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Events in the first quarter of 2019 indicate that Africa urgently needs to agree on a homegrown strategy for the protection and promotion of online rights and freedoms on the continent. During the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) held in Lagos, Nigeria on 24-25 April 2019, at a session hosted by APC on behalf of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Secretariat, participants agreed that the African Declaration was a good start. The Declaration is an initiative to pr...
The Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF), organised by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is taking place between 16 and 17 May in Stockholm, preceded by the activities happening at the Pre-SIF on 15 May. The Forum aims to provide a space to explore the most recent threats against democracy online and the responses needed to mobilise openness in the context of shrinking democratic spaces online, as this year’s theme addresses. A key goal of the APC community’s parti...
Welcome to the 17th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: APC and Rhizomatica have released a call to apply for the catalytic intervention grants aimed at supporting a more sustainable community network environment. The deadline for applications is 15 May 2019. Read more. 1. Events and conferences “Community Networks and the Id...
APC joined Rhizomatica, Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the AfChix Uganda chapter, BOSCO Uganda and the Internet Society to submit comments to a public consultation on the proposed review of the licensing framework for the telecommunications sector in Uganda. The submission emphasises the need to enable alternative approaches to broadband deliver...
Access to connectivity is a critical driver for economic, political and social growth and development. Kenya’s first National Broadband Strategy (NBS) was envisioned for implementation between 2013 and 2017 with the objective of providing quality broadband for everyone. In the strategy, broadband was defined as: “Connectivity that is always-on and that delivers a minimum of 5 Mbps to indivi...
Kenya is currently in the process of adopting the 2018-2023 National Broadband Strategy, with the aim of providing equitable access to secure broadband for all citizens. The Communication Authority of Kenya invited stakeholders drawn from the public and private sectors, civil society and academia to provide their views, suggestions and recommendations on the Revised National Broadband Strategy ...
Africa this year commemorated “Women’s Month”, as March is known in a number of countries, faced with the reality of a highly gendered digital divide. That such a situation seems set to persist serves as a reminder of the need for a coordinated strategy in ensuring the inclusion of women and girls in the continent’s digital transformation. Despite having the highest growth in internet p...
Welcome to the 16th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks. 1. Events and conferences On 29 March, from 9:00 to 10:30 CET, Global Access to the Internet for All (GAIA), a research group within the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF), is having its regular gathering. Their notes will be available here as well as the video livestream of the event here. The ...
Topics directly related to community networks will be addressed at the Internet Freedom Festival (IFF) happening in Valencia, Spain, on 1-5 April 2019. Understanding that community networks to access the internet are not only about networks, but first and foremost about organised communities, we put together a list of sessions that community network enthusiasts, promoters, techni...
The year 2019 started with five African countries – Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Sudan and Zimbabwe – facing internet disruptions, a very dangerous trend that reveals a rise in authoritarianism on the continent. This is the focus of Despots and Disruptions: Five Dimensions of Internet Shutdowns in Africa, a recently launched study by APC member Collaboration on Inte...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2019
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