[kictanet] Introducing Facebook Africa Public Policy Team to KICTANet

[Ali Hussein]

Waudo

My response against your comments/questions.

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

"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 6:48 PM, waudo siganga via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> 
> Hi Kivuva/Hussein. I need a little more enlightenment:
>  
> 1. Is the "Zero-Rating" issue a debate or has it already been concluded that it is a bad thing? There is a hint that supporting it may leave one in not very good standing..
There are pros and cons to this. The subject hasn't really been exhausted and I suspect it won't for a while. 
> 2. According to Kivuva's well-written article "Zero rating infringes on fundamental human rights by denying users access to the Internet". Are other service providers, including those offering "full" Internet Access at a fee, stopped or hindered from offering their services when some companies offer the zero-rating? Can both forms operate at the same time?
Zero rating from my point of view presumes that your choices are limited within the walled garden. The right question to ask is what is the Regulator's position on this. The thing that disturbs me the most about zero rating is that we are potentially shooting ourselves in the foot because we can get addicted to this 'free' Internet and find ourselves exploring within a closed loop. The point is that not everyone is equal and not everyone can afford to zero rate..
> 3. In Q2 above I have "full" in quotes because in my use of Internet I am yet to come across a truly "neutral Internet" i.e. sometimes I try to access certain websites or services and you are unable as you get a message that you cannot access that site/service from your country, meaning many services providers already practise packet filtering.
Geo-Fencing and zero rating are two different issues...in my humble opinion. 
> 4. Hussein gives certain characteristics of a "market" but probably leaves out a very critical one: Choice. The best market is the one where ALL service providers are given the opportunity to offer their services and consumers are left to choose. At the end of the day it is the consumers that decide which companies and services survive and which wilt along the way. Why choose for the consumer beforehand by barring certain services or business models?
Choice was already assumed...:-) Besides, if you are a product and you don't know you are a product what choice is there to make? You are being sold without knowing you are being sold..:-)
> 5. A couple of years ago the cost and affordability of Internet access was a key ICT public policy issue. We said it was a major impediment to the spread of Internet use. How do we reconcile that with opposition to free (ok "free" as Hussein corrected me) services even if they are only offering a slice of what an open Internet offers.
Access is still an issue. If you consider real broadband penetration in the country is less than 5%. We reconcile this opposition by asking the Universal Access Fund and NOFBI to get their act together..
>  
> On a lighter note these days I am very happy with Facebook especially the Groups, as I get to know what is going on in the village. But I have been accessing them using a paid service perhaps I can save a few shillings if I got to know how to connect for free.
Waudo, again..free is over rated..:-)
>  
> I know Kivuva and Hussein have had extensive opportunity to study this area of Zero-Rating and also to listen o experts so I apologize in advance if my questions do not sound sophisticated.
Waudo, Rome wasn't built in a day..the fact that you are engaged in this discourse is great. Our work is well on its way to be done. All we want is for as many people as possible to understand that choices have consequences. :-)
>  
> Kind Regards,
> Waudo
>  
>> On Wed, Dec 2, 2015, at 05:07 PM, Mwendwa Kivuva wrote:
>> We are having the most vibrant debate on Net Neutrality on the list in a long while. Thanks for all contributors, and GG for initiating this timely discussion. It's exciting to see many people interested with the zero rating debate. I'm sure Ebele and Akua from Facebook are fascinated by the dynamism of this group. Thank you Ebele and Akua for graciously joining this debate.
>> 
>> I'll keep my opinions to myself and only ask questions.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> 1. Does Facebook support Net Neutrality?
>> 
>> 2. Does Facebook's zero rating contravene net neutrality principle?
>> 
>> 3. Will Facebook take "zero rated services" to areas without any connectivity infrastructure? 
>> 
>> 4. Will Facebook zero rated services reach all the people, even those with feature phones? Does fb have non app based Free basics?. What percentage of your target market has access to smart phones?
>> 
>> 5. Which network operators does Facebook work with? Are all ISPs welcomed to the party?
>> 
>> 6. Will free basics help reduce the cost of internet access?
>> 
>> 7. Does Facebook pay ISPs to offer the "walled garden" to end users?
>> 
>> 8. Why is Facebook running campaigns for "free basics" in a way to suggest that it is  giving free access to the internet? Is FB and a few vanilla websites the Internet?
>> 
>> 9. Facebook is considered affluent. Would it consider providing free internet to everyone?
>> 
>> 10. Is free basics bridging the digital divide or creating confusion of those who cannot differentiate between Facebook and the Internet? Is Facebook keen that users from the developing world have access to the whole wealth of knowledge and information that the Internet provides? 
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
>> Mwendwa Kivuva
>> 
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