[kictanet] Introducing Facebook Africa Public Policy Team to KICTANet

[Tony White]

Hi Ebele,

As an IT professional living in a rural area with limited
connectivity, and as a husband, father, and grandfather - and having
seen the excellent questions and outstanding response - please allow
me to give my thoughts and opinions:

1) Personally, I have no interest whatsoever in using free basics - I
need full internet access, hence connectivity is my main issue.

2) My wife, son, and grandchildren are all primarily facebook users
and are all excited to get access for free - *but* wish safaricom were
also a partner as we only get a reasonable safaricom signal here.

3) All my neighbours (over the age of 18 !) have phones - but I
estimate only about 5% have smartphones.  About 10% of households have
basic solar for lighting and phone charging.  All are on safaricom.
"mains" electricity is yet to reach our area (although it is on its
way!).

SO... I think free basics is a good idea, but there are many other
challenges to getting rural users connected.

(off-topic) Clean drinking water, basic sanitation, fuel-efficient
cooking stoves with chimneys, and better rural roads are the
priorities, as I see it!

Best wishes,
Tony



On 03/12/2015, Ebele Okobi via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> Dear All!
>
> **Warning-this is very, very long***
>
> First things first-huge thanks to Madam Githaiga for extending the
> invitation to this community! Akua and I are so delighted to be a part of
> it, and we look forward to continuing to engage and learn from you on a
> whole array of issues of mutual interest-we see this as only the beginning
> of many, many exchanges. As African women, we are both personally passionate
> about the potential technology has to empower our countries and our
> Continent.
>
> THANK YOU ALL for such engaged and challenging questions-please do keep them
> coming. We very much appreciate being part of a conversation with people who
> share that passion, and we welcome the opportunity to learn from challenging
> feedback.
>
> Regarding the challenge and opportunity of universal access-here are some
> overarching thoughts. Universal and affordable access to the Internet is one
> of the most important challenges/opportunities of our time. This group is
> well aware of the exponential impact of technology, and this group is also
> aware that the digital divide is most acute across Africa. There are many,
> many studies demonstrating this, and the ITU’s
> report<http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/publications/misr2015/MISR2015-ES-E.pdf>
> this past week is just the latest-TL;DR- Countries across Africa are falling
> far, far behind even our peers in the developing world. The implications of
> this backwards progress, especially as other countries are accelerating, are
> potentially catastrophic.
>
> The issue of access is one that no one entity can hope to solve alone. It
> requires governments, industry, civil society, ALL to contribute, and it
> also demands a multiplicity of creative solutions. Above all, those of us
> who are partnering to address this issue must do so with humility-no one has
> all of the answers. At Facebook, we are willing to try, make mistakes, learn
> from them, and pay close attention to great feedback.
>
> Finally-Facebook is absolutely in
> committed<https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102391391204651> to
> universal, affordable access to the FULL Internet for everyone. We believe
> it is essential to achieving humanity’s global goals, and indispensable for
> the exercise of basic human rights.
>
> So! That said, we thought it would be useful to start with a few facts about
> Internet.org and Free Basics, so that there is a shared understanding of
> what they are.
>
> Internet.org<http://internet.org/> is an umbrella for a suite of
> continuously evolving products and approaches, all focused on the issue of
> universal, affordable access. It can be roughly described as having three
> primary areas: Policy Engagement, Connectivity & Infrastructure, and Free
> Basics, all targeted at different barriers to Internet access.
>
> Policy engagement is working with policy makers and influencers around the
> world to identify specific policy barriers to universal, affordable access
> (to ALL of the Internet), and partnering to create regulatory environments
> that bring down those barriers. For example, Facebook is a founding member
> of the Alliance for an Affordable Internet<http://a4ai.org/> (and I’m so
