[kictanet] Introducing Facebook Africa Public Policy Team to KICTANet

[waudo siganga]

Thanks Hussein. Kivuva is one of the new breed of gurus of IG. I will
give the piece a go when I have some minutes.

Waudo

On Wed, Dec 2, 2015, at 10:43 AM, Ali Hussein 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

>

> Blog: www.alyhussein.com[1]
>
> "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

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>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
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>>
>> 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.


Links:

  1. http://www.alyhussein.com/
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