[ga] ITU & The great African internet robbery

[DannyYounger@cs.com]

Excerpt:  

Africa is being ripped off - to the tune of some $500m a year - simply for 
hooking up to the World Wide Web, say Kenyan internet company chiefs.   
According to Kenya's Internet Service Providers (ISP) Association, the 
continent is being forced by Western companies to pay the full cost of 
connecting to worldwide networks. 

Chairman Richard Bell says this has led to the unfair exploitation of the 
continent's young internet industry.   He says the problem is that 
International Telecommunications Union regulations - which ensures the costs 
of telephone calls between Africa and the West are split 50:50 - are not 
being enforced with regard to the internet. 

"British Telecom doesn't spend one single penny... America Online doesn't 
spend one single cent in sending emails to Africa."   The total cost of any 
email sent or received by an African internet user is borne entirely by 
African ISPs, Mr Bell said on the BBC African service programme Talkabout 
Africa. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1931000/1931120.stm
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