Open Internet Policies

Fostering Economic Growth

Rajnesh D. Singh
Asian Regional Bureau
singh@isoc.org

ISOC Chennai Seminar

Chennai, India May 2010
About ISOC
• Founded in 1992 by Internet pioneers
• Dedicated to ensuring the open development,
evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of
people throughout the world

• International not-for-profit organisation

• Offices located in Washington and Geneva
• 5 Regional Bureaus
Africa, Asia, Europe,
Latin America & Caribbean, North America
• 90+ Organisational Members
• 28,000+ Individual Members
• 85+ Chapters worldwide
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ISOC Programs
• Trust and Future of the Internet
• User Centric Internet
• Internet Governance leadership
• Internet Policy
• Preserving the ability to connect, speak, innovate, share, choose
and trust
• Regional Policy Advisory Groups
• Interconnectivity and Standards Development
• IETF, IESG, IAB
• ISOC Fellowships: IGF, IETF, Chapter Fellowships
• Next Generation Leaders Programme (NGL)
• Membership and Chapter Development
• ccTLD/Technical workshops
• Conferences and Events: INETs, NDSS
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• Publications and Orientation/Briefing Papers
ISOC Chapters in Asia Pacific
• South Asia • East Asia and Pacific
• Bangladesh • Hong Kong
• India - New Delhi • Japan
• India - Chennai (Madras) • Korea – Republic of (South)
• India - Kolkata • Taiwan
• Nepal • Australia
• Pakistan • Pacific Islands

• Southeast Asia • West Asia (partial)

• Cambodia • Bahrain
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Thailand ISOC Membership is free in the “Global Member”
category. For details see:
http://www.isoc.org/membership/
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ISOC Initiatives‫‏‬
Enabling Access
- Technical Capacity Building
- Policy, Regulation, and the Access Environment
- Developing Communities of Practice and Multistakeholder Participation

InterNetWorks
- Global Addressing
- Common Internet
- Security & Stability
- AlterNetives

Trust and Identity

- Architecture and Trust
- Current Problems/Solutions and Trust
- Identity and Trust

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Know these brands/companies?

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Discussions on the future of the Internet
Have become mainstream in the last 7 or so years

- Impact on society

- Impact on the economy

- Governance issues

- Discussed in various fora

WSIS, IGF, UN agencies (ITU, UNESCO), OECD, UNESCO,
ICT4D community, Regional Multilateral organisations, Non-
traditional fora...

- Push for broadband access is key issue

Because wherever it exists, the Internet permeates every part of
life today

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Why Broadband Access?
Broadband networks are an increasingly integral part
of the economy. As the technology evolves and
bandwidth increases, the scope for broadband to act
as an enabler of structural change in the economy
expands as it affects an increasing number of sectors
and activities. Direct effects result from investments in
the technology and from rolling out the infrastructure.
Indirect effects come from broadband 's impact on
factors driving growth, such as innovation, firm
efficiency, competition and globalisation. Broadband
facilitates the development of new inventions, new and
improved goods and services, new processes, new
business models, and it increases competitiveness
and flexibility in the economy.
- from OECD study http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/7/40781696.pdf
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Data Suggests Broadband has Measurable
Impact
Various research studies indicate that the
deployment and use of broadband has a positive
measurable impact on the economy

- In a study conducted by CEGR (2003 ) for the Broadband Industry

Group on the impact of broadband on the UK economy, it estimated
that:

By 2015 , the productivity benefits of broadband could be as

much as 2.5% resulting in an annual increase to the UK Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of £21.9 billion

Additional benefits that could be realised by 2015 were an

annual estimated increase in UK fixed expenditures of £8
billion and an increase in annual net exports of £11 billion
InfoDev study: http://infodev-study.oplan.org/the-study/folder.2006-02-02.6117616300/3-2-recognition-of-broadband-for-economic-development/

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“The results support the view that broadband
access does enhance economic growth and
performance , and that the assumed economic
impacts of broadband are real and measurable .
We find that ... communities in which mass-market
broadband was available ... experienced more
rapid growth in employment, the number of
businesses overall , and businesses in IT-
intensive sectors, relative to comparable
communities without broadband at that time”
- Report by Academics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.eda.gov/ImageCache/EDAPublic/documents/pdfdocs2006/mitcmubbimpactreport_2epdf/v1/mitcmubbimpactreport.pdf

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How about ICT Infrastructure and Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI)?

.. the greatest risks to investing in Africa generally

[are] political instability at the top of the list (77
percent of respondents ), followed by insufficient
public infrastructure (69 percent ), low workforce
skill level (58 percent), poor IT infrastructure (58
percent) and bureaucratic overhead (54 percent).
- A.T. Kearney 's Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index for 2007
http://www.atkearney.com/shared_res/FDICI_2007.pdf

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So...is the Solution...

- Install Telecommunications towers everywhere for

seamless connectivity?
- Deploy a national fibre optical network across the
country?
- Provide every metro area with Fibre to the
Premises?
- Provide broadband connectivity to every village?
- Provide every child with an OLPC-type laptop?
- Ensure redundant, efficient infrastructure, including
IXPs, multiple international gateways,...?
- Reduce the cost of access so every person can
afford it?

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Overall Policy Environment is Key
- Harmonised policy and regulatory frameworks
That are open and promote growth and progress
- Fostering public-private partnership and private sector
investment
To make the best use of available resources and expertise
- Deploying modern networks and facilitating
convergence
Riding the wave as opposed to lagging behind
- Allowing competition, accelerating adoption of new
technologies
Encouraging new technologies and business models to be
deployed instead of creating barriers to adoption
- Promoting development and growth of local industry
Tax rebates, grants for use/promotion of technology
- Aspiring for universal access as a key priority

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A Holistic Approach is Required
- Multi-stakeholder consultation and dialogue

- Adoption of open systems and standards

- Shared responsibility

- Ensuring the needs of the user are seen as priority # 1

- Ensuring the user has the right to exercise choice

- Ensuring innovation and new business models continue

to develop

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Business Opportunities
- Network Expansion
: Cellular, Wireless, Optical

- Local and Regional Hubs

: Increased backbone trafc, Transit services

- Content Development
: Locally relevant content, Training, Service provision

- Infrastructure and Hosted Services

: Host local content, Portals, Applications, Managed VPNs

- Outsourcing Centres
: Back-ofce, Data Entry, Customer Support...

- New Markets & Businesses

: Information services, Distance learning, e-Commerce,
Demand for "e-" services, Local service industry

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Questions or Comments?

Rajnesh D. Singh
singh@isoc.org
Tel: +1-650-918-6170

InternetSociety.org

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