FYI
Wikipedia Zero on Airtel Nigeria https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Airtel_Offers_Nigerians_Free_Access_to_Wikipedia and some comments on Net Neutrality and The Wikipedia Zero project.
Enjoy reading.
-Enock
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: rupert THURNER rupert.thurner@gmail.com Date: Thu, May 29, 2014 at 8:55 PM Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Airtel Offers Nigerians Free Access to Wikipedia To: Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, communications@wikimedia.org
another sad day, wikimedia foundation as the vicarious servant of the telecom industry on its way destroying net neutrality. and another day where wikimedia foundation helps driving an illegal practice according european and brazilian laws :(
for the ones in the US, read and file here comments for / against net neutrality: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment_search/execute?proceeding=14-28 https://www.fcc.gov/comments
just picked two arbitrary of the 47'000 comments alone in the last 30 days:
colin farell: There is nothing quite like trampling on the common citizen to advanced the interests of large corporations. Killing net neutrality is a horrible idea, that hurts consumer interest. I would like to see the FCC act in the interest of people not massive corporations.
timothy ford: Your website URL is FCC.gov. Do you know why it ends in "Dot" "GOV"? It is because your organization is part of the government of the United States of America. This governing body is made up of our peers that we have voted into office to serve the better good of the public. Your current actions do not reflect what is good for the public, our freedoms, and our rights. Your actions endanger the very nature of the internet. Freedom of speech in the purest kind. Where no voice can be silenced. Where a single voice can grow into a thousand screams for justice and overthrow cruel governments as we have seen in the Arab Spring. You are being brought to your knees by greedy Corporations whose sole purpose is to enrich themselves. You have let yourselves bend to their will. And by doing so ignore your primary objective. SERVE THE PEOPLE. You have failed for the last time. You failed to investigate the claims of illegal wiretapping by the NSA (and by doing so failed to protect our freedoms). You have failed us again by letting greed supersede what is right and just. I hereby call for the complete deconstruction of the FCC. You are incapable of doing, or listening, to the will of the people who not only pay for your checks, but you are under oath to protect. Therefore you serve no purpose. Let me remind you of your original charter which you have clearly forgotten. "regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio so as to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States a rapid, efficient, nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges"
rupert
On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 9:21 PM, Tilman Bayer tbayer@wikimedia.org wrote:
(This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Airtel_Offers_Nigerians_...
)
*Airtel Offers Nigerians Free Access to Wikipedia*
- *Customers to Access Multilingual Content Free of Data Charges*
- *Restates Commitment to Educational Development, Youth Empowerment*
*Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 29th, 2014*: Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has announced a strategic partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, to offer their consumers across the country access to Wikipedia through their mobile phones free of data charges.
The initiative, which is first of its kind in Nigeria, is dubbed Wikipedia Zero, and it is aimed at reaching and empowering billions of people around the world whose access to the Internet is primarily through a mobile device. Airtel Nigeria subscribers can access Wikipedia free of data charges at m.wikipedia.org.
With the new partnership, Airtel will help deliver knowledge and information of Wikipedia to 21 million of new users in the West African region. Speaking on the new partnership, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Maurice Newa, said the initiative is in line with the company's corporate vision of becoming Nigeria's number one Internet Company, saying the new service will help connect Nigerians with relevant knowledge and information that will empower them to succeed in their personal and professional endeavors.
"We are excited with our partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and we will continue to provide innovative solutions that will uplift Nigerians
in
line with our brand promise of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians," he said. "At Airtel, we are passionate and committed to creating solid educational and youth empowerment platforms that will enrich and transform the lives of telecoms consumers across the country."
"We commend Airtel Nigeria for taking a leadership role in empowering
their
society through information access, and we're thrilled to partner with them," said Carolynne Schloeder, Head of Mobile Partnerships at the Wikimedia Foundation. "Expanding Wikipedia Zero to the people of Nigeria
is
a big step forward for free knowledge in Africa."
About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product
offerings
include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 297 million customers across its operations at the end of April 2014. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com
About the Wikimedia Foundation
http://wikimediafoundation.org http://wikipediazero.org http://blog.wikimedia.org
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive 500 million unique visitors per month, making them the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, August 2013). Available in 287 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 29 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of roughly 80,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact:
Communications, Wikimedia Foundation +1 415-839-6885 ext 6633 jwalsh@wikimedia.org
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