WCIT Documents Published For First Time

All substantive documents filed for the UN-led World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) have been made public, many of them for the first time.

The text were published by the .nxt platform, a private information service covering internet policy founded by former British journalist and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) communications employee Kieran McCarthy. The compilation especially includes all contributions by the member states of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), many of which had not been publicly available so far. It has already resulted in observations about differences between publicly made statements and proposals filed, for example in the case of India.

The WCIT, taking place from 3-14 December, is set to review the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), a treaty on international telecommunication dating back to 1988 and outdated after over two decades of market liberalisation and success of the internet protocol-based internet.

McCarthy explained the reason for the publication of the documents. “Contained within the WCIT documents are a number of proposals that have far greater impact and import than the system was ever designed to handle,” he wrote. “Several proposals, if accepted, would have a significant impact on the internet.” The publication of the full documents will better allow a reasonable debate beyond mere conspiracy theories than the publication of only selections of leaked documents.

Documents can be reviewed on the .nxt as html files and also can be commented upon. McCarthy also announced that the system was designed to allow for a “real-time and readily accessible overview and decisions and discussions as the happen next month in Dubai.” The .nxt project is yet another lesson in transparency for the ITU and its member states.

The .nxt access to WCIT documents is here: http://news.dot-nxt.com/2012/11/23/why-we-are-making-all-wcit-doc