Internet Society (ISOC)
The Internet Society is a global cause-driven organisation with offices around the world, governed by a diverse Board of Trustees that is dedicated to ensuring that the internet stays open, transparent and defined by users. While the Internet Society is not a membership-driven organisation, it has a growing number of members and chapters that have chosen to join the Internet Society to share its mission and to promote the open development, evolution and use of the internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world. In 2012, ISOC provided APC with travel funds to support the participation of African civil society in the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). In 2013 and 2016 ISOC supported the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG).
"Many women live in rural Africa and it's difficult for mobile operators to afford to extend to all of these areas. But if you can support community networks this means helping women too. So I would say that the first step for women's access is to support community networks."
Welcome to the 13th round-up of developments impacting your local access networks.
APCNews speaks with Karla Velasco Ramos and Erick Huerta about the necessity of more efficient and equitable spectrum regulation, including human rights organisations in ICT policy discussions and giving indigenous communities and women a greater voice in the spectrum debate.
Welcome to the 12th round-up of developments impacting your local access networks.
During a conversation with APCNews, Carlos Rey-Moreno and Steve Song explain how the spectrum works, explore the history of its regulation and share their cautious optimism about a “significant uptick in the growth and sustainability of community networks.”
Internet access specialist Mike Jensen elaborates on the need for “more tools in the spectrum briefcase”, the challenges of changing restrictive regulation and the other key factors to developing connectivity beyond access to spectrum.
Peter Bloom highlights trends in spectrum regulation, the importance of empowering communities to govern their own telecommunications, and the need to see spectrum as “a potential to communicate over the airwaves” rather than a commodity to be owned.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will be the venue where APC launches the new edition of its annual publication Global Information Society Watch. This year, the theme of the report is community networks. Join us for a conversation with the authors on 13 November from 13:30 to 15:00!
Like other common goods, spectrum has historically been subject to gradual curtailment and private ownership. There are opportunities to change this scenario, which will depend on a new understanding of what the spectrum is and how to use it, as well as participation by civil society in debates.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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