huridocs-tech Haiti's Internet in danger

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
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## author     : owner-nettime-l@bbs.thing.net
## date       : 14.10.99
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We have just learned a sad news which would like the final
act of the chronicle of a crime announced since a few years,
against the pluralism and the opening of the Internet in
Haiti.

Take time to read this message and to send a note of protest
to the Presidency of the Republic of Haiti through the
address of its Embassy in the United States:
<embassy@haiti.org>.

It is about a shortened message. The integral message is
consultable with:
<http://www.funredes.org/funredes/ht-tld.htm> as well as the
public statement of the Durable Network of Development
(RDDH).

MESSAGE NON INTEGRAL:
============================

This message is a message S.O.S: since September 27, 1999
the first and the largest provider of Internet access in
Haiti (ACN, Alpha Network Communications) are closed, by
decision of the CONATEL (... organization of regulation).
closing brutal, arbitrary, without notice and decision of
any court......... the measurement of Conatel violates the
law in force on telecommunications in Haiti.

The situation for the moment is blocked because, to the
statements of the CONATEL, the command to disconnect ACN
came from the President from the Republic... We request the
support and the solidarity of the Net surfers, of the actors
of the network for:

- that 80% of the Net surfers haitiens can be reconnectés
the earliest possible

- that the problem is posed publicly with TELECOM 99 with
the director of Conatel, Mr Ceant.

Please use all the means you have: the Net, medias, the
telephone, your friends influential or not. We need an
international noise. We are impotent without you other dear
Net surfers, transmit to it message, translate it if
necessary. Help us.

To clarify this message coming from Port with the Prince, it
should be known that:

- Sheila is a colleague who worked, with network REFER of
the AUPELF, with the diffusion of the Internet in Haiti in
the university world.

- ACN is the first provider of Internet services of the
country, chronologically (since 1992 with cc.mail) and in a
number of subscribers.

- ACN had facilitated access with the researchers through a
collaboration with network REHRED and, until it there has a
few days, was the gate of access of the 500 terminals
conectés to the Internet in the University of Haiti (which
finds itself now insulated).

- In March 1997, ACN had been dispossessed of the technical
management of the national field (HT) at the same time as
REHRED of administrative management to the profit of a new
company on the ground, been dependent on MCI. This
scandalous action could have been done following political
pressures on the IANA which had then contradicted its own
payments in an awkward decision which had caused a debate
publicdont you can take note with:
<http://funredes.org/funredes/domaine/>

- In 1998, ACN had been cut for a few days on the basis of
charge without base of the same type. The CONATEL had then
reconsidered its decision.]

- In June 1999, the durable network of development of UNDP
(RDDH) had organized a meeting of conciliation of all the
actors to try to finish some with a situation which had
prevented the use of field HT during 2 years.  The company
which vait received the load of this national field had
expressed its intention to want " to regularize the
situation of field HT ". This action is likely to strongly
complicate this business.

What does it hide behind this decision? One could fear an
attempt at brutal creation of a monopoly of
telecommunications, very related to the North-American
company MCI, which would control at the same time voices and
given, fixed and mobile. The situation is too confused to be
sure for it, but what is certain it is that the company
which A invests more and since longer in the expansion of
the Internet brutally left the market and which that will
benefit others.

One could also fear, in a few months of the next elections
(legislative in March 2000, presidential in December 2000)
an attempt at takeover of a political group on the
communication and the information of the country. Whatever
the real motivation, of the hundreds of haitiens and
haitiennes, researchers, academics, actors and actresses of
the development or contractors do not have any more access
to the Internet. The company which was the pionnière in this
field accés more at the market which would enable him to
support its action...

That is not acceptable. Help by mobilizing you and diffusing
this advertisement. Write a letter of protest with:
<embassy@haiti.org>.



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