Principal Authors: Daniel Pimienta, Senaida Jansen
Date of Publication: 1999-10-13
Date of HTML Modification: 1999-11-17
Original Language: Français
Regions: Haiti
Subjects: The Haitian Network
Type of Document: Editorials
See Related Articles

We have just heard a sad piece of news, which might be the final act of the chronicle of a death foretold for some years, against pluralism and the Internet broadening in Haiti.

Please take the time to read this message, and send a protest note to the Presidency of the Republic of Haiti via its Embassy in the USA: embassy@haiti.org.

This is a shortened message. The whole message is readable in: http://www.funredes.org/english/editoriales.php3/docid/345 as well as the public declaration of the Sustainable Development Network of Haiti (RDDH).

SHORTENED MESSAGE:
============================
....
>From: "Sheila L." epublic@hotmail.com
>Subject: Urgent: Regulator imposed Telecom blackout in Haiti
>Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 15:29:29 PDT
...
>This message is an SOS: as of September 27, 1999 the first and largest
>Internet Service Provider in Haiti (ACN, Alpha Network Communications) 
>has been closed, as a result of a decision of CONATEL (...a regulatory
>body).
...
>brutal, arbitrary closing, without notice and without decision by any court
...
>... the decision of CONATEL violate the telecommunications law in force 
>in Haiti. 
>The situation is currently at a standstill because, according to CONATEL, the
>order to disconnect ACN came from the Presidency of the Republic.
...
>We call for the support and the solidarity of all Internet users, of the
>actors and actresses of the network, so that:
>- 80% of the Haitian Internet users could be connected again as soon as
>possible
>- the problem were publicly addressed, during TELECOM 99, to the director of
>CONATEL, Mr. Ceant.
>
>Please use all the means you have: the net, the media, the telephone, your
>friends --whether they are influential or not. We need an international echo.
>We are powerless without you, dear Internet users: broadcast the message,
>translate it if necessary. Help us.
>
>Internetly yours,
>
>Sheila Laplanche
==========================END OF SHORTENED MESSAGE

To understand better this note coming from Port-au-Prince, you may find it useful to know a couple of facts:

Sheila is a colleague who has worked with the REFER network from the AUPELF, for the diffusion of the Internet in the Haitian academic world.

ACN is the first ISP of the country, both chronologically (since 1992 with cc.mail) and regarding the number of subscribers.

ACN has provided the researchers with access, through a cooperation with the REHRED network, and, until a few days ago, was the gateway for the 500 terminals connected to the Internet in the University of Haiti (which is now isolated).

In March 1997, ACN was deprived of the technical management of the national top-level domain (.HT), along with REHRED of the administrative management, for the benefit of a new company, Hintel Focus, linked to MCI. This scandalous action was made possible as a result of political pressures on the IANA, which then contradicted its own rules, taking an awkward decision which caused a public debate that has been published at: http://funredes.org/funredes/domaine/

In 1998, ACN services were interrupted for a few days as a result of a non-founded charge of the same type. On that occasion, CONATEL went back on its decision.

In June 1999, the sustainable development network of the UNDP (RDDH) organized a meeting of conciliation gathering all the actors, to try to put an end to a situation which had prevented the use of the .HT domain for 2 years. The company which had received the charge of the national top level domain had shown its will to "resolve the situation of the .HT domain". This action may complicate further that issue.

What lies hidden behind this decision? It might be possible to fear an attempt at savagely creating a monopoly in telecommunications, closely linked to the North-American company MCI, which would then control at the same time voice and data, static and mobile. The situation is too confuse to be sure of that; however it is clear that the company which has invest the most in time and money for the expansion of the Internet is outed from the market and this will be for the benefits of others.

It might also be possible to fear, a few months before the next elections in Haiti (for parliament in March 2000, for President in December 2000) an attempt, by a political group, to takeover communications and information in the country.

Be it as it may, hundreds of Haitians, researchers, academics and scholars, actors and actresses of the development, or entrepreneurs, do not have access to the Internet any longer; and the company which has been the pioneer in this field can no longer have access to the market which would enable it to support its action for the growth of the Internet.

We cannot accept that. Please help, mobilize yourself, distribute this note. You may also write a protest, sending your letter to: embassy@haiti.org.

Daniel Pimienta
President of Foundation Networks & Development (FUNREDES) -
http://funredes.org/english
and Senaïda Jansen.

contact@funredes.org
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