Philipp, Your heart's in the right place, but your knowledge is lacking. The Internet isn't content, but exactly the same as the PSTN. The WWW is about content. The Internet is about having the ability to run IP-based applications... few of which are, or should be in the near future, about content. Applications such as electronic payment, web computing, VoIP, e-government, distance education, etc. are IP-based applications that lower the cost of communications of all stripe... to a level affordable by all if left free from government interference and industry building. E-commerce is content, pure publicity, sales, promotion and advertising... not the Internet.
Your letter, although of good intent, helps the incumbents and government to continue their ancient control over communications, and also large scale commerce, that will most assuredly be one of the legs pulled out from under healthy democracy. Who do you think is funding the NGO's? Ever wonder why there's so many forums and so little progress? Don't be naive. Better yet, go talk to the governments and the ICT's as I have. I've already held more than two hundred meetings. Neither side wants unfettered access; neither side wants universal access. You must be made to pay to play... and those who can't afford it are SOL as always. You have a lot to learn about the technical and cost issues... that are not the real barriers. The only barriers are government and the incumbent telecoms, and Microsoft, who also garner support from the NGO's through their donations. Everyone knows better... but just as we are discovering with our accountants and lawyers (ie. Enron, etc.), no one cares any longer. Civil society no longer serves to protect us. And government and industry steal and lie. Don't shoot the messenger. Read up on the history of the electric, telegraph and telephone industries. Read how the Internet started. Why the hell are we doing everything different this time... actually against what IP communications represents, promises, and can deliver? Alan Levy Mexico, D.F. [EMAIL PROTECTED] philipp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My posting in response to the article "The Great African Internet > Robbery" that appeared on the BBC web-site has attracted a good deal of > opposing views and arguments (on and off the list). I would like to > thank all that took the time to write as it helped me to verify some of > my statements and encouraged me to further investigate the matter. ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
