Dr. Takis Damaskopoulos from the European Institute of Interdisciplinary Research (EIIR) presented the method and areas of interest of CONCORD (Policy, Regulation and Governance Aspects of FI PPP). (FInES Cluster Meeting, December 2012)

1. CONCORD
POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE
ASPECTS OF FI PPP

2. FI PPP as a policy, regulation and governance field
FI PPP as a policy, regulation and governance field is a ‘contested terrain’
encompassing positions that range from ‘minimalism’ to ‘maximalism’.
Many divisions can be identified in this debate:
Technical or holistic FI PPP?
What is the place of government in FI PPP?
Evolutionary or revolutionary FI PPP?

3. FI PPP as a ‘layered’ compact of governance
One way to conceptualize a fruitful approach that addresses the policy,
regulation aspects of FI PPP is with reference to ‘layers’ of governance.
A physical infrastructure layer, through which information travels;
A code or logical layer that controls the infrastructure;
A content layer, which contains the information that runs through the
network.

4. Method
CONCORD adopts a ‘dialectical perspective’ that expresses the dialogue
between policy and technology. We are examining FI PPP policy, regulation
and governance from two analytically distinct, but in reality interrelated
perspectives:
FI PPP policy, regulation and governance as seen from a ‘technology
perspective’;
Technology as seen from a ‘policy, regulation and governance perspective’
Subset: ‘generic’ and ‘context specific’

5. Method
Phase 1: ‘technology perspective’ on policy, regulation and governance: the
‘tussle analysis’ (SESERV project) which takes the Internet as a platform
for stakeholder interactions and divides it into two distinct layers:
1) the ‘internet socio-economic layer’, which includes stakeholders with
varying socio-economic interests engaged in real-world socio-economic
transactions. Such stakeholders include end-users, ISPs, ASPs, regulators,
among others;
2) the ‘internet technology layer’, which includes technology choices
(including investments, configurations etc.) and technology outputs
(connectivity, QoS, mobility, security etc.).

6. Method
Phase 2: ‘policy, regulation and governance’ on technology: a multilevel
governance framework that calls for the narrowing or closing of the policy
“gaps” between levels of governance through the adoption of tools for
vertical and horizontal cooperation:.
The vertical dimension: EU institutions, national and regional governments
-‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ relationships
The horizontal dimension: opportunity for learning, information
transmission and cooperation across EU, national, regions, and urban/local
governance structures - coordination.

7. Emerging policy, regulation and governance areas
Issues examined in terms of a policy, regulation and governance as seen from a ‘technology perspective’:
Online Identity, including anonymity, digital presence, rights to delete information, etc.
Security of communications, including legal implications
Cloud computing, including the risks and benefits of virtual access to information, etc.
Green Internet issues, including reducing the carbon footprint of the ICT sector, ewaste, etc.
Content regulation, including copyright, licenses, open access, etc.
E-democracy, including transparency, open government data, empowered citizenship, services to citizens,
etc.
Digital citizenship, including individual and corporate rights and responsibilities, etc.
Digital inclusion, including access and use of Internet by vulnerable populations, etc.
Trust, including risk drivers, actors at risk, risk management, etc.
Online communities, including social networks, virtual relationships, etc.
Internet of things, and the connections between people and devices
Relationships between consumers and suppliers online
Distributed knowledge production, including e-science, e-learning, etc.
Cybercrime and Cyberlaw, including phishing, cracking, cyberterrorism, etc

8. Emerging policy, regulation and governance areas
Issues examined in terms of technology as seen from a ‘policy, regulation and governance perspective’:
 Social and political dynamics of unification and fragmentation of the Internet
 Tendencies of reassertion of national sovereignty in the Internet ‘space’
 Trends toward the commercial ‘digital territorialization’ of the Internet
 Trends toward the protection of, and challenges to, ‘net neutrality’
 Sets of political, legal, social and security reasons that act as drivers of potential fragmentation
 Future Internet and the role of cities (‘smart’ and otherwise)
 Scenaria of closed FI PPP systems and governance mechanisms across them
 Trends in the regulation of network operators (specifically regulatory variance regarding ‘open access’)
 Internet of Things and Internet of Doing Things
 FI PPP environment, energy and sustainability
 Internet-driven social impacts (social networks, fraud, piracy etc.)
 FI PPP trust, privacy and security

9. Emerging policy, regulation and governance areas
Other areas identified for thorough analysis and evaluation from both the perspectives include the
following:
Licensing, certification, regulations, policies
Standardization and interoperability: policy/regulation vs. market dynamics
Operational: trends in the design and delivery of clustered services
Trends in user-centric service design and open innovation
Policies, regulations and governance issues as they relate to emerging business models
Internet-driven economic and business innovation and productivity impacts
Dynamics of organizational decentralization/recentralization
Access and social inclusion: demographic and minority dynamics
Digital literacy, skills and inclusion.

10. ‘Matrix’ of policy, regulation and governance
Phase 1: Policy, regulation and governance as seen from a ‘technology
perspective’

11. ‘Matrix’ of policy, regulation and governance
Phase 2: Technology as seen from a ‘policy, regulation and governance
perspective’