[kictanet] Introducing Facebook Africa Public Policy Team to KICTANet

Wed Dec 2 10:55:43 EAT 2015

Ali,

This is also very interesting to me as well...

For as long as there has been someone selling something, there has always
been either a free sample and/or free time etc. Focusing on our industry,
there are lots of free things that companies push in order to get that
important lock in... e.g

Google Search (Free) -> Locks you in to Google Ads
Android (Free)-> Locks you in to Google Ads
120 Day MS Office Free Trial -> Locks you to MS Office paid
Linux (Free) -> Locks you in to using *free* things :-)
Include any other software firm here...

I mean, this list and especially in Technology is *endless*

Question is, if Facebook is giving away free internet to lock in users to
Facebook its just following a line that's been drawn in the sand from the
first salesman.

Why are we picking on them?

Rgds

On Wed, Dec 2, 2015 at 10:43 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Waudo
>
> Nothing is free in this world.. :-)
>
> To bring you upto speed on this issue I'd recommend Kivuva's seminal
> discourse on this issue:-
>
>
> http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151124_zero_rating_a_poisoned_chalice_for_the_developing_world/
>
> *Ali Hussein*
> *Principal*
> *Hussein & Associates*
> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>
> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>
> Skype: abu-jomo
>
> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
> <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
>
> Blog: www.alyhussein.com
>
> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On 2 Dec 2015, at 9:51 AM, waudo siganga via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
> Thanks for this initiative Grace. I am just wondering what is wrong with
> commercial entities that want people to access their sites for free. I
> would encourage anything given for free! In earlier days we were preaching
> that we should let the market decide direction. The old policies that were
> unilaterally set by governments had failed to deliver universal services as
> we saw with the telephony sector before market liberalization. It looks now
> we are going full circle and there is a move to curtail market forces,
> possibly using governmental interventions. However I am still in the
> process of updating myself on this issue.
>
> Waudo
>
> On Tue, Dec 1, 2015, at 12:07 AM, Grace Githaiga via kictanet wrote:
>
>
> Dear Listers
>
>
>
> Greetings. I hope your week has started well.
>
>
>
> The topic of Net Neutrality has become an important global Internet
> Governance issue in the last two years, and has generated some interesting
> debates.
>
>
>
> In Kenya, Facebook has partnered with Airtel to offer users zero rated
> services, christened "free basics" which means that several websites have
> been selected (for lack of a proper word)  to participate in the platform,
> where users access these websites for free. However, the same users cannot
> access any other website unless they pay for the data.
>
>
>
> Different positions depending on where their proponents stand have been
> shared.  Please find one here by Nanjira Sambuli
> http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/free-internet-freedom-create/-/620/2975634/-/f6hgvx/-/index.html
> and another by our own Mwendwa Kivuva
> http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151124_zero_rating_a_poisoned_chalice_for_the_developing_world/
>
>
>
> Those for pro zero rated services have argued that it gives more users
> free access to the Internet, and that it is a genuine attempt to connect
> the unconnected. Those on the opposite side argue that zero rating
> stifles innovation, leads to customers lock-in, is anti competitive
> behavior, confuses the users on the true meaning of the Internet, denies
> users choice, and makes policy makers lazy in ensuring proper affordable
> internet is availed to the masses.
>
>
>
> Facebook's Head of Public Policy, Africa Ebele Okobi, and the Public
> Policy Manager, Africa Akua Gwekye have graciously agreed to respond to
> any queries the community has on zero rated services.
>
>
>
> *The Process*
>
>
>
> Please articulate your concerns and ask questions as we usually do when we
> have moderated debates. The facebook team will then look at the questions
> and respond to you on Wednesday Evening. Depending on how it goes, we can
> then see how to continue engaging with them.
>
>
>
> I think this is a great opportunity for the facebook team to unpackage
> free basics issue, and it is my hope that the debate will be exciting given
> the prominence members of the list have given the net neutrality debate.
>
>
>
> Over to you listers! And a very warm welcome to Ebele and Akua.
>
>
>
> Warmly
>
> Grace
> *_______________________________________________*
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.com
>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
> _______________________________________________
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com
>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngigi%40at.co.ke
>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>

-- 
*Regards,*

*Wait**haka Ngigi*
Chief Executive Officer | Alliance Technologies | MCK Nairobi Synod Building
T +254 20 525 0750 |Office Mobile: +254 716 201061 | M +254 737 811 000
www.at.co.ke
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20151202/99f357a0/attachment.htm>