> pleased to be joining the Advisory Board in 2016!) a global research and
> policy advocacy coalition working to make broadband affordable for all.
> Examples of policy barriers/opportunities include right of way taxes,
> spectrum policy, evidence based policy making, infrastructure sharing, and
> they also include policy issues related to third party liability and free
> expression, all policy issues we engage on individually and collectively.
>
> Our connectivity and infrastructure projects are some of the most exciting
> work that Akua and I have the privilege of supporting.
>
> This includes the pioneering work of our Connectivity Lab-they are the team
> behind
> Aquila<http://fortune.com/2015/07/30/facebook-solar-power-plane-aquila/>,
> the solar powered unmanned aircraft, which is a bid to use advanced
> technology to bring access to the full Internet to remote regions, where
> fiber and other terrestrial connectivity tools aren’t available or aren’t
> cost effective for infrastructure providers to build. It also includes our
> Express WiFi project, for which we are partnering with local carriers,
> Internet service providers, community exchanges, and local entrepreneurs to
> bring affordable Internet access (to the full Internet) to urban and
> peri-urban areas. We’re currently live in India, and we are launching in
> multiple countries across Africa in 2016-the team is eager for partnership
> recommendations, so if anyone is interested in more detail and/or has
> partnership recommendations, please do contact us. Our connectivity
> initiatives also include our recently announced partnership with Eutelsat,
> in which we are investing in satellite backhaul and partnering with local
> ISPs and providers to bring down their backhaul costs, with the goal of
> enabling them to pass the savings on to the end consumer and offer a much
> lower priced access package. We are also incubating multiple projects
> related to infrastructure connectivity, innovative/low-cost rural
> connectivity pilots, and including projects related to addressing
> electricity as a barrier to access. All of these many projects are focused
> on universal, affordable access to the entire Internet. Some are projects
> with a shorter horizon for success, and others, like Aquila and our policy
> engagement, are long-term bets on enabling the kind of access that is robust
> enough to empower people to be creators, not just passive consumers.
>
> The final category is Free Basics. Free Basics was developed to address a
> very specific barrier to Internet access—we know from the
> research<http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GSMA_Digital-Inclusion-Report_Web_Singles_2.pdf>
> that affordability and awareness are key barriers. This group is no doubt
> aware of the many, many reports that have found that many people do not use
> the Internet because they don’t know if or how it can be useful to them.
> Free Basics is meant to be a bridge to the Internet for those people-to
> offer them a taste of the Internet, that removes the risk associated with
> cost, and that will bring them online. It is not meant to be a holistic or
> standalone solution to the access issue. It is also not meant to be an
> endpoint for users. Facebook pays operators nothing for offering Free
> Basics. As such, given that the operators are only able to pay for the
> program if users graduate to the full, paid Internet, Free Basics is only
> sustainable if people leave the “starter” Internet.
>
> Some facts about Free Basics-
>
>
> ·      Facebook partners with mobile operators in markets to offer Free
> Basics.
>
> ·      Free Basics is offered to ALL operators in markets-we want as many
> new users on the Internet, so it is in our interest to have as many
> operators as possible.
>
> ·      Facebook does not pay operators anything to offer Free
> Basics-Operators themselves bear the cost of offering Free Basics.
>
> ·      Free Basics includes Facebook and a suite other sites that evolves
> based upon location, including those related to maternal health, education,
> news, job search sites, general information (i.e., Wikipedia), sports.
>
> ·      Based upon feedback, Facebook has launched
> Platform<https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internet-org>, (which was
> actually launched in Nairobi, this past summer, at iHub) which allows any
> developer anywhere in the world to submit their site to be included in Free
