July 2015 - isoc - Skunkworks Site

Fwd: [Internet Policy] Chicago’s cloud tax
by Barrack Otieno 02 Jul '15

02 Jul '15

Listers, Interesting read. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Joly MacFie" <joly(a)punkcast.com> Date: Jul 2, 2015 10:36 AM Subject: [Internet Policy] Chicago’s cloud tax To: "internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org" <InternetPolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Cc: This could be an alarming development if it caught on internationally? http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/1/8876817/chicago-cloud-tax-online-streaming… <snip intro> Chicago's new tax is actually composed of two recent rulings made by the city's Department of Finance: one covering "electronically delivered amusements" and another covering "nonpossessory computer leases." Each one takes an existing tax law and extends it to levy an extra 9 percent tax on certain types of online services. The first ruling presumably covers streaming media services like Netflix and Spotify, while the second would cover remote database or computing platforms like Amazon Web Services or Lexis Nexis. Under the new law, what passes as $100 of server time in Springfield would cost $109 if you're conducting it from an office in Chicago. Although the tax is technically levied on consumers, some companies are already preparing to collect it as part of the monthly bill. Netflix says it’s already making arrangements to add the tax to the cost charged to its Chicago customers. "Jurisdictions around the world, including the US, are trying to figure out ways to tax online services," said a Netflix representative, reached by The Verge. "This is one approach." The result for services is both higher prices and a new focus on localization. For the web services portion, the most likely effect is simply moving servers outside of the city limits — and, where possible, the offices that use them. Once implemented, streaming services will also have to keep closer track of which subscribers fall under the new tax, whether through billing addresses or more restrictive methods like IP tracking, which is already used to enforce rights restrictions. Some lawyers have already taken issue with the city's move. After the rulings were announced, Reed Smith partner Michael Wynne argued the taxes violate both the Federal Telecommunications Act and, in the case of the second ruling, 1998's Internet Tax Freedom Act, intended to prevent discrimination against services delivered over the internet. "I could do that same activity of research using books or periodicals without being taxed," Wynne says. "So it does seem like I'm being picked on because I chose to do it online." But while the law may seem onerous, it's also a response to an increasingly difficult reality for cash-strapped cities, particularly as online services start to take a bite out of the businesses in the urban center. Twenty years ago, the same albums and movies were consumed at video rental outlets and music stores — which paid local property taxes, potentially paired with municipal sales taxes and other brick-and-mortar duties. But as online subscription services take over more and more of our music and video budgets, that money ends up disappearing from the traditional municipal tax base. By 2015, the people of Chicago are being entertained by corporations outside of the reach of the city government, leaving it scrambling to make up the difference. Facing a severe budget shortfall, it's easy to see how a city might look toward online services to fill the gap. Still, the net result for cloud services and customers alike is a confusing hodgepodge. If taxes like Chicago's become widespread, it could become a persistent problem for services like the newly launched Apple Music, which hope to tempt listeners away from ad-supported services like Spotify’s free tier. It would also mean further monitoring on where media is being consumed, which would mean the experience of using a VPN to watch a US-only video might be a harbinger of things to come. In the meantime, the law world is struggling to piece through what the old laws will really mean for the cloud. "There's no question that the city needs revenue and I can see where things are escaping the old tax base," says Wynne, "I think the objectionable part is that, instead of drafting new laws for that, we're simply stretching the old laws to fit." -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org -------------------------------------------------------------- - -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org -------------------------------------------------------------- - _______________________________________________ To manage your ISOC subscriptions or unsubscribe, please log into the ISOC Member Portal: https://portal.isoc.org/ Then choose Interests & Subscriptions from the My Account menu.

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Watch live on 2 July - WSIS+10 consultations from the UN in New York
by Barrack Otieno 01 Jul '15

01 Jul '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dan York <york(a)isoc.org> Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2015 17:25:07 +0000 Subject: [Internet Policy] Watch live on 2 July - WSIS+10 consultations from the UN in New York To: Internet Policy External <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Internet-Policy members, Tomorrow (2 July) Constance will be speaking at the U.N. in New York as part of the consultations leading up to the 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). She wrote about what she will be saying in her remarks: https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/public-policy/2015/07/isoc-speaking-2-… and that has been shared out to social media at: https://twitter.com/internetsociety/status/616294137101357056 https://twitter.com/ISOCPolicy/status/616294137059356672 https://www.facebook.com/InternetSociety/posts/10152724560723239 https://plus.google.com/+InternetSociety/posts/3m1Ssou3AJm The session will be streamed live from 10:00am until 6:00pm US Eastern (UTC-4) at: http://webtv.un.org/ More information about WSIS - and the Internet Society's positions related to WSIS - can be found at: https://www.internetsociety.org/wsis Regards, Dan -- Dan York Senior Content Strategist, Internet Society york(a)isoc.org<mailto:york@isoc.org> +1-802-735-1624 Jabber: york(a)jabber.isoc.org<mailto:york@jabber.isoc.org> Skype: danyork http://twitter.com/danyork http://www.internetsociety.org/<http://www.internetsociety.org/deploy360/> -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/

