"A Giant Step Backward or the Way Forward An Analysis of some Proposals before WCIT" http://lirneasia.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Samarajiva-WCIT-Final_9.12.p...
Executive Summary In December, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will convene the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the purpose of revising the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) that govern the way nations handle telecommunications network traffic as it crosses their borders. Among the most troubling proposals submitted to the ITU’s Council Working Group to prepare for WCIT-12 are the contribution from European Telecommunications Network Operators Association (ETNO) and the Africa Region contribution submitted by Egypt. ETNO wants the ITU to designate Internet content providers as “call originators” and subject them to a “sending party network pays” rule that would allow telecommunications operators to charge them rates they believe are commensurate with the bandwidth their content consumes. Such a change would have enormous implications for the expansion of the digital economy in the developing world. ...