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Yesterday I shared the outline of a presentation that I made at the OECD Ministerial stakeholder side meeting that is being held in Seoul this week. I thought that it would be worthwhile sharing with you some of the higher level goals of the BIAC day that I participated in.

The goal of the session was for business leaders from around the world to express their views on the topic being discussed, and reach conclusions that will be expressed in a final report to be delivered to the Ministerial Meeting later in the week.

With the permission of the authors of the final report I thought I would share some of these outcomes with you, they make interesting and thought provoking reading;

We, the business community, envisage an Internet that is global in scope, interconnected in fact, inclusive by design, secure, reliable and available, and serving users who are increasingly mobile.

We see an Internet that is a key enabler of:

A virtuous circle of investment and innovation spurred by a growing ecosystem of services providers, application developers, device and hardware manufacturers

Innovation fueled by creativity, enabled by technology and empowering creators and users

Economic growth and social benefit in national and regional economies driven by new business models, technologies and services, as well as by greater efficiency and productivity of existing business models and services

Expanded access to and quality of education and skills development, including from ICTs,from early schooling through life-long learning, resulting in increased employment opportunities and social welfare, both within and across borders

Increased user choice of applications, products and services, provided through a wide variety of high capacity platforms, which are more available, affordable, and user-friendly

Better access to health care, particularly for those in remote areas or with fewer financial resources, through tele-medicine and related services, applications, and capabilities

Increased participation by individuals in the Internet economy not just as consumers but also as producers of information, content and services within the context of evolving uses of the Internet

Greater respect and empowerment for all stakeholders – building upon cultural, social and gender diversity and improved opportunities and mechanisms for greater collaboration and communication between across those stakeholder groups

Increased trust and confidence in the Internet, its infrastructure, and the applications and services that protect all users, especially children and the elderly

Sustainability and an eco-conscious society driven and supported by innovative ICT solutions

The report then goes on to articulate several areas where the business stakeholders felt that Government policy makers needed to act to carry these ideas forwards;

While business has the principal responsibility to bring expertise, investment and creativity to this process, the appropriate balance of government policies can continue to positively drive the future benefits of the Internet.

Therefore, for this vision to be realized, certain framework conditions must be put in place through multi-stakeholder cooperation to support the development of a broad range of sophisticated and increasingly “real-time” services transactions, communications, networks and interactions. Among these conditions are:

Support for innovation and investment

An environment characterized by appropriate incentives and legal protections, where innovation and creativity can flourish across communities, business models and disciplines

Open, fair and competitive marketplaces for new and existing market players

Incentives for investment in high speed communications infrastructure and next generation networks, as well as new media and information technologies, that will provide adequate capacity, security and capabilities for future Internet supported development and connectivity

Respect for Intellectual Property rights, and further development of systems to enforce those rights

Transparent legal and regulatory frameworks that are applied fairly with predictable outcomes

Focus on privacy and security

Continued and enhanced respect for both the privacy of personal information and the benefits of global information flows and practical solutions that might be applicable such as outreach, coordination and accountability across and for all stakeholders

A stable, reliable and trusted infrastructure capable of addressing and responding to emerging risks and threats

Better disaster preparedness in co-operation with the private sector

Market driven standards

Respect for recognized international standards that are established through market-driven, consensus-based mechanisms

As you read this text remember that it is being expressed in terms that are designed to be relevant at a ministerial or national policy level, not to directly address technical issues or debates – although of course the two are closely related. Many of these issues and statements are in the realm of the obvious for the technical community, but it will still take time before policy makers completely buy into the arguments that are being made in support of the Internet as a commerce and service delivery platform.

If you’re interested in reading more then the document can be downloaded from the BIAC site here.

As the week has progressed there have been a few debates that have been both fascinating and enlightening, I’ll try and find time later in the week to document a couple of them.