MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY, 22 October 2007

What key actions could telecom and Source: APC">ICT

regulators undertake to promote access to infrastructure at local, national and regional levels? Send dialogue comment for posting to dialogue [at] regulateonline.org

“Regulatory Frameworks for Improving Access” –  Workshop presented by APC, IDRC, and LIRNE.NET

This dialogue is being undertaken in preparation for the “Regulatory Frameworks for Improving Access” workshop co-hosted by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies (LIRNE.NET), and the Source: APC website">Association for Progressive Communications

(APC), at this year’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on how the internet is run. It was set up at the end of 2005 by the United Nations Secretary-General following a resolution made by governments at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

Style information: N/a

Source: APC">IGF.  The workshop will explore the key regulatory issues and imperatives in promoting equitable deployment and affordable access to Source: TechSoup Glossary and GenderIT.org">internet

(communications) infrastructure at local, national, regional and global levels.  

Background

Regulation is how policies are put into practice. However, experience has shown that there is not necessarily a trouble-free transition from the conceptual to the real world. For telecom (and other sectors) despite expectations of market solutions to improve infrastructure development and deployment, there are still substantial access gaps beyond the reach of the market, especially in rural areas. 
 
LIRNE.NET and APC invite internet and telecom practitioners, APC">ICT policy

and regulation experts, and other stakeholders to submit short (200-500 words) statements on what they identify as the key issues and important factors currently facing regulators concerned with access to infrastructure. Statements can focus on local, national or regional access and can also highlight solutions that have been already implemented to resolve existing issues and challenges. Comments which address the following are particularly welcomed:

1.    Whose jurisdiction? The role of regulation in addressing the international gap - international SearchTelecom.com">backbone

infrastructure deployment and interconnection.
2.    Issues and/or challenges in regulating regional (cross-national) communications infrastructure.
3.    Trade-off or complementary objectives? Regulating for infrastructure investment and/or regulating for equitable access. 
4.    Access at the local level – definition of universal access and mechanisms for attainment.

Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a medium for Style information: APC uses multi-stakeholder with a hyphen between "multi" and "stakeholder".

Source: Frequently Asked Questions about Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in ICTs for Development: A guide for national ICT policy animators">multi-stakeholder

policy dialogue, was set up in 2006 as a direct response to the deliberations of the World Summit of the Information Society (Source: APC ICT Policy Handbook and APC Annual Report 2005.">WSIS

).  The forum was created to (amongst other things) discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet Europa glossary">governance

in order to foster the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, APC and "Sustainable Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Thoughts by Batchelor and Norrish" (April 2002)">sustainability

, robustness, "African journalists trained in how to communicate securely online" (APCNews and Toni Eliasz, 30 September 2004), Take Back the Tech! and APC Internet Rights Charter">security

, stability and development of the Internet.  The second meeting of the IGF will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 12 - 15 November 2007.

(END/2007)