ICC underscores need for Internet policies that encourage global economic growth

  • 25 October 2013
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At the 8th Internet Governance Forum in Bali, ICC has highlighted that organizations managing the Internet and national regulatory infrastructures need to develop the proper policy environments to allow businesses and individuals to capitalize on the economic and societal benefits of the Internet.

ICC BASIS also emphasized the importance of the IGF in continuing dialogue to help shape these policy changes. These were the key messages delivered at Tuesday’s opening of the IGF in Nusa Dua, Bali, by Joseph Alhadeff, Chair of the ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy on behalf of ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative.

Addressing approximately 1,700 global business leaders, government officials, Internet technical experts, and civil society representatives, Mr Alhadeff highlighted how investment in high speed networks and ICT services creates a platform for economic growth, job creation, and greater competitiveness. He stressed that to fully harness the potential of the digital economy, it is vital to match it with a policy framework that encourages investment in next-generation technologies without hindering the path to future innovation for technology and business.

“For the Internet to continue to be a driving force in global economic growth, we require more interoperable regulation, with globally consistent policy principles that engender people’s trust and provide the online protection consumers need,” he said. “Multistakeholder cooperation is vital for a unified approach to Internet governance and is the foundation for policy decision-making that champions and enables future economic growth.”

Mr Alhadeff drew attention to the strong and well-documented correlation between economic growth and investment in the Internet, urging stakeholders to collaborate more closely to deliver a framework for a more innovative, open Internet supported by global information flows.

As the voice of global business at multistakeholder and UN forums, ICC BASIS believes that an all-inclusive approach to public policy development remains the best way to address economic and other challenges associated with the on-going development of the Internet and information and communications technologies. It is also the most effective approach in preventing the creation of local barriers that threaten to disrupt the unparalleled growth of the Internet which has opened up the global marketplace.

As part of its focus on the important role played by the Internet in job creation and economic growth, ICC BASIS also highlighted the effective use of multistakeholder principles at a workshop, co-organized by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the government of Brazil, and the Internet Society. Open to all stakeholders, the workshop examined the effective use of multistakeholder principles at national, regional and international levels.