Good day, Mr. Secretary General, your Excellencies, Honorable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Andrew Sullivan, President and CEO of the Internet Society. Thank you to the ITU for this forum and for the opportunity to share our views.  We especially appreciated the multistakeholder preparatory process leading to today’s discussion.  We commend you, Mr. Secretary General, for a concise report on the WTFP 2021. We are glad to see the report emphasize the critical role of an enabling policy environment in developing effective infrastructure investment policies.  

At the Internet Society, we believe that the Internet is not only a global technical infrastructure, but also a resource to enrich people’s lives and a force for good in society.  We think the Internet is for everyone; and so, while we are encouraged by the growth of connectivity according to the latest ITU figures, we recognize that it is no time to grow complacent: the rest of humanity needs connectivity too! 

In our experience, frameworks and guiding principles that promote inclusive, open, collaborative, and participatory processes are the most effective way to ensure connectivity, because they allow stakeholders to tailor infrastructure needs to their local or regional reality.  We believe there is an opportunity to enhance this point in the report by taking into account “inclusive processes for effective policy-making.” 

Our contribution to the Draft opinions expands on this observation.  To close the connectivity gap, we must go beyond the status quo and consider innovative approaches. This includes integrating and highlighting the term “complementary access solutions” to these opinions, as well as adding examples such as community networks; thus, can we offer the diverse global connectivity ecosystem the opportunity to scale and thrive. To be effective, such opinions should consider regulatory frameworks that enable access to spectrum in rural, remote, unserved and under-served areas; that facilitate the acquisition of licenses; and that use universal service funds in innovative ways to reach the hardest places to connect. 

Given humanity’s collective experience during the global COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot help recognizing the importance of the Internet to all people.  Let us not tire in our efforts to expand infrastructure and enable complementary forms of connectivity.