Internet Governance Seminar Opens In Anguilla

R.A. Hettinga rah at shipwright.com
Fri Apr 20 20:54:33 PDT 2007


<http://www.anguillian.com/article/articleview/4606/>

 
The Anguillian Newspaper: -

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance - John F. Kennedy

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INTERNET GOVERNANCE SEMINAR OPENS IN ANGUILLA Island Praised For Strides
Forward

Publishing date: 20.04.2007 09:30

An Internet Governance Ministerial Briefing Seminar, organised by the
Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), opened at Paradise Cove Resort in
Anguilla on Tuesday evening with an impressive escort of dignitaries by
young uniformed members of the Pathfinders and salutes from three of their
drummers.




Attorney General & Mrs. Bourne and delegates

The some 40 delegates from territories, including some Ministers of
Communications, were officially welcomed by their Anguillian counterpart,
the Hon. Kenneth Harrigan. He said internet services were first introduced
in Anguilla in 1995 [by cypherpunk Vince Cate --RAH] and had expanded to
such an extent that most homes were now connected to the system.

"It is important for the member states of the Caribbean Telecommunications
Union
 to make internet governance a priority policy area for us in the
region," Mr. Harrigan stated. "The limitation of our small size coupled
with the growing use of the internet for business communication, means that
it is important that we act now to ensure that there are proper policies in
place for management of the internet. This must include full involvement of
the Government, the private sector, civil security and international
organisations."



L-R: Kenn Banks, Larry Franklin, Governor & Mrs. George, Kenneth Harrigan,
Foster Rogers and Ms. B. Lewis

Governor Andrew George said Anguilla had benefited enormously from the
revolution in communications which had transformed the world in the last
half century. "Places which were once remote are now accessible from any
corner of the planet," he observed. "This has helped particularly with the
development of two very important industries on Anguilla: tourism on one
hand and on the other financial services."

He stressed that all of the telecommunications advances could only work on
the basis of international cooperation in setting and monitoring standards.
"National authorities have to be ready to work across boundaries in
organisations like the CTU to set up systems that are flexible enough to
cope with the pace of change in technology which every day seems to become
faster," he went on. "These systems of regulation and monitoring are
essential because modern communications technology embracing the internet
has great potential both for good and for bad. The record transmission of
information and opinion brings people closer together, increases knowledge
and speeds up business of all kinds.

[Click the above link for pix: Waaay Waaay back in the back, I think you
can actually pick *out* Vince Cate...]

Ministers and other delegates

"At the same time it can be used to promote undesirable activities and
ideas and to facilitate crime. A regulatory regime that is firm and
flexible is essential so that the benefits of better communication can be
realised, while minimising the undesirable impact. The work that you all
are doing here this week is of very great importance to the whole Caribbean
Community."

Permanent Secretary, Foster Rogers, spoke on behalf of Chief Minister,
Osbourne Fleming. He thanked the CTU for holding such an important seminar
in Anguilla. He hoped that it would be beneficial to the participants
especially the policy-makers in the formulation of public policy. He hoped
that at the end of the seminar policy-makers would have a more
comprehensive grasp of the impact of the internet on modern societies. He
noted the importance of the internet to such critical national
infrastructures like the banking and financial sector, health, aviation,
public sector systems and community life.

The response from the CTU was delivered by Bernadette Lewis,
Secretary-General of the Trinidad-based organisation. She said: "In an era
where time and space have become almost irrelevant through the rapid
technological innovation, internet governance is a multi-faceted expansive
topic; and over the next three days we will strive to hammer out some
policy directions and approaches that we will need to adopt to ensure that
Caribbean citizens are able to access, use effectively and derive tangible
benefits from the internet and internet-based resources and services."

She stated that the purpose was first and foremost to build the awareness
of policy-makers. "I need to congratulate Anguilla on the strides it has
made in harnessing the power of the internet to promote national
development," she added. "We trust over the next few days that Anguilla's
example would be a great source of encouragement to CTU Ministers to take
charge of the internet resources that are indeed national resources and use
them, leverage them for the benefit of your citizens."

-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'





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