Hi folks,
After more than five years since our first conversations with the Ministry of Telecommunications here in Ecuador, and various other conversations, there’s now a “Digital Transformation” law in the works, and the regulations to implement that law are being drafted. So far, some of what we’ve said has been heard, and other parts ignored. @valeriab @steve @nicopace @Nil @karlavelascor @carlos and others have been part of conversations at various moments in the past.
As mentioned in Plan to create a more private space for national consultation discussions - #2 by carlos , maybe we could make a members-only space for conversation? That discussion would be mostly in Spanish, with some translation if needed by folks who could share ideas.
One of the things I asked folks in Argentina when they got the community networks into law was, “What was your biggest dream for that law, beyond what actually got passed?” I think that can be a useful guide, along with the actual law, in order to keep our minds on what we want, beyond what’s politically feasible in a particular moment. So, if anyone here can share drafts of laws or regulations based on their biggest dreams, please do!
One thing I will say publicly about this regulation is that Ministry and the regulatory agency are proposing to limit community networks to only areas they designate as “rural, marginal urban, or priority”. I think that community networks can be useful in many places, and that decision belongs to the people in a place, not to the state. The state doesn’t prohibit cooperative grocery stores in urban middle class neighborhoods, so why would it prohibit community networks there? Has anyone else encountered this argument in other countries?