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How not to make Policy

How not to make Policy. With reference to the ECT Bill Bretton Vine Yet Another Internet Activist... bretton@deepsouth.co.za. Contents. Process overview Personal experiences in Parliament Lessons to be learnt How it could be done better. Process Overview. legislative process Need

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How not to make Policy

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  1. How not to make Policy With reference to the ECT Bill Bretton Vine Yet Another Internet Activist... bretton@deepsouth.co.za

  2. Contents • Process overview • Personal experiences in Parliament • Lessons to be learnt • How it could be done better

  3. Process Overview • legislative process • Need • Mandate • Discussion • Draft papers • Green Paper • White Paper • Draft legislation • Debate • Law

  4. Ecommerce Debate • Ecommerce Discussion paper • Outlined the issues to be discussed • Covered relevant international issues • Defined problem areas • Working groups • Break problem down into components • Tools for facilitating communication • Web site + email + document sharing mechanism • Foresight of potential communication problems, and tools provided to deal with these problems

  5. Problems though • Tools not used • Perhaps familiarity with existing tools of meetings, phone calls and dead trees preferred to computers which don’t always work well • Over dependence on Microsoft software? <wink> • Exclusions • Only representative bodies, not individuals • Email went unanswered • Geographic meetings of working groups • Urgent need for legislation

  6. Urgency • As a result of rapid pace: • documents produced through seemingly erratic process • bundling of extra components not necessary to the process • critical databases • cyber inspectors • domain authority • Legislative process: • stop-start pace • mixed public input • running under it’s own timetable

  7. Result • One you start the legislative process, you end up in Parliament at some point • Draft legislation released • Debate under auspices of PPCC

  8. Personal experience of parliament • Lack of trust, group suspicion • Logical debate complicated by political infighting • Scheduling difficulties • PPCC acknowledged administration difficulties • Media misconceptions seemingly promulgating incorrect assumptions • Testimony from experienced technical people not given due consideration

  9. Obvious observations • Geeks don’t understand politics and have little time for it • seemingly illogical processes? • Politicians don’t understand geeks • What’s he saying? • Who is he? • Why doesn’t he speak a language I can understand? • Black-White tensions • informed parties vs informed parties

  10. Tensions • ZA and Uniforum in one corner • ICANN rules for re-delegation of ccTLD’s • RFC1591 • Chairman of PPCC in the other • South African law applicable • Black-White integration representative of the country demographics • Stand off • But both sides seeking similar objectives • However not seeing each other’s perspectives • Complicated by commercial/political agendas

  11. T-shirt • The Internet will submit to the law of South Africa • RTFM! • http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=rtfm • <jargon> Read The Fucking Manual • An (unhelpful?) guru's traditional response when someone asks a question in a newsgroup or mailing list which he could have easily answered for himself had he bothered to RTFM. • Personal objective was to point out the obvious oversight. • Threatened with arrest by MP • Informed parties?

  12. Lessons to be learnt • Internet industry still learning the lobby process • e.g. success of SAPO in becoming preferred authentication provider • Technical concepts don’t translate well • Lack of trust • Participants seemingly there to speak, not to listen • Use tools provided in their intended fashion • possible that correct use of electronic forums can facilitate good communication • concept translation easier when everyone using same medium of communication • Historical communication barriers still to be overcome

  13. How it could be done better? • Internet is a ideal communication medium • Sustainable • Open standards • Ubiquitous connectivity when everyone adheres to same technical standards for connectivity • Participation • Use existing Internet policy as guideline • Use Internet as communication medium • Co-operate • Collaborate • Remember we’re all just human beings at the end of the day

  14. Onus on you as individual: • To get involved • Challenge apathy • Challenge assumptions • To listen to one another • To contribute when you have something of value to add • To ask questions of each other to prevent misunderstanding! • Where to from here? • e.g. iWeek been successful in getting people together and communicating with each other

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