[WSIS CS-Plenary] FW: WSIS - From Telecom Daily 7/25

[Sasha Costanza-Chock]

WSIS in the news...

sc

-----Original Message-----
From: Carrie Biggs-Adams
To: schock at asc.upenn.edu
Sent: 7/28/2003 12:37 PM
Subject: WSIS - From Telecom Daily 7/25

OFFICIALS REPORT PROGRESS IN PLANNING
FOR WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY

Officials from the U.S. and other countries today said they were 
making progress in planning for the World Summit on the Information 
Society, which is scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 
December and in Tunis, Tunisia in 2005.

The purpose of the summit is to identify ways to use information and 
communications technologies, such Internet access, to improve life in 
the developing world.  Those being invited include world leaders, 
industry, international intergovernmental organizations, and civil 
leaders.  The United Nations is sponsoring the summit, which is being 
managed by the International Telecommunication Union.

At a Washington news conference today, organizers of the event 
acknowledged that the process has been difficult, but they expressed 
optimism that a planned declaration of principles and action plan 
would be ready by the time the summit begins in 4-1/2 months.  The 
event is scheduled to be held Dec. 10-12 in Geneva and Nov. 16-18, 
2005, in Tunis.

David A. Gross, the U.S. coordinator for international communications 
and information policy at the State Department, said he was pleased 
with the progress made by attendees last week during a special four-
day planning meeting held in Paris.  The meeting was held after 
participants were disappointed by the lack of progress at two earlier 
planned preparatory sessions, he said.  The last scheduled preparatory

session is scheduled to be held in Geneva in September.

"I was not widely optimistic that we were going to make substantial 
progress, but I was very pleased by the progress that we did make. . .
. 
There was a lot of effort by many of the other administrations to find

common ground, to raise the level of discourse in terms of trying to 
find the language that would work for all," he said.  "I come out of
this 
knowing there's a lot of work to be done but feeling more positive, 
particularly with the relatively short amount of time remaining before

the summit."

He noted that participants at last week's meeting whittled down the 
draft declaration of principles from about 40 pages to 12 and plan to 
further reduce it to about five or six pages.  He said plans called for

officials to finalize the principles at the September meeting.  A "more

user-friendly" draft of the action plan is scheduled for release next 
month; delegates plan to tackle it at the September meeting.  He said 
the U.S. would like three things to be reflected in the declaration of

principles:  the importance of (1) developing information and 
communications infrastructure, (2) developing content, and (3) 
ensuring network security.

Mr. Gross and other U.S. officials have expressed concern that some 
attendees at the summit would push for heavy regulation of the 
Internet.  "There are a number of things that we are concerned about 
that are still floating around," he said.  But he said he was pleased
that 
ITU Secretary General Yoshio Utsumi's call for international treaties 
on cyber issues was not reflected in the draft documents prepared for 
the summit.

On other issues, he said U.S. officials wanted to ensure that
intellectual 
property right issues - specifically open-source and propriety software

- were "offered in a balanced way."  He also reiterated that the U.S. 
would resist any efforts to include language that governments should 
play a direct role in controlling management of the Internet.  For 
example, he noted that U.S. officials favored private-sector 
management, with "government input," of the Internet Corporation for 
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Mr. Gross also said U.S. officials "would like to see a clear, stronger

statement about the importance of good governance," as well as "a 
clearer reaffirmation of freedom of communication."  That is "a 
controversial concept for many administrations," he noted.

But he also stressed that the U.S. would oppose any of the summit's 
work being mandated on countries.  "The declaration and the plan of 
action will not, ought not to, be a set of legal requirements on
anyone," 
he said.  "Rather, what we have focused on is trying to identify those

areas that give the greatest benefit for which there is general 
international consensus."

Other speakers at today's news conference stressed the need for such 
consensus.  "There is some great distrust among world stakeholders," 
said Adama Samassekou, a former Mali education minister who is 
heading the summit preparatory process.  But he said participants had 
an "historic opportunity" to develop partnerships.  He acknowledged 
that it wouldn't be easy.  "We will have in this summit very important

issues which are controversial."

Marc Furrer, secretary of state for Switzerland's Federal Office of 
Communications, said among the more controversial issues were (1) 
concerns about governments being able to access personal information 
about consumers, (2) the role of open markets vs. state monopolies, 
and (3) free trade.  He said he was hopeful that the Geneva session, 
which is expected to attract 6,000-8,000 people, could at least begin
to 
tackle all of the issues, even though some might not be resolved until

the 2005 meeting.  Others said the purpose of the 2005 session was to 
follow up on implementation of initiatives launched as a result of this

year's conference. - Paul Kirby, pkirby at tr.com