The annual Internet Days Conference is underway in Stockholm (Oct 22-24 2012). There is a live webcast, most of which – but not all – is in Swedish. Stockholm is 6 hours ahead of NYC, or UTC+2.
Jan Flodin of ISOC-SE is conducting a session on Net Neutrality on Wednesday at 15:10 (0910EDT|1310UTC) in which he will skype in ETNO President Luigi Gambardella. This session has its own twitter tag #ind12nn for submitting comments and questions.
On Monday September 24 2012 the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) hosted State of Telecom 2012 at Columbus Business School NYC. This year this annual conference was presented jointly with European analyst group IDATE and billed as a ‘transatlantic dialog’. The theme is ‘Over the Top: New Business Models with New International Telecom Rules?‘ The event was webcast live via the Internet Society Chapters Livestream Channel and is archived here or below.
1. Welcome
Speakers:
• Robert C. Atkinson – Director of Policy Research, CITI
• Eli Noam – Director, CITI
• Yves Gassot, CEO, Digiworld byIDATE
2. Business Models for Network Operators in an OTT World
Moderator:
• Raul Katz – Director, Business Strategy Research, CITI
Speakers:
• Vincent Bonneau, Head of the Internet Department, IDATE (France)
• Jacquelynn Ruff, VP International Public Policy,Verizon (USA)
• Stephane Dufour, CSO, Swisscom (Switzerland)
• Paul Budde, Managing Director, BuddeCom (Australia)
• Yu-li Liu, Professor, National Chengchi University (Former NCC Commissioner) (Taiwan)
• Simon Wilkie – Former Chief Economist, FCC
3. Sen. Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Member of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development (Australia)
4. The Impact of OTT on Traditional National Networks and Media
Moderator: Judith D. O’Neill – COO, CMAS Holdings
Speakers
• Gabrielle Gauthey, EVP Alcatel Lucent (France)
• Emmanuel Rochas, SVP & Head of the Strategy, Telecom France Orange (France)
• Henning Schulzrinne, Chief Technologist, FCC (USA)
• Richard S. Whitt, VP, Public Policy & Government Relations, Motorola Mobility (USA)
• Matthias Kurth, former President, Federal Network Agency (Germany)
5. Hon. Lawrence Strickling, Administrator, National Telecommunications & Information Administration (USA)
6. Regulation of Over-the-Top Services: Should National Regulation and the ITRs Be Expanded Beyond Networks to Include Applications?
Moderator: Robert Pepper, Senior Managing Director of Advanced Technology Policy, Cisco
Speakers:
• Roland Doll, VP International Governmental Affairs, Deutsche Telekom (Germany)
• Amb. David Gross, Wiley & Rein (former U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Department of State) (USA)
• Leonard J. Cali, SVP, Global Public Policy, AT&T (USA)
• Chris Libertelli, Head of Global Public Policy, Netflix (USA)
• Carlos Raul Gutierrez, President of the Council – SUTEL (Costa Rica)
• Mark Cooper, Director of Research, Consumer Federation of America
• Sally Wentworth, Senior Manager of Public Policy, Internet Society
• David J. Farber, Trustee, Internet Society
7. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
8. Financial Implications and Investor Reactions
Moderator: Robert C. Atkinson
Speakers
• Craig Moffett, Senior Analyst, Bernstein Research (USA)
• Lorenzo Pupillo, Executive Director, Public & Regulatory Affairs, Telecom Italia (Italy)
• François Barrault, Chairman, IDATE (France)
As the WCIT approaches the ETNO (the former state telco’s in Europe) have issued ‘contribution 109′ arguing that they should be compensated by content owners for carrying their traffic – an end run around net neutralirty. The European chapters of the Internet Society have reacted with this statement (below or PDF)
The award winning network neutrality advocacy film Barbershop Punk will have its NYC Theatrical Premiere on Friday Nov. 11 2011 at the reRun Theater in DUMBO, Brooklyn. There will be two screenings on Friday, both followed by brief panels. The film will continue to be screened nightly until Thursday Nov. 17. Tickets. Trailer is below:
As the net neutrality issue continues to be debated in the UK, a group of content/application providers have commissioned a study on the topic – The open internet – a platform for growth aka the Plum Report. Unsurprisingly the study refutes ISP/telco claims that growing bandwidth demand compels them to finance expansion by shaking down 3rd party providers for access to their customers. The report sets out to dispel a few myths:
and makes some strong policy recommendations:
A clear signal of commitment to the open internet by EU institutions, national governments and regulators.
Internet access should be clearly defined and the use of the term in marketing restricted to those who provide open access to the internet. This measure could be implemented nationally under consumer protection powers.
The application of an industry code of conduct and dispute resolution procedures, through “selfregulation with oversight”, should be promoted. The code should require:
Open access to and distribution of internet-based, lawful content and applications for consumers; no blocking of legal services and discrimination on the basis of commercial rivalry.
Protection against unilateral and opportunistic requests for payment i.e. holding players to ransom.
Principle of parity of access if and where prioritisation is provided on voluntary commercial terms for any content or applications i.e. the same opportunity on the same terms should be available to all (analogous to the principle of equivalence applied at the network access layer).
Policy-makers and national regulators (e.g. Ofcom) should closely monitor market developments given the risks to innovation. If the suggested measures prove insufficient, then intervention by national regulators utilising their powers to protect the open internet under the revised EU Electronic Communications Framework, or the introduction by policy makers of a new legally binding open internet requirement, should be considered.
The report concludes:
We conclude that there is no reason to believe that a departure from the open internet norm would be economically efficient – rather, we find a departure from this model would risk irreversible harm.
“consumer advocates; Internet engineering experts; content, application, and service providers; network equipment and end-user device manufacturers and suppliers; investors; broadband service providers;” and others
The OIAC’s mission will be to
observe market developments regarding the freedom and openness of the Internet and focus in particular on issues addressed in the FCC’s Open Internet rules, such as transparency, reasonable network management practices, differences in treatment of fixed and mobile broadband services, specialized services, technical standards, and the state of competition.”
Further the FCC will rule out egregious conflicts of interest:
In addition, all applicants are advised that the Commission adheres to the President’s policy, as announced in his memorandum of June 18, 2010, “Lobbyists on Agency Boards and Commissions,” prohibiting federally registered lobbyists from serving on federal agencies’ advisory boards and committees. Registered lobbyists are thus ineligible to serve as members or representatives of members of the OIAC.
On Jan 19, as part of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee State of the Net Conference 2011, a panel of experts discussed Congressional reaction to the FCC’s December 21 Open Internet order.
Moderator
Tim Lordan, Executive Director, Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee
Panel:
Colin Crowell, Founder & Principal, Crowell Strategies
Larry Downes, Technology Consultant & Author
Markham Erickson, Executive Director, Open Internet Coalition
Professor Christopher Yoo, Director, Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Earlier this month, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski released a draft proposal on “net neutrality,” a strategy that aims to address concerns about the way large Internet service providers manage their networks. Today, the FCC will hold a meeting to consider adopting Genachowski’s plan. It can be watched live at http://fcc.gov/live, or with better quality, at C-SPAN.
The annual Internet Days Conference is underway in Stockholm (Oct 22-24 2012). There is a live webcast, most of which – but not all – is in Swedish. Stockholm is 6 hours ahead of NYC, or UTC+2.
11/11 Andy Webster Barbershop Punk (2010) (NY Times) – review.