> Basics. So long as the site meets the necessary participation
> guidelines<https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internet-org/participation-guidelines>
> and technical
> requirements<https://developers.facebook.com/docs/internet-org/platform-technical-guidelines>,
> the site is included in Free Basics. We urge any/all of you who are creators
> and makers to have a look at Platform and submit your content. If you have
> any questions or recommendations, please let us know, as we would be
> delighted to connect you to our EMEA lead on content partnerships. He’s
> Nigerian (woot-WESTSIDE!!), not Kenyan, but I’m sure you won’t hold that
> against him.
>
> ·      Free Basics is optimized for feature phones as well as smartphones
>
> And now, to the questions!
>
> Zero Rating, Generally
> It’s important to understand that there are many, many different forms of
> zero-rating, so the better question is to identify what features support
> competition. For those interested in learning more about the many different
> flavors of zero rating, please see this excellent
> report<http://1e8q3q16vyc81g8l3h3md6q5f5e.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MeasuringImpactsofMobileDataServices_ResearchBrief1.pdf>
> by the Alliance For An Affordable Internet. Essentially, however,
> research<http://www.researchictafrica.net/docs/Facebook%20zerorating%20Final_Web.pdf>
> shows that certain kinds of zero-rating are actually pro competitive, in
> that zero-rating allows market entrants to challenge incumbents, which
> supports both competition and user choice. Further, the fact that Facebook
> does not pay operators to carry Free Basics, and does not require
> exclusivity undercuts the anti-competition claim. Our experience bears this
> out-in the majority of our markets, the operators who have been the first
> Free Basics adopters have been challengers-see below for a list, but please
> note that it is as of November 12. We also plan to start including this
> information on our site, so keep a lookout for it in future!).  In Kenya,
> for example, while we remain hopeful that Safaricom will partner, Airtel,
> with a fraction of Safaricom’s market share, is our partner. I would,
> however, be very interested to see research that explicitly finds that this
> kind of zero-rating is anti-competitive, so those who have it, please do
> pass it along.
>
> One last note on zero-rating-it really seems that we should be advocating
> for evidence-based policy making, that looks at both the costs and benefits,
> within the relevant economic environment, backed by actual research. None of
> the parade of potential horribles ascribed to zero-rating is backed by
> actual market evidence, and the notion of narrowing consumer choice and
> denying access by government fiat, with no evidence whatsoever, seems very
> strange. In general, especially with technology, an enabling environment
> calls for regulators to apply bans sparingly, so as not to crush
> innovation-isn’t that the environment for which this group would advocate?
>
> Statistics on Free Basics
> There were a number of questions about statistics of Free Basics users in
> Kenya-I don’t actually have that, but I’m inquiring. We do know that
> globally, over half of Free Basics users migrate to the paid Internet within
> 30 days. I think the other point to remember is that from the operator’s
> point of view, since they bear the full cost of subsidizing Free Basics,
> unless users do eventually migrate to the full/paid Internet, Free Basics is
> not economically sustainable for operators. With regard to other sources,
> the operators themselves hold all of the data about user behavior on and off
> Facebook, and I really would encourage you to bring them into all of these
> conversations about zero-rating. I would also encourage those of you who are
> researchers to join organizations like Research ICT Africa, Alliance for An
> Affordable Internet and others in doing high quality research in market.
>
> Graduating from Free Basics
> With regard to the questions of whether users will be unable to make their
> way out of Free Basics in order to access the wider Internet, please see
> below for screen shots demonstrating what it looks like when users want to
> visit the wider web. And, I must admit that I find this argument incredibly
> condescending. There are certainly literacy barriers to access, but those
> are not limited to Free Basics. Both of my parents were born in villages in
> the East of Nigeria. Both of them, without benefit of the Internet, or
