By Invitation
Future of the internet at a crossroads
- Published: 3 Dec 2012 at 10.21
- Newspaper section: Asia focus
The future of the internet is up for grabs this week at a major decision-making conclave in Dubai. The outcome of the meeting is particularly important for countries in Asia Pacific, which would be wise to resist a power grab that threatens this critical lifeline industry.
Representatives of more than 190 countries will convene as an official body, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in Dubai. It is the first time the ITU has assembled to write critical new rules since 1988.
Today, the internet has reached a crossroads, and decisions made this month could set it on a distinctly new path. Most worrisome are proposals from several African and Arab states as well as Russia and India that, if implemented, would raise the cost of access to the internet and limit the spread of knowledge, services and applications to citizens in developing countries.
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