Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Diplomatic Arm-Wrestling Over Scope Of International Telecommunication Regulations Treaty


From the article: "As the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) treaty comes under review, some observers are warning that it could change the rules of the game in internet governance. Others are trying to give reassurance that the new ITRs aim at enabling better access to telecommunications everywhere. 

UN International Telecommunication Union Secretary General Hamadoun TourĂ© said during the penultimate preparatory meeting in Geneva last week that internet governance was a topic not for the treaty negotiations, but rather for the 2013 World Telecom Policy Forum. Still there are proposals from several member states that try to extend the original regulation to the internet realm….

Many Western – and some Asian – countries are clearly pushing for a “lean” follow-up ITR treaty. And with many of the major issues not solved – nor even touched – during the penultimate prep meeting, a thick pile of papers can be expected to go to the Dubai treaty conference in December. 

Government officials, when asked if there is a possibility of failure, point to earlier ITU conferences, for example, the last edition of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, and their last-minute, late-night compromises." Read more

See also
WCIT Issues Matrix, a proposal by the  Internet Society.