> Facebook or Google Maps or even land lines managed to get themselves
> thousands of miles away, alone, to the UK and to the US, as mere teenagers,
> to get their university educations. I am only one generation removed from
> the village. So the notion that a person would be unable to learn how find
> his or her way out of a program on their phone just because they happen to
> live in a place without reliable Internet access, or because they live in a
> village seems ludicrous and the epitome of paternalistic thinking.
>
> In terms of the questions regarding choice of sites-these are excellent
> questions, and this is why we launched Platform<http://internet.org/>, so
> that content creators can submit sites themselves. We are also very open to
> feedback on sites or kinds of sites that should be included, so please do
> let us know so that we can connect you with our content partnerships lead.
>
> Where has Free Basics launched
> Regarding which countries have launched Free Basics, I don’t have an updated
> list, but my list as of October (for countries outside of my region) is-
> Colombia, Guatemala, Bolivia, Panama, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
> Philippines (with 2 operators), Indonesia, Peru, with many more planned.
>
> With regard to whether we would launch Free Basics in Europe or the US-our
> focus is in countries and regions where Internet access is a critical
> problem. There are a very few in the EU, but as the ITU study above (and
> countless other studies before) have shown, the digital divide is an
> absolute crisis across Africa and in parts of Southeast Asia and Latin
> America, with many countries at below 20% or even 5% Internet penetration.
> We are focusing our efforts in those parts of the world, for what we think
> are obvious reasons-that’s where it will have the most impact.
>
> Responding to Criticism
> To the question about why Facebook “rejigg[ed]” Free Basics after
> criticism-I think that is an excellent example of how we are very interested
> in constructive feedback, and that we are flexible enough to move fast and
> incorporate it into new iterations of our products. That’s one of the
> reasons I so love working here.
>
> Seeking Eyeballs (?)
> There was a question about how FB can improve its image beyond that of
> seeking eyeballs—I’m not sure I understand that question or the link to zero
> rating, but! To the extent that the questioner has a point of view or
> recommendations related to this question, we are delighted to hear them!
>
> Mr. Kivuvu Article
> A couple of people linked to this article written by Mr. Mwendwa Kivuva,
> whom I had the pleasure of seeing at IGF last month. It’s really fantastic
> to see so much more engagement on ICT policy issues in the region, and we
> look forward to being part of a community of people who are asking the hard
> questions. That said, the article makes some assertions that are unsupported
> by fact. I’ve addressed many of the points above, but there are few that
> remain, which I will discuss below.
>
> Mr. Kivuvu states “Facebook was accused of flying powerful Cabinet Ministers
> from developing countries to expensive resorts in California to influence
> them allow zero rated service in their countries. “
>
> This is categorically false, and I would be grateful for any evidence at all
> to be presented showing this occurred, as this is absolutely illegal and in
> the US, at least, an incredibly serious violation of the Foreign Corrupt
> Practices Act. So, if this claim is being made, please back it up with
> specific evidence so that I can report it.
>
> Mr. Kivuvu states “Companies running zero rated services are crafty and just
> want to add up number of users to their platforms to increase their
> advertisement revenue streams, therefore increase their companies' valuation
> and appease their shareholders.”
>
> Please note that Facebook has deliberately banned advertising from Free
> Basics, so that Facebook does not derive any revenue whatsoever from any
> users of Free Basics.
>
> Mr. Kivuvu states “Zero rating is not tolerated in progressive countries
> with strong policies. Ask yourself why.”
>
> This is incorrect. Zero rating is explicitly exempted from net neutrality
> regimes in many progressive countries, including the US. While there are
> certainly countries that have decided against zero-rating, there are many
> more countries that see zero-rating as a tool that has real market benefits,
