Re: [DC3] ITU Council seeking input on how Community Networks increase Internet connectivity

Hi everyone, great to see the contribution from DC3 already listed in the submissions made to this process! https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx> Also some other colleagues have contributed too! Thanks all! I would encourage anyone from the list to make a submission as well, so the voices from the CN movement are heard by the ITU and balance the voices of those that do not want CNs to thrill. Just by reviewing the submission from GSMA https://www.itu.int/en/Lists/consultationSep2020/Attachments/9//GSMA%20Cont… <https://www.itu.int/en/Lists/consultationSep2020/Attachments/9//GSMA%20Contribution%20to%20CWG-Internet%20-%2013.08.2020.pdf> , one can read: "Community  Networks  are  a  specific  solution  to  often  unique  geographical,  commercial,  and/or logistical  challenges  in delivering  connectivity,  strongly  depending  on  engaged individuals.  These unique characteristics are limiting their scalability and applicability as a general policy mechanism to expand  internet  access  to  over  600  million  people.  Regulations  and  supporting  policies  should equally  empower  community  networks  and  operators  in  ways  that  do  not  impair  connectivity expansion initiatives through large-scale commercial networks, for example, by carefully assessing the risk of underusing scarce spectrum resources set aside for community networks." Deadline is 15th December. best, carlos On Thu, 28 May 2020 at 09:56, Carlos &lt;carlos(a)apc.org <mailto:carlos@apc.org>> wrote: Hi everyone, After all the noise some of us have made at national, regional and international Internet Governance spaces, it looks like the ITU Council wants to hear directly “How can small/community/non-profit operators help in promoting the increase of Internet connectivity?” This poses an unique opportunity to showcase directly to the ITU Council all the amazing work that most of you are doing, specially at times where CNs are gaining more and more visibility to curve the digital divide and rural marginalization that is now more and more apparent due to the pandemic. And I say directly because this request is made through one of the very few consultations the ITU open to all stakeholders: the Open Public Consultation of the Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet). I provide a bit of background about it below for those who are interested. The consultation is structured as a set of questions, one of them the one included above, available in the following link: https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx> where you can also find important information and instructions on the submission process. I think it is strategically important that the ITU receives as many contributions from each of us as possible highlighting the many different ways community operators help in promoting the increase of Internet connectivity. This will surely contribute in creating a more policy and regulatory environment for community networks in each of your countries. I’ve copied some of the basic instructions to participate below. Participating can be as easy as forwarding existing text you may have written (the GISWatch country report for those of you who wrote it: https://www.giswatch.org/community-networks <https://www.giswatch.org/community-networks>) to the email address below. Note that your online submission can be drafted in a UN language other than English (these are Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish), but you are encouraged (not obliged) to provide a translation in English for the benefit of all readers. At APC we are available to provide support to any of you wanting to make a submission but struggling with the process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly. Best, carlos == Basic instructions == You can include your responses to the questions into the online form in the following link : https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/form-oct2019.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/form-oct2019.aspx> OR send it to InternetPublicViews(a)itu.int <mailto:InternetPublicViews@itu.int> including your Full Name, Title, Country and Organization you are representing. Your response will then be published on the ITU Website: https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-sep2020.aspx> Please include each submission also includes a short summary/abstract (1-3 paragraphs). This will form part of the final summary document to be published after the end of the physical open consultation meeting. == Background == ITU Council Working Groups There are different Working Groups set up to provide input to the ITU Council in different matters. In the last last Council Group (February, 2020) meeting four appeared to be active [1]: - Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet) - Council working group on Child Online Protection (WG-CP) - Council Working Group on WSIS (WG-WSIS) - Council Working Group on Financial and Human Resources (CWG-FHR) The participation in those working groups varies and some are for Members States (MS) only, others allow for the participation of Sector Members (too). CWG-Internet is limited to Member States, but they hold an open consultation to all stakeholders. This poses one of the few opportunities for Civil Society Organizations that are not Sector Members of the ITU to present their views to the ITU Council. In most other ITU’s consultations, organizations such as the Association for Progressive Communications and the Internet Society, both with Sector Member status do their best to bring the voice of the Civil Society in general, and of community networks in particular to these spaces. In particular, CWG-Internet is tasked to identify, study and develop matters related to international Internet-related public policy issues and to disseminate its outputs throughout ITU's membership, as well as to report annually to the Council on activities undertaken on these subjects [2] [3]. The 13th Session of the ITU Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet) decided on 20 September 2019 to hold an open consultation (online and physical) on “International internet-related public policy issues on harnessing new and emerging telecommunications/ICTs for sustainable development” where some of our contributions provided already content in relation to community connectivity [4]. In the 13th Session it was also decided that the next round of Open Consultations (February 2020 – August 2020), on the topic of “Expanding Internet Connectivity” with the questions below: [5] Expanding Internet Connectivity - What are the challenges and opportunities for expanding Internet connectivity, particularly to remote and under-served areas? What are the roles of governments and non-government actors in overcoming these challenges? - Are there particular challenges facing land-locked countries in securing affordable Internet access? What can be done to overcome these challenges? - How can small/community/non-profit operators help in promoting the increase of Internet connectivity? [1] https://www.itu.int/en/council/Pages/groups.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/Pages/groups.aspx> [2] https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/default.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/default.aspx> [3] https://www.itu.int/md/S19-CL-C-0136/en <https://www.itu.int/md/S19-CL-C-0136/en> [4] https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-oct2019.aspx <https://www.itu.int/en/council/cwg-internet/Pages/consultation-oct2019.aspx> [5] https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/19/rclintpol13/c/S19-RCLINTPOL13-C-001… <https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/19/rclintpol13/c/S19-RCLINTPOL13-C-0013!!MSW-E.docx> -- Carlos Rey-Moreno, PhD Local Access Policy and Regulation Coordinator Association for Progressive Communications https://www.apc.org/en/project/connecting-unconnected-supporting-community-… <https://www.apc.org/en/project/connecting-unconnected-supporting-community-networks-and-other-community-based-connectivity> Cel: +27 (0) 76 986 3633 Skype: carlos.reymoreno Twitter: Creym _______________________________________________ DC3 mailing list DC3(a)listas.altermundi.net <mailto:DC3@listas.altermundi.net> https://listas.altermundi.net/mailman/listinfo/dc3 <https://listas.altermundi.net/mailman/listinfo/dc3> -- Carlos Rey-Moreno, PhD "Community and Local Access Networks" Project Coordinator Association for Progressive Communications https://www.apc.org/en/project/local-access-networks-can-unconnected-connec… <https://www.apc.org/en/project/local-access-networks-can-unconnected-connect-themselves> Cel: +27 (0) 76 986 3633 Skype: carlos.reymoreno Twitter: Creym _______________________________________________ DC3 mailing list DC3(a)listas.altermundi.net https://listas.altermundi.net/mailman/listinfo/dc3