THEME IV: INTRODUCING COHERENCE INTO THE COMMUNITY NETWORK MOVEMENT August 19 1.30 - 2.15 pm TELECOMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR AN ONTARIO INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE Rory O'Brien, Member, Council for an Ontario Information Infrastructure and WEB Program Coordinator Mr. O'Brien's speech has been put up on the conference log (Conference Paper no. 5). The theme of his presentation was the Ontario Telecommunications Strategy. He referred both to the Task Force report "Telecommunications: Enabling Ontario's Future" (August 1992) and the Telecommunications Strategy which was announced last February by Premier Bob Rae and Economic Development and Trade Minister Frances Lankin as the government's response. Further information and documentation can be obtained by contacting Anna Larsen, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade(phone: 416-325-6686). This multi-year strategy is a government-wide commitment to invest strategically in Ontario's future. There are two program components. Some $100 million in jobsOntario funding will be made available over four years for the delivery of the Ontario Network Infrastructure Program (ONIP) - a program designed to accelerate the development of telecommunications based information networks, in partnership with the private sector, which will foster business competitiveness, strengthen Ontario's R&D capability, provide opportunities for lifelong education and training, support community development and create jobs. Telecom sector projects will also have access to the $150 million Sector Partnership Fund (SPF). Finally a new Council has been formed, of which Mr. O'Brien is a member; this council will work with Minister Lankin to recommend priorities, initiatives and timetables, as well as comment on project proposals. ONIP project funding has already been approved for the National Capital FreeNet, Onet (the Ontario regional component of CA*net) and for a project to provide a telecom enabled community economic development strategy for North-western Ontario. Groups seeking project funding must submit complete proposals by October 1. COMMUNITY ACCESS TO THE ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY: FREEWAY OR TOLL ROAD? Brian Penney, CANARIE Associates and Vice President, Gandalf Technologies This presentation focussed on the CANARIE (Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and Education) initiative. Further information on CANARIE can be obtained by contacting Rafiq Khan (phone: 613-660-3998) or Tess McLean (phone: 416-943-3532, e-mail: mclean@vm.utcc.utoronto.ca). The mission of CANARIE is to support the development of the communications infrastructure for a knowledge-based Canada, and thereby contribute to Canadian competitiveness in all sectors of the economy, to prosperity, job creation and the quality of life. There are two thrusts: to stimulate the telecommunications sector by accelerating the development of next generation technologies and advanced network products, systems and services; and to use telecommunications to support Canada's advance to a knowledge-based society by pushing research, education and certain key sectors of the economy. The government has approved Phase I funding of $26 million, which will be handled by CANARIE Inc. This will include an upgrade of CA*net, the national backbone for Canadian Internet nodes, to T1 speeds; the implementation of a high speed test network, consisting initially of two or three nodes, by Stentor and Unitel; and a $16 million fund, which must be spent by March 31,1995, to stimulate the development of high speed network applications and services. CANARIE Inc. will also look at a number of policy issues. These include the tariffs that will be charged for network use; eligibility criteria for using the network (including a commercial use policy); relationship to the telecom carriers; applications development directions; and terms of funding. FreeNet developers across Canada should engage CANARIE Inc. in a serious discussion regarding direct and subsidized access to the Internat and to the network of FreeNets. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY NETWORKS: ALTERNATIVES FOR STRUCTURE Garth Graham, Community Access Network Information Services Garth Graham's paper has been put up on the conference log (Conference Paper no. 6). Garth stated that one of his agendas for the conference was the emergence of some kind of a national organization that would promote the development of FreeNets, and support the growth of community telecomputing networks in Canada. He referred to the following quotation from the article "Domesticating Cyberspace" (Scientific American, August 1993) "The Internet is a wonderful sociological experiment. The question is can it be scaled up to an industrial strength network and still retain its flavour?" The objectives of such a national organization could include: increase the number of networks for community development; link FreeNet organizations; create a network culture and educate for computer mediated communications; support the right to learn and to know; and to create global economic opportunities for all Canadians. Its tasks could include: acting as a clearinghouse for information, research and evaluation; harmonizing the interests of FreeNets with CA*net, CANARIE and the telecommunications carriers; dealing with other national organizations and the federal government; and representing the public interest with respect to community computing at telecom policy fora, to influence the evolution of policy and the regulatory environment in a direction which will support community computing and widespread access to this new communications medium. Garth discussed four types of models for a national network: Each One Teach One (replication); a Central National Organization (like the NPTN in the U.S.); a Council of Regional Networks (like the regional components of CA*net); and a Community of Networked Communities, along the lines of the Internet model. The last model, with its decentralized organization structure, equality of partners, horizontal links, no hierarchies and no owners, is his preferred one. He also proposed a variety of possible names for the national organization including: National Association for Community Networking (NACN); Canadian Public Telecomputing Network (CPTN); Canadian Alliance for Community Network Access (CACNA); and the Canadian Council for Communet Practices (CCCP). His preferred one is CYBERBIA. SUMMARY In addition to expediting the development of more FreeNets, which serve as the foundation for everything else, the Canadian FreeNet community should start discussing a number of issues which go beyond local ones and will affect the environment in which community networks develop in Canada. These include: whether a national organization is needed to represent the interests of FreeNets, and if so what model is most appropriate; direct access by FreeNets to the Internet, via a national backbone like CA*NET, and the terms and conditions of such access; and the question of "commercial use" by the small business community. Let the debate begin!