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<P><FONT SIZE=2>PRESS RELEASE<BR>
FOR IMMEDIATE DISSEMINATION<BR>
<BR>
Convergence of views on access at international internet forum<BR>
<BR>
RIO DE JANEIRO, 14 November, 2007 – The Association for Progressive<BR>
Communications (APC) recognises that access is the single most important<BR>
element in any attempt to put in place a governance of the internet. A<BR>
broad range of suggestions for making access to the internet a reality<BR>
for the five billion unconnected people were put forward by governments,<BR>
industry and non-profits currently taking part in the second Internet<BR>
Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There seems to be a<BR>
high degree of convergence of views on how to improve access.<BR>
<BR>
“The growth of mobile telephony in developing countries has shown that<BR>
the competitive model can deliver services to vulnerable populations,<BR>
including the poor,” says Willie Currie, manager of the policy programme<BR>
at APC. Many groups attending the IGF in Rio agree that what is needed,<BR>
is for the principles of competition to be consistently and evenly<BR>
applied to all areas of the telecom sector. Access to international and<BR>
terrestrial backbone infrastructure, they say, depends on this commitment.<BR>
<BR>
“However, we need to recognise that there are contexts in which the<BR>
competitive model falls short of delivering the internet,” adds Currie.<BR>
When market forces alone do not suffice, collaborative models are needed<BR>
to extend access to under-served areas.<BR>
<BR>
Since a competitive model needs to coexist with a collaborative one for<BR>
access to become a reality, APC advocates for incentives to be put in<BR>
place. Instead of hindering, information and communication technology<BR>
(ICT) policy should stimulate the participation of diverse network<BR>
operators and providers in service delivery.<BR>
<BR>
Talking from the IGF venue in Brazil, APC insists that the timing for<BR>
promoting ICTs as a development tool has never been more appropriate.<BR>
This is particularly true at the level of rural and local access. For a<BR>
universal, affordable and equitable access to materialise, ICT<BR>
regulation and policy need to be integrated to local development<BR>
strategies.<BR>
<BR>
APC privileges a multi-sector model where different types of<BR>
infrastructures are bundled. “When laying down roads, the government can<BR>
install water pipes and lay electricity along with fibre-optic ICT<BR>
cabling,” illustrates Willie Currie. This approach, IGF participants<BR>
noted, reduces costs of infrastructure and contributes to a more<BR>
effective use of scarce development resources.<BR>
<BR>
The APC network has been involved in global, regional and national ICT<BR>
policy processes since 2000, with a focus on human rights and social<BR>
inclusion in the information society and on promoting “digital<BR>
inclusion”. On the eve of the 2007 edition of the IGF, APC organised a<BR>
one-day event on equitable access.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
For more information<BR>
Frédéric Dubois, Information coordinator, frederic@apc.org +1 514 660 0664<BR>
<A HREF="http://rights.apc.org">http://rights.apc.org</A><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
=======================================<BR>
APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with<BR>
APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more<BR>
democratic and egalitarian societies.<BR>
<BR>
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<A HREF="http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc">http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc</A>.</FONT>
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