Negotiating the Net

Negotiating the Net

I attended a presentation on this project last week. Under the project, people have been working on case studies for more than 18 months, based on extensive field interviews in five African countries. They have worked from a common framework, focusing on key issues in the expansion of Internet connectivity, and how they are negotiated among key stakeholders.

The expansion of the Internet has occurred first among those people who already are connected to telecommunications and who already have computers. Thus the development of the underlying communications and information processing infrastructures greatly influenced the rate of growth of Internet connectivity. Of course, there have been key issues in the development of these infrastructures -- privatization of telecommunications, telecom regulatory policies and the creation of independent regulatory agencies, competition policy, tariffs on computers and software, open source software policies, etc.

In the case of the Internet, key policies have included whether monopolistic telecoms would extend their monopoly to Internet service provision, licensing of ISPs, licensing of VSAT terminals, rate structures for Internet users of telephone network, whether to allow VoIP, and whether to have in country Internet exchange points among ISPs.

The analysis has focused on the roles of various organizations -- government, ISPs, the national telecom operator, etc. Well and good.

In developing countries I have noted there are some leaders who have been especially active in the ICT sector. These people tend to have held university posts, but have also started private companies, sometimes done research, participated in ICT related associations (such as the Internet Society), served in government posts, and served on advisory commissions.

There is an old phrase: "Where you stand depends on where you sit." One would expect that the representatives of academia, ISPs, government, etc. would argue the positions in the interests of the organizations they represent. On the other hand, the same person may sequentially represent many different stakeholder organizations. How much does the person's personal beliefs influence their negotiating stance, as compared with the stakeholder they represent?

I would add: "where you sit depends on where you stand." People are appointed to represent institutional stakeholders in part because they are politically or ideologically affiliated with those they are asked to represent.

I liked one acronym presented at the meeting very much -- SSOS! (Sam says, "Oh S...."). It recognized that in some countries an important national leader will have a moment of revelation, in which he recognizes that the development of the Internet is important in terms of values that he, the leader, holds dear. The ejaculation at that moment represents a benchmark of the time in which attention to the Internet increases. Internet policy ceases to be a backwater affair handled largely by a group of technocrats, and becomes recognized as an issue suitable for high level political negotiation.

A book on the research findings will be out later in the year, but check out the project website now.