> which accrue when zero-rating is deployed in a consumer-centric way that
> creates an enabling environment.
>
> Mr. Kivuvu states “Zero rating infringes on fundamental human rights by
> denying users access to the Internet. It may be a conspiracy to keep
> developing countries in the darkness of the information age.”
>
> Mr. Kivuvu states, “An interesting fact is; in communities where zero rated
> services were the norm, the users did not know the difference between the
> Internet and Facebook.”
>
> This is not actually a fact. There are oft-quoted
> studies<http://lirneasia.net/2012/05/facebook-internet/> of people in
> emerging markets saying that they do not access the Internet, but that they
> DO access Facebook (or SMS services). I do think this is a very interesting
> data point about the ubiquity of social media and how people define the
> Internet, as well as the fact that for people in both emerging and mature
> markets, social media is the primary driver for Internet adoption but this
> is a) not necessarily indicative of now knowing the difference between the
> Internet and Facebook, and, most crucially, b) not in any way connected to
> zero-rating or Free Basics, as none of the studies were of Free Basics
> users, given that most of the studies predated the existence of Free
> Basics.
>
> There is certainly a lively debate over the utility of the many forms of
> zero-rating. But offering people with no Internet access a bridge to full
> Internet access, while working on a multitude of programs all aimed at
> universal access to the full Internet is “denying users access to the
> Internet” is exactly the opposite of what is being claimed. It is also very
> important to note that Free Basics is a choice for consumers. They have
> exactly the same ability to access the Internet that they have without Free
> Basics; Free Basics only adds the option of a taste of the Internet, to get
> them excited about the full thing, when they can afford it.
>
> Example of Interstitial that prompts users when they try to access data
> outside of the Free Basics paywall:
>
> [cid:722E825D-C227-455D-9E0D-AE692D0F9D7A]
>
> Africa Free Basics Launches, as of November 12, 2015
> Mozambique
> Mcel Mozambique
>
> Seychelles
> Airtel Seychelles
>
> Egypt
> Etisalat Egypt
>
> Rwanda
> Airtel Rwanda
>
> Liberia
> Cellcom Liberia
>
> Congo Democratic Republic of
> Tigo (Millicom) DR Congo
>
> South Africa
> Cell C South Africa
>
> Angola
> Movicel Angola
>
> Senegal
> Tigo (Millicom) Senegal
>
> Malawi
> Airtel Malawi
>
> Malawi
> Telekom Networks Malawi
>
> Zambia
> Airtel Zambia
>
> Ghana
> Airtel Ghana
>
> Kenya
> Airtel Kenya
>
> Tanzania
> Tigo Tanzania
> [Description: Description: Description: cid:image001.png at 01C8F888.8FCCE630]
>
> Ebele Okobi | Head of Public Policy, Africa
> m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315
> 2 Stephen St | London | W1T 1AN
> ebeleokobi at fb.com<mailto:ebeleokobi at fb.com>
>
>
>
> From: kictanet
> <kictanet-bounces+ebeleokobi=fb.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet-bounces+ebeleokobi=fb.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
> on behalf of Grace Githaiga via kictanet
> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
> Reply-To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
> Date: Monday, November 30, 2015 at 9:07 PM
> To: Ebele Okobi <ebeleokobi at fb.com<mailto:ebeleokobi at fb.com>>
> Cc: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga at hotmail.com<mailto:ggithaiga at hotmail.com>>
> Subject: [kictanet] Introducing Facebook Africa Public Policy Team to
> KICTANet
>
>
> 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<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nation.co.ke_oped_blogs_free-2Dinternet-2Dfreedom-2Dcreate_-2D_620_2975634_-2D_f6hgvx_-2D_index.html&d=CwMFAw&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=7NzfHtNVHC-SCC3tykKjEqKI_OKf3NbqHZCb414q6go&s=7IP5PLfCNxE0Qb1mz8EoCzEMDWugoP6smIE2PqODbAs&e=>
> and another by our own Mwendwa Kivuva
> http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151124_zero_rating_a_poisoned_chalice_for_the_developing_world/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.circleid.com_posts_20151124-5Fzero-5Frating-5Fa-5Fpoisoned-5Fchalice-5Ffor-5Fthe-5Fdeveloping-5Fworld_&d=CwMFAw&c=5VD0RTtNlTh3ycd41b3MUw&r=ArvepG4_wcNu_X9xi3nb_Xa9WsGLVfmK6mwPdVONOTE&m=7NzfHtNVHC-SCC3tykKjEqKI_OKf3NbqHZCb414q6go&s=VDulPJA9EwQqSitPwlCU0keGy2xznFCr3rRVVpX1E8w&e=>
>
>
> 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
>


-- 
Tony White