<!--/*SC*/DOCTYPE HTML/*EC*/-->
<html><head><title></title><style type="text/css"><!-- body{padding:1ex;margin:0;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:small}a[href]{color:-moz-hyperlinktext!important;text-decoration:-moz-anchor-decoration}blockquote{margin:0;border-left:2px solid #144fae;padding-left:1em}blockquote blockquote{border-color:#006312}blockquote blockquote blockquote{border-color:#540000} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;" dir="ltr"><div class="defangedMessage">
<div id="me62267">
<div>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.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Waudo</div>
<div> </div>
<div>On Tue, Dec 1, 2015, at 12:07 AM, Grace Githaiga via kictanet wrote:</div>
<blockquote class="me62267QuoteMessage" type="cite">
<style type="text/css"><!-- --></style>
<div dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><br />
<span style="font-size: medium; ">Dear Listers</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">Greetings. I hope your week has started well.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">The topic of Net Neutrality has become an important global Internet Governance issue in the last two years, and has generated some interesting debates. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">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.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">Different positions depending on where their proponents stand have been shared. Please find one here by Nanjira Sambuli <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/free-internet-freedom-create/-/620/2975634/-/f6hgvx/-/index.html" defang_rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/free-internet-freedom-create/-/620/2975634/-/f6hgvx/-/index.html</a> and another by our own Mwendwa Kivuva <a href="http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151124_zero_rating_a_poisoned_chalice_for_the_developing_world/" defang_rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151124_zero_rating_a_poisoned_chalice_for_the_developing_world/</a></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">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. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Those on the opposite side argue that zero rating stifles innovation, leads to customers lock-in, is anti competitive </span>behavior<span style="font-size: 12pt;">, 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.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-weight: bold">Facebook's Head of Public Policy, Africa Ebele Okobi, and the Public Policy Manager, Africa Akua Gwekye</span> have graciously agreed to respond to any queries the community has on zero rated services. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; "><span style="font-weight: bold"><u>The Process</u></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium; ">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. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: medium; ">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 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">given the prominence members of the list have given the net neutrality debate. </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-weight: bold">Over to you listers! And a very warm welcome to Ebele and Akua. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr">Warmly</p>
<p dir="ltr">Grace</p>
</div>
<div><u>_______________________________________________</u></div>
<div>kictanet mailing list</div>
<div><a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" defang_rel="noreferrer">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a></div>
<div><a href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" defang_rel="noreferrer">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Unsubscribe or change your options at <a href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.com" defang_rel="noreferrer">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.com</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>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.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>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.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div></body></html>