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Tough new rules force all Internet users to list their gadgets
by Grace Githaiga 01 Jul '15

01 Jul '15

Kenyans using Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet in public places will be required to register their mobile devices with the Kenya Network Information Centre (Kenic), under new rules aimed at fighting cybercrime.The customers will be required to provide their telephone numbers and identity card details, which can be used to track them down should they use their gadgets to commit cybercrimes such as fraud or hacking websites. Read on: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/CA-WiFi-Internet-Rules-Cybercrime/-/1056/27711…

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Fw: USTTI News and Updates
by Daniel Otieno Omondi 01 Jul '15

01 Jul '15

FYI. Daniel Omondi +254722756211 --- On Mon, 6/29/15, USTTI <joconnor(a)ustti.org> wrote: > From: USTTI <joconnor(a)ustti.org> > Subject: USTTI News and Updates > To: dottocomp(a)yahoo.com > Date: Monday, June 29, 2015, 10:55 PM > > > > > > USTTI: News Updates > > > > > > #yiv0172019186 .yiv0172019186date {font-family:verdana, > arial, helvetica, > sans-serif;font-size:8pt;font-weight:bold;color:#FFFFFF;} > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jun 29 > 2015 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > USTTI June > Update > June 23, 2015 > > > 2015 Training Numbers > > > To date during 2015 the USTTI graduated 92 scholars from 41 > developing countries. Subject matter experts for government > and industry have conducted USTTI's tuition free > training on critical ICT topics including Spectrum > Management, Cybersecurity, ICT Policy, and Mobile Broadband. > USTTI Board Members (AT&T, Cisco Systems Inc., Ericsson, > FCC, GSM Association, IBM, Intel Corporation, Internet > Society, Microsoft Corporation, NTIA, QUALCOMM Incorporated, > TCI International Incorporated, and Verizon) have conducted > 20 courses during our first trimester, growing our alumni > network to 9,259 scholars and 171 developing countries. > > > Course sponsors are currently reviewing applications for > third trimester courses which will begin in early September. > The third trimester features courses addressing > Cybersecurity and ICT Policy, Spectrum Management, Spectrum > Monitoring, Telehealth, and Emergency Communications. We > encourage officials seeking acceptance to these highly > popular courses to apply immediately. > > > USTTI - African Union Lecture Series > > > On June 4th, in collaboration with Ambassador Amina Salum > Ali, Permanent Representative of the African Union Mission > to the US, the USTTI began a lecture series for Embassy > officials of African countries based in Washington. During > this first session the USTTI introduced key subjects such as > cybersecurity, internet governance, and broadband deployment > to DC based diplomats from Zambia, The Ivory Coast, Lesotho, > Sierra Leone, Malawi, Madagascar, Swaziland, Mozambique, > Ghana, Cameroon, Namibia, The Republic of The Congo, > Zimbabwe, Uganda, Liberia, Gabon, and Kenya. The lectures > were conducted by subject matter experts from IBM, Intel, > and the NTIA and provided the foundation for these Embassy > officials to better understand key ICT issues being > addressed in their home country. > > > 2015 USTTI Chairman's Award > > > Congratulations to Donna Gregg, recipient of the 2015 USTTI > Chairman's Award. On an annual basis USTTI Chairman > Michael R. Gardner presents the award to one of the hundreds > of USTTI volunteer professors who display extraordinary > service to USTTI scholars. Donna Gregg is the lead > instructor of the course "The Rule of Law and Best > Practices in Telecommunications Regulation." Through > this important course, she has empowered 69 women and men > from 23 developing countries to strengthen the rule of law > in their home country. > > > New Curriculum Coordinator > > > The USTTI is pleased to welcome our newest Curriculum > Coordinator Yevin Jayatilake. Yevin graduated from American > University in three years while majoring in International > Relations. Yevin, a Rockville, Maryland Native, brings a > strong work with diverse experience which will be useful in > working with scholars from around the globe. > > > 15-240 > Please note that USTTI course 15-240 "Radio Spectrum > Monitoring Techniques and Procedures" sponsored by the > Federal Communications Commission and Keysight Technologies > has been rescheduled to now take place from August 3 to > August 7. Anyone requiring information about the highly > technical hands-on course should contact USTTI Executive > Director Jim O'Connor (joconnor(a)ustti.org) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Copyright © 2015 USTTI > 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 702 > Washington, DC 20036-4131 USA > Phone: +1-202-785-7373 > Fax: +1-202-785-1930 > train(a)ustti.org > > > > > To unsubscribe/change preferences: > click > here > To subscribe: > click > here > Our address: > 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW > Suite 702 > Washington, District of Columbia 20036 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

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