The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS ; http://cs.tt) will be having a lime on Wednesday October 12 2016 from 7pm to 9pm at Wendy’s Cafe located upstairs at Wendy’s Restaurant at the corner of Ana Street & Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, Port of Spain.
Come join as we eat and chat about various ICT topics including:
Anyone interested in computing and ICT are welcome to attend, however please RSVP to info@ttcsweb.org as space is limited.
Please note that for this meeting, you will be able to purchase food directly from Wendy’s at your own expense. The minimum contribution to TTCS for this meeting is $20.
This post will focus on the ICT related aspects of the 2017 Budget Statement.
The ICT related aspects of the 2017 Budget Statement :
Page 22: under “Information and Communication Technology”
“Consistent with our manifesto commitment, we are
already rolling out free and easy access to broadband
internet in public spaces through the recentlyimplemented
TT WI-FI initiative. We are building a
knowledge-based and well-connected society as a
foundation for increasing productivity and for generating
sustainable growth and development. In fact, all WI-FI
enabled devices, including smartphones, laptops and
tablets, now have access on thirteen (13) specific Public
Transportation Service Corporation (PTSC) buses, twelve
(12) in Trinidad and one (1) in Tobago. And this is just the
beginning.”
Page 29: Under “Education”
Madam Speaker, the previous Administration introduced
a “Free Laptop Policy” for first year students in secondary
schools at an estimated cost of $310 million over a
four-year period. In our view, the programme brought
limited benefits because it was done in the absence
of an overarching ICT education policy and there was
inadequate ICT infrastructure in schools: limited access
to high speed Internet services, insufficient relevant
digital content, sparse training of teachers in ICT and no
management procedure for ICT projects and initiatives.
In light of this, a comprehensive ICT in Education Plan
will be rolled out in the next fiscal year. This 5-year plan
will ensure:
1. The establishment of an overarching ICT in
Education Policy;
2. Training and Professional development of teachers
and other educators;
3. Provision of adequate and appropriate ICT
infrastructure in schools;
4. Curriculum reform to include ICT-infused lesson
plans for students; and
5. Establishment of an ICT Steering Committee.
The new Plan will provide for laptops for each Form Level
at each secondary school; laptops will be used during
class sessions that require the use of ICT-related tasks
and will remain the property of the Ministry of Education.
Students writing CSEC and CAPE will soon benefit from
the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for those who
would like to use their own device for School Based
Assessments and other research projects while at school.
Page 45: Under “Tax on On-line Purchases”
Madam Speaker, the popularity of online purchases has
increased significantly over the past few years. Reducing
the demand for these items helps to save on foreign
exchange and to assist local industry. There are 31
Courier Companies registered and bonded in Trinidad
and Tobago and is estimated that the value of packages
cleared by these Courier Companies exceeds $1 billion
a year.
Madam Speaker, as I announced previously I intend to
impose with effect from October 20, 2016, a 7 percent
charge on purchases that arrive in Trinidad and Tobago
through the courier companies or are brought in directly
by individuals via air freight. This measure will generate
approximately $70 million in additional revenue. The
tax will be due and payable at the bonded warehouses
before clearance of goods or directly to customs in
the same way that VAT and customs duty are currently
collected.
To assist in the implementation of this measure the
Government will ensure that the Customs and Excise
Division is provided with the resources necessary to
strengthen their capability to inspect and assess packages
generally and specifically from Courier Companies.
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society is pleased to announce the release of the TTCS OSSWIN v1.60, a collection of the latest version of Free and Open Source Software for Microsoft Windows (10/8/7/Vista/XP) for download.
The name change from TTCS OSSWIN DVD to TTCS OSSWIN was done to reflect that whilst the collection can (for now) be burned on a DVD, DVDs are becoming less prevalent on many modern Windows computers and that TTCS OSSWIN can be extracted to the hard drive or to USB flash drives.
The TTCS OSSWIN collection features a web based interface for browsing programs organised into several categories: Desktop Applications, Educational, Games, Graphics, Internet, Server, Sound and Video and Utilities.
Lots of software updates for TTCS OSSWIN v1.60, including LibreOffice 5.2.1, Mozilla Firefox 48.0.2, Virtualbox 5.1.6 and more. See the changelog for more details.
Visit the TTCS OSSWIN page at https://www.ttcs.tt/osswin for more details and to download the collection as an ISO file for burning onto a DVD or extracting to your harddrive or USB storage device.
“Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Flash Player for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and ChromeOS. These updates address critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.
Many conferencing solutions (like Adobe Connect) and Flash games use the Flash plugin. So if you have Adobe Flash installed, UPDATE ASAP!
