<nettime> Re: Haiti's internet in danger

[owner-nettime-l@bbs.thing.net]

[This is a  babelfish translation, watch your head]


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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