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The Road Leading to WCIT 2012: World Conference on International Telecommunication Regulations

Discover the regional preparations, notable quotes, and concerns expressed leading up to the WCIT 2012, where governments negotiated a UN treaty that could impact aspects of the internet.

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The Road Leading to WCIT 2012: World Conference on International Telecommunication Regulations

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  1. The road leading to WCIT 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunication Regulations Karen Mulberry Policy Advisor mulberry@isoc.org

  2. Did the United Nations (UN) attempt to take over the Internet CEPT - European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations: 48 Countries APT – Asia Pacific Telecommunity: 38 Member Countries ATU- African Telecom Union: 46 Member States CITEL – InterAmerican Telecommunications Commission: 35 Member States (OAS Members) Arab States – 22 Administrations RCC – Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications 12 Administration Members (former Soviet Republics) Regional Preparations for WCIT

  3. International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) A 1988 treaty to Establish general principles for the provision and operation of international telecommunication to: facilitate global interconnection and interoperability underpin harmonious development and efficientoperation of technical facilities promote efficiency, usefulness, and availability of international telecommunication services

  4. Global Internet Policy was at a Crossroads In 2012, governments will negotiate a UN TREATY that could include aspects of Internet: Operations Architecture Content Security Business Practices / Interconnection

  5. Revising the ITRs - Key Drivers/Concerns • Economic • Political • Technical

  6. Notable quotes set the stage for WCIT • Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General of the ITU: • “we need updated ITRs because without them we risk the collapse of the ICT networks which underpin all communications technologies, including the internet.” • Vladamir Putin, Russian Federation: • “the goal of this effort is to establish international control over the Internet using the monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the International Telecommunications Union.” • Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google: • "I cannot be more emphatic. Be very, very careful about moves which seem logical, but have the effect of balkanizing the internet"

  7. Concerns Expressed • Perhaps the most troubling proposals submitted for consideration at WCIT are those which aim to limit the openness of the internet and give national governments greater control over internet content(Hays, Nov. 2012, Digital Liberties) • Without question, the new treaty did nudge the text further in the direction of impacting privacy and free expression (Llansó, Dec. 2012, blog post, Center for Democracy and Technology)

  8. Lessons Learned • The Internet is the dynamic economic engine of the 21st century because it was not constrained by the 1988 ITRs. • It has developed without the aid of significant government oversight through a multistakeholder process that permits anyone to participate with most decisions made by true consensus. • When industry, academia, government, and individuals get in a room, it should be no surprise that decisions can be excruciatingly slow and the process ensures that there is adequate time to learn and as a consequence better informed decisions are made. • Confusion resulted prior to the WCIT as the ITU process was not truly understood by a community that had an interest in the topics under discussion and that relies on a public and open exchange to reach consensus.

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