[kictanet] World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12): A buisnes perspective

[alice at apc.org]

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has produced an important
document concerning the World Conference on International
Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12).  This document provides useful guidance
to for discussions for industry stakeholders who intend to  participate at
the WCIT-12.   ICC submits recommendations for ITU World Conference
success [http://www.iccwbo.org/policy/ebitt/index.html?id=47144]

The document highlights that WCIT-12 as a critical opportunity to ensure
that the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) can support
the future development of telecoms markets, services and technological
innovation. To do this, given the contemporary pace of market change, it
is vital for the ITRs to give guidance on high level strategic and policy
issues relating to the provision of international telecommunications
services, rather than adopting specific regulatory and technical rules. 
Keeping the ITRs at a strategic high level is important given the rapid
pace of change in the sector, because an attempt to craft a treaty-level
document that micro-manages the sector would risk either stifling the
sector, or making the ITRs rapidly obsole

 It stresses that detailed rules for the establishment and settlement of
accounting rate arrangements are no longer relevant in the contemporary
competitive international marketplace, and this aspect of the ITRs should
be significantly amended or removed. The ITRs should be minimalist in
structure, to avoid undermining pro-competitive policies that have
fuelled the massive growth of the telecommunications industry since 1988,
when the ITRs were last negotiated.

Another important ICC position in the paper; the ITRs should not address
areas of Internet policy, such as international Internet connectivity, or
the allocation of Internet addresses. Expanding the ITRs in this way would
not be consistent with the Tunis Agenda agreed by heads of state at the UN
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 — and would
undermine the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, which has
underpinned the success of the Internet to date.

 The ICC stresses that rather than expanding the ITRs to include such
areas of Internet governance, pro-competitive policies in each country
will best achieve practical policy objectives, such as more efficient
Internet interconnection flows.



The paper concludes that ITU members should remain cognizant of the
appropriate limits of the ITRs, and not attempt to expand the ITRs beyond
those substantive and procedural limits.

This paper provides useful factual background on ITU’s WCIT conference for
policymakers and businesses, especially in light of the upcoming February
WCIT preparatory meetings.




Please do not hesitate to contact  ICC Basis for further information.

Ayesha Hassan

International Chamber of Commerce

Senior Policy Manager

ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy

Executive in charge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Policy

38 Cours Albert 1er

75008 Paris, France

tel: +33 1 49 53 30 13

fax: +33 1 49 53 28 59

Email: ayesha.hassan at iccwbo.org

website: www.iccwbo.org
BASIS website: http://www.iccwbo.org/basis/




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