[Chapter-delegates] Internet Governance Update - Nov. 15, 2013

[Veni Markovski]

After my initial reaction, and positive feedback I am getting from you, 
I decided it's a good time to share something we have prepared couple of 
days ago, which fits perfect in Lynn's informative message:


ISOC-Bulgaria has been following the developments around Internet 
governance on the global arena since 2001, when we started participate 
in the WSIS process. Our representatives supported the efforts of the 
Bulgarian government to make sure the Internet is developed in an open, 
bottom-up, and transparent way.
Last week in Geneva (November 11-12) at the ITU there was a meeting of 
the ITU Council Working Group 
<http://www.itu.int/council/groups/CWG-internet/index.html> on 
international Internet-related public policy issues. The group finished 
its discussions with a question that the ITU will send to all member 
states (note -- that means to governments!), and the text accepted by 
the group is:

"Recognizing the scope of work of ITU on international Internet-related 
public policy matters, represented by the list of topics in Council 
Resolution 1305 Annex 1 which was established in accordance with 
decisions of ITU membership at the Plenipotentiary Conference, the 
Council Working Group on International Internet Related Public Policy 
invites Member States to provide their position on following question:

Q1. What actions have been undertaken or to be undertaken by governments 
in relations to each of the international Internet-related public policy 
issues identified in Annex 1 to Resolution 1305 (adopted by Council 2009 
at the seventh Plenary Meeting)?"

Annex 1 gives the following issues:
- Multilingualization of the Internet Including Internationalized 
(multilingual) Domain Names
- International Internet Connectivity
- International public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the 
management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses
- The security, safety, continuity, sustainability, and robustness of 
the Internet
- Combating Cybercrime
- Dealing effectively with spam
- Issues pertaining to the use and misuse of the Internet
- Availability, affordability, reliability, and quality of service, 
especially in the developing world
- Contributing to capacity building for Internet governance in 
developing countries
- Developmental aspects of the Internet
- Respect for privacy and the protection of personal information and data
- Protecting children and young people from abuse and exploitation)


ISOC-Bulgaria urges all ISOC chapters around the world, but also 
Internet Service Providers, Regional Internet Registries, 
Internet-related companies and organizations that are involved in any of 
the 12 issues, to reach out to their governments, and help them explain 
to the ITU what actions are being undertaken in their respected 
countries or territories.



*Why is it important? *

For several reasons.

There are views at the ITU that the organization should "take care" of 
the Internet. Different countries understand it differently. The ITU 
itself has been talking about "establishing international control over 
the Internet using the monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the ITU".

Some countries believe that governments play too small role in the 
Internet coordination on a world scale, and believe that they should 
take care of all the 12 issues listed above.

Some countries say that there should be regulation of Internet content, 
access to the Net, and some request web sites to be registered with the 
government, and content providers to be responsible for published 
content. Others claim that this is impossible to achieve because of the 
nature of the Internet. Some believe that the current Internet is not 
well designed and built, and there should be a new internet developed, 
by governments, which will be more secure, and without spam, harmful 
content, etc.

There are, in general, two views of development of the Internet. The 
President of Estonia covered both views 
<http://www.president.ee/en/official-duties/speeches/7589-the-president-of-estonia-at-the-international-conference-of-cyber-conflict-8-june-2012/> 
in his speech at a conference last year in Tallinn.
ISOC -- Bulgaria dealt with these issues back in 1999, when it filed a 
case <http://isoc.bg/kpd> against the government at the Supreme 
Administrative Court, and reached an out-of-court agreement to get rid 
of any licenses or registrations about ISPs, content, or any 
Internet-related business.

We would like to see Bulgaria's leading role on the ITU question, and we 
are hopeful that other countries will also step in, and will share their 
positive experience in the Internet pubic policy that they have accepted 
within their national territories. Bulgaria, by the way, did that in an 
official information document 
<http://isocbg.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/bg-itu/>, submitted to the ITU 
Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010.


Best,
Veni

http://www.isoc.bg


On 11/15/13 23:19, Lynn St.Amour wrote:
> Dear Chapter leaders,
>
> Please find the second of what is planned to be regular updates on key 
> Internet governance activities.  Future updates will 
> be shorter.  The background included here is to help layout today's 
> overall environment.

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