‘Smart’ regulatory framework needed for ‘Internet’ governance
U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch
U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch

–U.S. Ambassador tells CANTO forum

WITH the world being connected through the Internet at the touch of a device, a smart regulatory framework created with input of multiple stakeholders is necessary for advancing dynamic public policies in Internet governance.

The establishment of such a framework was lobbied for by U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch on Friday at the 36th Annual CANTO Conference and Trade Exhibition, the Caribbean’s premier telecommunications forum which is being held virtually for the first time in 35 years.

“This pandemic has heightened our awareness for how integrally we depend on telecommunications, the Internet, and the digital space in our daily lives. They help us do business, receive an education, and connect with friends and family, among many other things,” Ambassador Lynch said.

Further, she related: “Such powerful tools raise some key questions: How do we access them? Who owns them? What about freedom of expression and usage? These broad questions should lead us to discuss how these systems are governed and regulated.”

The U.S. Ambassador said the connectivity established by the Internet holds the potential to lift people out of poverty, formalise the informal economy around the world, increase the efficiency of supply chains, increase the productivity and wages of workers, and even improve education.

“At the heart of this growth has been the multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance, which includes the participation of governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community, and academia,” Lynch said, adding: “This governance is characterised by transparent, inclusive, bottom-up, and consensus-driven processes for examining and addressing questions and constructing policies on Internet issues.”

She related that various organisations such as the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the World Wide Web Consortium (WWWC) work together to facilitate the Internet’s daily operations.

This network of entities, she opined, has proven capable of solving technical and policy problems with the speed and flexibility required to address complex issues, including data privacy, data protection, intellectual property, and taxation.

“The United States supports this cooperative, multi-stakeholder approach to energise a vibrant digital economy worldwide. And one of the most exciting developments to the digital economy is 5G wireless networks,” she told the participants, noting that the U.S. welcomes collaboration to develop the future of 5G.

“The U.S. Government recognises that many network operators face limited options when selecting legacy vendors to develop and deploy 5G and earlier generation wireless networks. Limited competition in the telecommunications infrastructure market can reduce supply-chain resilience, and contribute to higher prices for operators and consumers in the long run.

“The U.S. Government fully supports the industry’s development of open, interoperable networks, while recognising the importance of maintaining a full suite of solutions offered by incumbent trusted vendors,” Ambassador Lynch said.

In her view, this would increase competition, and provide network operators with additional options when purchasing network equipment and services from trusted vendors.
“We need to unleash the innovative power of the private sector, and competition to develop more secure, robust, resilient, and affordable networks that enhance our national security, build economic prosperity, and connect more of our citizens to the Internet,” she said.

The ambassador noted that countries must make their own decisions about national and economic security, but should a country allow untrustworthy, high-risk suppliers and vendors into its 5G networks, the U.S. would have to reassess how it interconnects and shares information with that country.

“The United States is deeply concerned about the dangers of installing networks with equipment that can be manipulated, disrupted, or controlled by entities which have no regard for human rights or privacy,” she said.

Further, she added: “Governments, telecom operators, and network users should prioritize security when building out their 5G networks. National measures must be crafted to fully exclude untrustworthy and high-risk suppliers, regardless of national origin, from providing equipment and software in 5G networks.”

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