[kictanet] Coming Soon: Free Internet to Rural Areas (There is never a free ride)

Wed Nov 18 12:51:58 EAT 2015

This is extremely a 'slippery' topic to deal with.

It is based on the 'walled garden' concept where you can access the shamba
but pick what only I've planted there - might not have considered your
welfare when planning on the garden and the crops there. Hence you have the
option not to access my 'fenced garden' and live on or access my garden and
specifically enjoy what I've there!

Some people have argued that it is better to have some 'Internet', do note
the quotation marks, to some areas of the Net like FB, Wikipedia than no
Internet at all! Clearly this violate the net neutrality spirit, but then
what it is the lesser evil? No Internet at all? What am I willing to pay or
relinquish so that I can access the 'Free Basics'? Clearly there is nothing
for free! Can the government step in and give the bare minimums for this
offering? This might be my preferred approach - some 'free Internet'
knowing well what it means, than no Internet at all.

Leaving the whole thing unregulated is not very palatable to me....I think
countries like India have chosen this route, stand to be corrected though.

Best Regards,
Davis M Onsakia
"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the
shore for a very long time."

On 18 November 2015 at 12:31, Liz Orembo via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

>
> Perhaps its time we start asking how far the government has gone in
> deploying NOFBI and its last mile connectivity. Universal access fund?
>
> We will continue facing these kind of net neutrality issues and other
> related problems because much of our internet access policies rely on
> mobile networks.
> On Nov 18, 2015 9:39 AM, "Ali Hussein via kictanet" <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Mildred
>>
>> Zero-Rating means it's only free when accessing say Facebook. :-) Sorry,
>> not as free as you think. And the business model is one based on
>> advertising. It's instructive that Facebook for example uses ARPU as a key
>> metric to track performance.
>>
>> *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 18 Nov 2015, at 9:10 AM, Mildred Achoch via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>> I agree with Mr. Ali Hussein that there is never a free ride. Those big
>> boys and girls of the Internet have seen an opportunity to profit from the
>> lack of reliable and affordable Internet in rural areas. I don't know how
>> they will profit but I am sure they have done their research. These people
>> don't think short-term. They stand to gain in the long run.
>>
>> On the other hand, FREE Internet in rural areas?! Wow! Speaking as
>> someone whose work involves a lot of heavy Internet use, and who has no
>> office to access it through, this is very good news! I can even consider
>> moving to these rural areas once the deal is up and running. I am sure
>> there are many more people like me. Maybe this will promote urban-rural
>> migration, thereby contributing to the development of rural areas?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Mildred Achoch.
>>
>> Check out the Rock 'n' roll film festival, Kenya TV Channel!
>> http://kenyarockfilmfestivaljournal.blogspot.com
>>
>> My tree-saving e-business card is here: http://twtbizcard.com/roffeke
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 8:52 AM, James Kagwe via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Looking at it from the other side of the fence, the truth is that
>>> Internet service providers in Kenya including the Telcos have maintained
>>> the price of internet quite high even for the middle class living in urban
>>> areas. Most of us can only enjoy reliable internet in the office only. This
>>> is even after Kenya connected to at least 4 undersea cables.
>>>
>>> Given the prevailing circumstances there's no hope for reliable and
>>> affordable Internet to the rurals in the near future. This is with the
>>> benefits of Internet as demonstrated by research not withstanding. I don't
>>> see anything wrong with what they're doing. In any case we in Nairobi and
>>> other urban areas will continue paying the unreasonable costs as we have
>>> been doing in the past.
>>>
>>> James
>>> On Nov 18, 2015 8:16 AM, "Ali Hussein via kictanet" <
>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Listers
>>>>
>>>> I'm really concerned about the continued silence of the Regulator
>>>> regarding Zero-Rating of certain services bundled by telcos in this country
>>>> in partnership with the big boys and girls of the Internet. Are we not
>>>> clear how this continued silence and tacit approval of this practice that
>>>> had basically been outlawed in their home countries is going to impact our
>>>> nascent Internet economy?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Free-Internet-to-rural-areas/-/996/2960730/-/10o59uez/-/index.html
>>>>
>>>> We deserve some action from the Communication Authority.
>>>>
>>>> *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
>>>>
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>>
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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.
>>
>>
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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.
>>
>
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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.
>
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