News

Top stories Community radio to get a big boost in India Internet Governance Awareness Survey (in India) Minister blames govt for ICT failures (in Bangladesh) PANOS-GKP JOURNALISM AWARDS 2005: Where is the money for bridging the digital divide? Pre-paid mobile users to protest against ban on their service in Nepal NGO/Civil Society Statement on WIPO Development Agenda Iran's Internet Censorship Among Strictest In the World, Documents OpenNet A draft of National frequency allocation plan (NFAP) and spectrum policy has been prepared in Bangladesh Voices from the Asia Pacific: Statement by UNDP Asia Pacific Development Programme Student Radio Opens at Khost University, Afghanistan TRAI for 100% foreign ownership in radio services in India Internet Governance DVD The Oxford Consensus on Internet Governance

APC editors select the latest news on ICT policy in Asia and internationally. Recommended news articles are marked with a star.

Browse news by country Click on a country in the ‘countries’ list on the right
Browse news by theme Click on a theme in the ‘themes’ list on the left
Browse news by theme and country Select the country you want from the countries list, wait for the page to load and then select the theme you want from the themes list (or vice versa)

 Internet Governance Awareness Survey (in India)
02/10/2005 -- Internet Governance has been a topic of hot debate in the International arena, yet not many people are aware of it in India. It has been very often misunderstood by many as E-Governance. India | Internet Governance

 Community radio to get a big boost in India
02/10/2005 -- The Information and Broadcasting Ministry plans to simplify and rationalise community radio licensing rules and allow commercials as well as limited airing of non-political news such as sports. The proposal, coming in the wake of complaints of the process being strenuous and expensive, will be presented to the Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said on Saturday. India | Freedom of Expression, National ICT Strategies

 Open Statement from the Human Rights Caucus: HRIC blocked from WSIS accreditation
25/09/2005 -- Civil society organizations active in the WSIS process strongly condemn the continuous blocking of Human Rights in China (HRIC) accreditation to the WSIS process. At the WSIS PrepCom-3 opening Plenary, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was able to block a vote on HRIC’s accreditation with a procedural maneuver that revealed both the politicized nature of the process and the adverse impact on the WSIS principles of building a “people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented Information Society.” China | Censorship, Communication Rights, Freedom of Expression, WSIS

 Minister blames govt for ICT failures (in Bangladesh)
25/09/2005 (New Age BD) -- Bangladesh | National ICT Strategies

 Indian Prime Minister launches knowledge commission
03/08/2005 (The Statesman) -- India's National Knowledge Commission-11: Prime Minister launches knowledge commission, says India had the potential to become "the knowledge engine of the world." India | Content and Language

 PANOS-GKP JOURNALISM AWARDS 2005: Where is the money for bridging the digital divide?
03/08/2005 (Panos) -- Panos and GKP are pleased to invite submissions for the 2005 “Reporting on the Information Society” awards. The topic for this year is “Where is the money for bridging the digital divide?” | Content and Language, Media

 (Bangladesh) What's the telecoms regulator really doing?
30/07/2005 (Abu Sayeed Khan - The Daily Star) -- Abu Saeed Khan, a telecom analyst in Bangladesh sums up the latest situation with regard to BTTB operated mobile phone service in Bangladesh. Bangladesh | Laws and Regulation, Telecommunications

 Pre-paid mobile users to protest against ban on their service in Nepal
20/07/2005 (Nepal News) -- In Feb, 2005, when the King took over the power, mobile phone communication was blocked for about 5 months. After that the services resumed but the govt. is not permitting pre-paid facilities to move on. There are 1,73,000 prepaid mobilephone holders in the country and they are organizing a protest rally to demand their communication rights. Nepal | Censorship, Communication Rights

 NGO/Civil Society Statement on WIPO Development Agenda
16/07/2005 (The Group of Friends of Development) -- A group of public interest non-governmental organizations support the adoption of the proposal submitted by the Group of Friends o Development (FoD) for a Development Agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). To see the detailed proposal please read the full text. You can sign it by going to: http://www.ipjustice.org/WIPO/WIPO_DA.shtml
| Intellectual Property

 A draft of National frequency allocation plan (NFAP) and spectrum policy has been prepared in Bangladesh
03/07/2005 (Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication ) -- A draft of National frequency allocation plan (NFAP) and spectrum policy has been prepared aiming at ensuring proper allocation and use of country's network frequency. This was disclosed Wednesday at a workshop organised by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regularity Commission (BTRC) prior to finalise the plan at CIRDAP auditorium. Bangladesh | Communication Rights, Laws and Regulation, Media

 Iran's Internet Censorship Among Strictest In the World, Documents OpenNet
03/07/2005 (OpenNet Initiative (ONI)) -- The university-based OpenNet Initiative (ONI) released "Internet Filtering in Iran," a report that documents the degree and extent to which the Iranian government controls the information environment in which its citizens live, including websites, blogs, email, and online discussion forums. Iran | Censorship, Communication Rights, Content and Language, Freedom of Expression

 Voices from the Asia Pacific: Statement by UNDP Asia Pacific Development Programme
28/06/2005 (UNDP APDIP) -- The number of Internet Users will surpass one billion in 20051, and the Asia Pacific region contains a larger share of these users than either North America or Europe. The region has a critical stake in the discussions on Internet Governance, yet the region's participation in governance mechanisms has not matched its stake in the outcomes. | Internet Governance

 TRAI for 100% foreign ownership in radio services in India
27/06/2005 (rediff.com) -- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Monday recommended 100 per cent foreign ownership in satellite radio services and no entry and licence fee for the time being. India | Media, National ICT Strategies, Telecommunications

 Student Radio Opens at Khost University, Afghanistan
27/06/2005 (Michael Dwyer, NJTP Project Manager) -- This radio studio and training program is part of Sayara Media and Communication’s Novice Journalism Training Program (NJTP). The NJTP provides Afghanistan’s university students with practical radio and journalism training, internship schemes, computers and Internet access, computer training, and Youth Voice - a national student journalism network. Afghanistan | Media

 ITU Launches New Development Initiative to Bridge the Digital Divide
19/06/2005 (ITU - ITU) -- ITU Launches New Development Initiative to Bridge the Digital Divide Partnership will be the key to connecting communities | Access

 Internet Governance DVD
17/06/2005 (The DiploFoundation and UNDP-Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP)) -- The DiploFoundation and UNDP-Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP) both engaged in making Internet Governance more informed, inclusive and responsive to development needs, published this Internet Governance DVD. | Internet Governance

 The Oxford Consensus on Internet Governance
14/06/2005 -- The Oxford Internet Institute, in collaboration with the Berkman Center at Harvard Law School, is today publicly releasing 'The Oxford Consensus'. | Internet Governance