Hey all, ��<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><br></div><div>This was in this mornings Commsday. ��Seems like great news</div><div><br></div><div>...Skeeve</div><div><br></div><div>==============================================</div>

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<div><div><b>Russia, allies back off proposal to��extend regulation across Internet</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>In an extraordinary development late last night, Russia and its allies China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt��and the United Arab Emirates withdrew a radical proposal to overhaul international telecommunications��regulations which would have given national governments sweeping new powers to regulate global ICT��service providers such as Facebook and Twitter as well as Internet governance.</div>


<div><br></div><div>CommsDay was told by sources that��International Telecommunications Union secretary-general Hamadoun Toure��personally intervened to persuade the��Russians to withdraw their proposal following American threats to walk out of��the World Conference on International��Telecommunications if the revisions were��considered for ratification.</div>


<div><br></div><div>In a fast moving night:</div><div>��� United States delegation chief Ambassador Terry Kramer denied comments attributed to him by Dow��Jones that his country would walk out��of the conference if it sought to regulate Internet content. CommsDay has confirmed with Dow Jones��that he made the comments now denied.</div>


<div><br></div><div>��� Russia withdrew, without explanation, a proposal with China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt and the��United Arab Emirates that would massively increase the ambit of international telecommunications��regulations to cover almost all telecommunications and Internet activities. The proposal, leaked on��Saturday, was disowned by a member of the Egyptian delegation which last night made a strong statement in favour of Internet freedom. This hinted at serious dysfunction behind the Russian-led coordination efforts.</div>


<div><br></div><div>��� A steering committee was immediately convened to get the conference, in danger of collapse, back on��track. There was reportedly applause in the committee room as progress was made, especially on the��detail of who the revised regulations might apply to. However access to the room was blocked by��guards. Previously there were concerns that loose wording could extend the ambit of the regulations��as far as users of virtual private networks and ham radio operators. The secretive machinations of a��working group���the so-called Committee 5���will now apparently give way to open plenary sessions.</div>


<div><br></div><div>Observers tell CommsDay that the radical Russian proposals had the effect of galvanising the conference��into action. Although Russia and allies have formally withdrawn their proposed treaty revision, other��countries may still attempt to advance some of the main points. Australian delegate Dr Bob Horton is��believed to have played a major role last night, chairing an ad hoc meeting attempting to resolve the arguWCIT bombshell: SG averts collapse of conference��LEAKED: The Russia-led proposalent over how Internet traffic is charged. African states and their supporters seek to restore the old voice��traffic settlements regime for Internet traffic to provide a revenue source. The result of these efforts was��unclear as we went to press 5AM Australian Eastern Summer Time.</div>


<div><br></div><div>CommsDay was told last night that secretary general Toure personally called top Russians and asked��them to back off because this would split the conference nproductively. ���The head of delegation, considered a young tyro, apparently acted on his own and they shot him down. Partial confirmation is that Tour�� personally delivered the news to regional meetings before it was announced.��� our source said, emphasising this was not officially confirmed.</div>


<div><br></div><div>CommsDay sources say that the US delegation���s hundred-plus members fanned out to meet with almost every participating country in a last ditch effort to block the Russia-led move over the weekend. On��sheer numbers, the Russia-led proposal would probably win a majority vote but there is an overriding preference by the ITU to forge a consensus on the eventual outcome.</div>


<div><br></div><div>The alternative was a walkout by the US delegation and potentially some of its core allies. According to��the .nxt website, Poland had also threatened to walk from the event. Australia generally supports the US��position backing the status quo on Internet governance.</div>


<div><br></div><div>CIVIL SOCIETY OBJECTS: Meanwhile, a group of civil society organisations from the US, Europe, India and Africa has slammed the ITU and WCIT process for a lack of transparency and input from outside��groups.</div>


<div><br></div><div>In a letter to the ITU, they state ���Now that the conference is in session, we wish to call your attention��to three immediate and pressing matters: the lack of any official standing to the public comments solicited��prior to WCIT at the ITU���s invitation; the lack of access to and transparency of working groups, particularly the working groups of Committee 5; and the absence of mechanisms to encourage independent civil��society participation.���</div>


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