of activity  
that both staff and Chapters are involved in is truly impressive.  At  
the same time it presents a challenge to always keep everyone informed  
at the right time and in the right place. That is where the increased  
regional focus through the Bureaus structure can and does help.  Our  
goal is one of mutual partnership and inclusiveness - working together  
to advance the ISOC mission.

Lastly, thank you for highlighting this. If it had not been for your  
email, we would not have been aware that emails sent at that time by  
Raj were not received.

Best wishes,

Anne
--


 > To: "Chapter Leaders - India"
 > Cc: "ISOC Chapter Support"
 > Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 5:37:02 PM (GMT+0800) Auto-Detected
 > Subject: India Wireless Project
 >
 > Dear Colleagues,
 >
 > Greeting from China.
 >
 > I am pleased to advise that ISOC is about to support a project in  
India
 > which will help bring wireless connectivity to rural India. This  
project
 > involvement is made possible through ISOC's Regional Development
 > Department.
 >
 > The project is in partnership with the Digital Empowerment  
Foundation (DEF)
 > and will have a couple of components, including a Training of  
Trainers
 > (ToT) workshop, and community workshops in rural parts of India.  
The ToT
 > is scheduled to be held in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh in the second  
week of
 > October at DEF's regional centre. DEF will be providing the  
resources for
 > this training workshop, and (most likely) for the deployment of a  
local
 > wireless network to cover the Chanderi valley area.
 >
 > We will also be organising a roundtable during the Manthan Awards  
2010 Gala
 > conference which is scheduled for Delhi in December. The roundtable  
will
 > focus on wireless technologies. The conference is a DEF event, and  
they have
 > kindly allowed us to co-present the roundtable session; as well  
they have
 > agreed to include digital inclusion and community empowerment through
 > wireless/broadband as an overall theme for the event. We are  
grateful to
 > DEF for this.
 >
 > The community workshops are scheduled for various locations where  
DEF has
 > existing centres of operation as this is a great help with local  
costs,
 > logistics and arrangements. Having said that, if your chapter is in a
 > position to do this as well, please let me know and we can explore  
with
 > DEF how to do this and expand the programme further. Note that you  
will
 > need to provide all local arrangements, including venue, expenses for
 > participants, and other logistics costs and support.
 >
 > Lastly, DEF has indicated they may be able to provide us with a booth
 > during the Manthan Awards 2010 at no cost to ISOC. If this comes  
through,
 > I would like the booth to highlight ISOC activities, and ideally if  
the
 > ISOC Indian chapters can man the booth, it would be very good, as  
it will
 > also provide you with good outreach opportunities (and networking
 > opportunities). The event will have pan-India attendance. The dates  
for
 > the event: Dec 17-18. Please let me know if your chapter is  
interested
 > in, and able to man, the booth.
 >
 > Also a reminder that if you have not yet applied for event funding,
 > please consider doing so. Details available here:
 > <http://www.isoc.org/isoc/chapters/funding/>
 >
 >
 > Best wishes,
 > Raj
 > ISOC
 >
On 03/11/2010, at 2:49 AM, Sivasubramanian M wrote:

> Hello
>
> I quote from my recent comments on the Draft Affiliation Agreement  
> posted at page
>
> http://wiki.chapters.isoc.org/tiki-index.php?page=Draft%20Chapter%20Affiliation%20Agreement%20version%202
>
> "Chapters are not consulted, nor notified so this weakens the role  
> and position of Chapters...[This is true of] Isoc Global's agenda in  
> the region / country where the Chapter is located. Isoc Global's  
> activities in India during the last two years have repeatedly  
> happened in a manner that the Chapters were completely excluded from  
> the programs, events and other work that ISOC did in the country.  
> Such practices cause a disconnect between Chapters and the local  
> organizations in the region, the community in the region (regional  
> NICs, regional network operator groups) and its own Governments. It  
> is almost as if ISOC Global implies that Chapters are insignificant  
> when it comes to important events and programs. It is as if Chapters  
> are kept away from Policy and policy related meetings. (ISOC's  
> policy positions are respected because it is considered as arising  
> from the Internet Community, which is more represented by Chapters."
>
> After a communication about an earlier issue at I Net Delhi, after  
> the above reference as an important communication, the Regional  
> Bureau/ISOC global did that again in India. Another major India  
> Event, run by staff, without even a notification to the Chapters. If  
> other chapters have been consulted, Isoc India Chennai did not know.
>
> Not only the Chapter, but the Southern Indian region where the  
> Chapter is situated is left out in the choice of regions benefiting  
> from the program.
>
> Why do Staff persist on excluding Chapters?
>
> What I have mentioned as comments on the Draft Affiliation Agreement  
> becomes all the more relevant:
>
> "We need an expanded exercise. We need to initiate a broader task to  
> Improve the Institutional Confidence in ISOC by reviewing the  
> processes in place for Chapter Formation, Support, Review,  
> Representation, Role, Influence or the absence of it, Organizational  
> Membership Criteria, Contribution, Representation, Role of  
> Organizational Members and their influence, Staff Appointment  
> processes and control of staff appointment, reward and review  
> functions, Revenues, Allocations, imbalances between various  
> administrative departments, pattern of expenditure, Chapter and  
> Individual Grants and considerations etc.
> This expanded exercise is needed, not necessarily as a corrective  
> exercise, but as an exercise to strengthen ISOC as an even more  
> respectable organization of the Internet Community"
>
> Sivasubramanian M
>