NEW DELHI: Members of International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), the UN agency for information and communication technologies,
have resolved to refrain from taking any unilateral or discriminatory
action that could impede another member state from accessing public
internet sites and resources.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai on Thursday where ITU members revised and adopted a resolution first agreed at the 2008 WTSA - resolution 69, guaranteeing non-discriminatory access and use of internet resources.
Various proposals will be put forward during the 11-day meet of ITU, but most concerns have been associated with internet censorship. The US government and companies like Google have been vocal about their wish to keep the internet out of the reach of the UN and national governments.
Google has been among the most vocal critics of the plan to bring the internet under the control of ITU. It has previously said "ITU is the wrong place to make decisions about the future of the internet" and "only governments have a voice at the ITU." It also said among the member nations, some "do not support a free and open internet."
The company was also concerned internet regulation by ITU "could increase censorship and threaten innovation" and "would require services like YouTube, Facebook, and Skype to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders"
US government has stressed that the multi-stakeholder and open model of internet, where the governments have no say, is ideal. The country finds resonance among internet activists, who are concerned that proposals from countries like China, Russia etc may end the open model of the internet and threaten free speech.
Resolution 69 invites affected ITU member states to report to ITU, director of the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB) on any unilateral and/or discriminatory actions that could impede another member state from accessing public internet sites and using resources, said ITU in a statement.
Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general, ITU, said, "Just days away from the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12), the adoption of this resolution underlines ITU's commitment to a free and inclusive information society. This should send a strong message to the international community about accusations that ITU's membership wishes to restrict the freedom of speech. Clearly the opposite is true."
The decision was taken at a meeting of the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai on Thursday where ITU members revised and adopted a resolution first agreed at the 2008 WTSA - resolution 69, guaranteeing non-discriminatory access and use of internet resources.
Various proposals will be put forward during the 11-day meet of ITU, but most concerns have been associated with internet censorship. The US government and companies like Google have been vocal about their wish to keep the internet out of the reach of the UN and national governments.
Google has been among the most vocal critics of the plan to bring the internet under the control of ITU. It has previously said "ITU is the wrong place to make decisions about the future of the internet" and "only governments have a voice at the ITU." It also said among the member nations, some "do not support a free and open internet."
The company was also concerned internet regulation by ITU "could increase censorship and threaten innovation" and "would require services like YouTube, Facebook, and Skype to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders"
US government has stressed that the multi-stakeholder and open model of internet, where the governments have no say, is ideal. The country finds resonance among internet activists, who are concerned that proposals from countries like China, Russia etc may end the open model of the internet and threaten free speech.
Resolution 69 invites affected ITU member states to report to ITU, director of the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB) on any unilateral and/or discriminatory actions that could impede another member state from accessing public internet sites and using resources, said ITU in a statement.
Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general, ITU, said, "Just days away from the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12), the adoption of this resolution underlines ITU's commitment to a free and inclusive information society. This should send a strong message to the international community about accusations that ITU's membership wishes to restrict the freedom of speech. Clearly the opposite is true."
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