Re: [soac-newgtldapsup-wg] FW: JAS WG Milestone - response and recommendation

[Eric Brunner-Williams <ebw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Colleagues,

I concur with Tijani that the issue of applicants located in _least_ 
developed economies/countries has been considered, along with the 
issue of applicants located in developing economies/countries.
I also concur with Tijani that "Entrepreneurs/SME's in Green 
Technology Solutions" is out of scope.
Having been personally involved in the effort to deliver the most 
needed aid to keep the Haitian network -- governmental, NGO, and 
private components -- operational during days 4 to 14 after last 
year's quake -- unglamorous diesel fuel for the generators at the 
Boutillier Hill NAP, which powered the only surviving link, the 
microwave relay to the DR, I reached the conclusion that the mode of 
energy, "green" or some other color, is irrelevant to the momentary 
operational requirements of internet infrastructure providers.
Some in the responder community advocated a change of technology, with 
"green" as a component of the proposed technologies, as the central 
element of the response, and many NGOs in place prior to the event 
used alternate technology (typically VSAT links to some NAP, 
restricted wireless or wireline, and solar/generator/battery power at 
the point of service). However, every kilometer of wireline 
infrastructure repaired delivered power and voice/data to all 
surviving structures and temporary camps passed by the repaired 
infrastructure, and most closely conformed to the momentary and most 
likely medium and long-term habitation, business and governmental 
situation on the ground.
The choice, made by the affected parties, not the responder community, 
to repair, not replace, the existing data wireline infrastructure and 
its non-green electrical dependency, as well as the non-green power 
distribution network (adjacent cable infrastructure), was, and 
remains, in my opinion, the better engineering choice.
A "green technology" may be relevant to the sustained operational 
requirements of internet infrastructure providers, in the long run, 
but our problem is the problem of the start-up.
Eric