MINISTRY OF TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATION AND INNOVATION

Inputs for the Open Consultation of the Council Working Group - Internet

Introduction

Nowadays, the Internet as a publicly accessible system of global interconnected computer networks has become the most ubiquitous communication medium. However, as an open network, the use of the Internet as a communication medium is not without risk. One of the fundamental question which needs to be addressed is that who should be responsible for providing end users with an Internet connection over a network feed that is clean from illegal web content and malware? Can we emulate the water supply model whereby a water company, in the wide public interest and as a responsible utility provider has to make sure that the water provided in its pipes is uncontaminated and flows securely all the way to their customers' water taps. Should regulators, be it through voluntary adoption or regulatory intervention put the onus for such kind of extended 'clean feed' provision as the responsibility of Internet Service Providers (ISPs)- and, could that be possible?

  1. What are the developmental aspects of the Internet (for example, economic, social, regulatory and technical aspects), especially for developing countries?
  • The Internet provides a new medium for commercial transactions. One result is the weakening of national commercial boundaries and growth of world trade as companies gain easier access to overseas markets. Another will be a reduction in transaction costs by the elimination of some types of intermediate commercial agencies that have been necessary in the past to connect producers from ultimate consumers.
  • Companies in developing countries can now capitalise from immediate access to a wide range of commercial and technical information that is otherwise slow, costly and difficult to obtain.
  • As the Internet becomes a more common and accepted means of carrying out activities, the society is being equipped with an entirely new order of skills which can be used to raise productivity, increase convenience, improve quality and accelerate actions.
  • Companies should benefit from acquiring a low cost means to reach potential customers anywhere in the world.
  • The very low entry cost for setting up and advertising business activities on the Web helps to level the playing field between large and small firms, and opens up a new frontier for entrepreneurship.
  • The establishment of low orbit satellite links will make it possible for developing countries to establish an alternative delivery system for information, broadcasting, telephone and fax services to vast rural populations.
  • On the educational aspect, it provides a new medium for e-learning / distance education that will transform the way educational institutions delivery knowledge and instruction.
  • On the health aspect, it provides a medium to offer the best available knowledge and expertise to everyone. Expert medical information on health problems and remedies can be delivered to millions of people on demand.
  • On the economic aspect, productive sectors (those being the pillar of the economy) must fully embrace the digitisation process and reap the benefit to survive the global competition. The ICT industry needs to identify the vital enabler.
  • Proper Legislation and Regulation still need to be enacted and/or adopted or reviewed for Internet usage such as e-transaction, e-Commerce and Business-to-Business. Just to name a few (Data Protection Act, Computer Misuse and Cyber-Crime Act, The Electronic Transaction Act, Child Protection Act).
  • Developing countries need to prepare themselves to face cybersecurity matters that cannot be overlooked as long as the Internet will exist. Thus proper handling of data and ensuring privacy are critical. Subsequently, along with the proper laws mentioned above, protection of critical information infrastructures must be ensured and the promotion and adoption of Information Security Standards (ISO 27001, ISO 22301) must be initiated.
  • Capacity building remains pivotal for the implementation of above policies. Youths need to be moulded to face the future development through proper technical capacity development programmes, in order to enhance their knowledge and skills for employability. Regarding cybersecurity, institutions for investigations on cybercrime and electronic evidence need to develop specialised skills. In addition, judges and prosecutors handling cases on cybercrime matters need to be properly empowered.
  1. How can governments and other stakeholders promote the developmental aspects of the Internet?

Barriers preventing ISPs from becoming more involved in providing and operating bettercommunication networks include a variety of technical costs and legal issues, as well as uncertainty regarding who would meet these costs. To overcome such barriers, several papers have suggested that government regulations or potential liabilities assigned to ISPs would provide the appropriate motivation to the latter.

Empowering individuals, communities and businesses to access and use the Internet is one of the most important roles of governments. Internet affordability and accessibility are the two major areas where the Government needs to focus in order to promote the developmental aspects of Internet.

