WG A – ACCESS

This group had the task of defining and agreeing upon a set of ambitious and yet actionable set of commitments that fell under the following Contract principles:

• Principle 1: [Governments will] “Ensure everyone can connect to the internet. So that anyone, no matter who they are or where they live, can participate actively online.”
• Principle 4: [Companies will] “Make the internet affordable and accessible to everyone. So that no one is excluded from using and shaping the web.”

This Working Group focused on fleshing out government and private sector commitments to achieve principles 1 and 4 around affordable access, connectivity, and accessibility standards online. How can we achieve an internet access that is affordable, and how can we ensure that getting online is a possibility for everyone? What does inclusive connectivity look like in different regions and countries around the world, and how do we close the divide between those online and offline?

Group Members

Chair: Lydia Carroon, Microsoft
Co-Chair: Eleanor Sarpong, Web Foundation

WG Advisor: Mike Jensen

(participants in alphabetical order)

• Adam Micklethwaite, Good Things Foundation
• Agang K. Ditlhogo, Tetra Tech
• Ben Bartlett, Facebook
• Gonzalo López-Barajas, Telefónica
• Gus Rossi, Public Knowledge
• Ibrahim Cisse, UBUNTEAM
• Jean-Noé Landry, OpenNorth
• Katja Bego, Nesta
• Kevin Connolly, Microsoft
• Michael Kende, Non-Affiliated
• Mwendwa Kivuva, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet)
• Nilmini Rubin, Tetra Tech
• Paul Garnett, Microsoft
• Ray Vahey, Bit Chute Limited
• Roshan Ghadamian, Cyber Republic
• Tiago Bessa, Vieira de Almeida & Associados, SP, RL
• Tope Ogundipe, Paradigm Initiative
• TBC, Government of Germany