Points to consider for Affordability:

  • Enforce regulatory policies and decisions that lower entry barriers and facilitate competition among ISPs
  • Provide financial assistance to families where there income is below a certain level
  • Devices to access the Internet and Internet packages should be affordable
  • Introduce low-cost smart phones
  • Tax break on devices to connect to the Internet
  • Provide Free Wi-Fi in public places

Points to consider for Accessibility:

  • Provide for locally relevant content and a variety of Government e-services
  • Train entrepreneurs to adopt the Internet space for conducting business and setup incubators (strong legislation protecting e-commerce must be in place to provide confidence)
  • Adopt new business models such as phones that come bundled with free Internet access for a certain period to help users get started online

Universal access to Internet is the driver to promote economic development, global interaction, and learning that can in turn enhance standards of living of socially disadvantaged individuals who have less opportunity to access and make use of ICT. Mauritius has at its end attempted to reduce the digital divide through projects like the Community Empowerment Programme implemented by the National Computer Board, under the aegis of the Ministry of Technology, Communication & Innovation. The CEP providesdemocratised access to ICT equipment and Internet through270 Computer Clubs, 100 Public Internet Access Points in post offices and 21 Learning Corners.

Three cyber caravans also travel across the island every day to provide ICT training and computer awareness courses, particularly in areas where ICT facilities are not readily available and accessible.Such projects can be replicated in other developing countries for democratized access to individuals.

Governments also have the role of supporting local organisations and businesses to develop theirInternet skills and capacity, and harness the social as well as economic benefits and opportunities that the Internet offers. They have the role of supporting Internet users’awareness and confidence by promoting understanding of the internet so that people have the confidence to go online, raising awareness of the threats that people can face using the internet, in areas such as identity theft, fraud or privacy, and promoting the understanding that online behaviours aregoverned by civic norms and that the law applies online equally as it does offline.

Governments in developing countries have a number of roles, along with other stakeholders, in helping to ensure that this infrastructure is robust and that it continues to develop on an open and pro-competitive basis to allow for new entrants, new services and new applications and for new users from around the world.

Governments themselves have a role in terms of protecting critical Internet infrastructure within their borders from threats such as natural disasters or attacks.

Finally, governments need to empower citizens by making government information and services available online. The Internet is transforming the delivery of government services and developments, such as e-medicine and e-education, which have opened up great opportunities to communities, particularly in developing countries, to enjoy greater access. Online public services allow citizens to interact with governments promptly at low cost and also promote more responsive services with focus on the user. The availability of information online promotes greater openness, participation and transparency with greater confidence in users and citizens.

  1. What are the challenges and opportunities?

The need for a clear roadmap where the role and responsibilities of the different groups of stakeholders are defined is now warranted to ensure a holistic approach to handle the multifaceted dimension of cyber threats. In this context, the concept of “defense in depth” strategy which is a well-proven one from a cyber-security technological standpoint can be put to contribution. The idea behind the “defense in depth” approach is to defend a system against any particular attack using multiple layers of defense. The prime objective of this type of cyber security regulatory framework will be to clarify the role of the regulator with respect to securing access to open networks and also further assert that of the ITU as the international coordination agency on cyber security. Transposition of the same layered approach onto the ICT regulatory framework can add clarity to the responsibilities to be shouldered by each of the stakeholders involved, viz., end users, ISPs and regulators when it comes to tackling cyber threats.

Challenges

  • Build adequate ICT Infrastructure (nationwide coverage and access to the Internet through the use of different technologies e.g. ADSL, FTTH, 4G, WiMAX, etc.)
  • Create conditions for competition between different stakeholders and preventing malpractice or anti-competitive practices by dominant operators.
  • Provide for a National Innovation Framework to allow sectors to innovate and also for companies (SMEs) and individuals to participate in the digital economy.
  • Capacity building has become all the more urgent as the Internet evolves.
  • Setting up a consistent and robust legal framework

Opportunities

  • The Internet economy has stimulated economic growth of highly developed countries and has provided developing countries the chance for growth and integration into the world economy.
  • Government services fully digitized.
  • Provide for a maximum of e-services as well as m-services to the public for a better and well-organized society.
  • Healthcare services, Education services and other critical sectors fully automated.
  • Policies to build trust between the public sector and private sector.
  • Internet of Things (IOT) link people, places and things in the physical world. By networking things that weren’t connected in the past, organisations can speed up and improve existing processes, as well as invent new business models or even entire lines of commerce.

Conclusion

It is submitted for consideration that we use the ITU forum to come up with a standardised framework for the above proposal which will go a long way to enable the common Internet users to reap the benefits without the need to worry about the complexities of the technology sitting behind such a solution. Once this is done, there will then be the need to map onto it the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved. Here again, the ITU as the international coordination agency for the communications sector is ideally positioned to fulfill this mandate.

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