However, consider uninstalling Flash if you’re not using it. If you were only using Adobe Flash to watch YouTube videos, YouTube now defaults to HTML5 instead of Adobe Flash for playing videos in Google Chrome, IE 11, Apple Safari 8 and Mozilla Firefox. So you can uninstall Adobe Flash if you are using these browsers (and not worry about keeping Adobe Flash up to date).
The latest update bumps the latest version of Flash Player for Windows and Mac OS X to version 23.0.0.162.
Linux users, there is a Adobe Flash Player for Linux v23 in beta, see the Adobe blog for more details
Windows users should take note that
the Flash Player in Microsoft Internet Explorer v9 and earlier versions of Internet Explorer,
the Flash player in web browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Safari.
the Flash player in web browsers in Chromium and Opera.
are separate installs. You should install and update versions of Adobe Flash for ALL three browser variations if you have all three browsers installed.
For Internet Explorer v10 and Internet Explorer v11 (for users for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8), these browsers have Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update their Internet Explorer browser versions.
For Microsoft Edge, the default browser in Windows 10, this browser has Adobe Flash Player built in and users should update their Edge browser.
Google Chrome browser users has Adobe Flash Player built-in and users should update the Google Chrome browser to the latest version.
See https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414 on how to do so.
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS ; http://cs.tt) will be having a lime on Wednesday September 14 2016 from 7pm to 9pm at Wendy’s Cafe located upstairs at Wendy’s Restaurant at the corner of Ana Street & Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, Port of Spain.
Come join as we eat and chat about various ICT topics!
Anyone interested in computing and ICT are welcome to attend, however please RSVP to info@ttcsweb.org as space is limited.
Please note that for this meeting, you will be able to purchase food directly from Wendy’s at your own expense. The minimum contribution to TTCS for this meeting is $20.
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society is pleased to announce the release of the TTCS OSSWIN DVD v1.57, a collection of the latest version of Free and Open Source Software for Microsoft Windows (XP/Vista/7/8/10) and available for download.
Our collection features a web based interface for browsing programs organised into several categories: Desktop Applications, Educational, Games, Graphics, Internet, Server, Sound and Video and Utilities.
Lots of software updates for TTCS OSSWIN DVD 1.57, including LibreOffice 5.2.0, Mozilla Firefox 48.0. See the changelog for more details.
Visit the TTCS OSSWIN DVD page at http://www.ttcsweb.org/osswin-dvd/ for more details and to download the DVD as an ISO file for burning onto a DVD or extracting to your harddrive or USB storage device.
You can use the LiveStream mobile app to open the links. To view the livestream in your desktop browser but your browser must have the Adobe Flash plugin installed (if you’re using browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Opera) or use browsers with the Adobe Flash plugin built in (such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge).
The time in Belize is 2 hours earlier than Trinidad and Tobago. It is anticipated that the CIGF sessions will therefore start at 10:30am local time.
CTU Agenda
For convenience, here’s the time local to Trinidad and Tobago for the various sessions.
Wednesday
10:30 am – The ABCs of Internet Governance: – Internet Lingo Demystified
11:15 am – Internet Domains Explained aka How the Internet Really Works
12:30pm – Security and Privacy Issues in Internet of Things (IoT) Applications
1pm – IPv6: Transition Status, Imperatives and Stakeholder Strategies
3pm – A Fair, Balanced and Nuanced Assessment of Network Neutrality
4pm – Data Protection Overview: Regimes, Best Practices and Caribbean Experiences Discussion
5:30pm – CIRTs 101 and the Need for Regional Collaboration
Thursday
11am – Introduction to the 12th CIGF
12pm – CIGF @ 12: What We’ve Done, Current Initiatives and What’s Next
1pm – Is there an issue with net neutrality in the Caribbean and is any action required by relevant stakeholders on this matter?
3pm – Developing an Internet Exchange Point in Belize to Accelerate the Local Internet Economy
4pm – Are local IXPs having the desired impact in the Caribbean?
5pm – Identified Areas for Update of the Caribbean IG Policy Framework
Friday
11am – ICANN Issues Update: Status , Prognosis and Opportunities for Caribbean Contribution
11:30am – General Discussion of Caribbean Participation in ICANN Communities: GAC, ALAC, gNSO, ccNSO etc.
12:00pm – Regional and Global IGF Activities and Leveraging Interrelationships with Other IG Fora in the Region and Internationally:
Building Caribbean Influence
1pm to 2pm – Case Studies of National Multi-stakeholder Initiatives
3pm – Developing a Toolkit for Fostering National Multi-stakeholder Fora in the Caribbean
4:30pm – Presentations of Workshop Recommendations
5:30 – Open Microphone and Wrap Up
CIGF Background
The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) is a regional, multi-stakeholder forum initiated by the CTU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in 2005 to coordinate a regional approach to Internet Governance. The forum has since met annually and the primary products of its work have been the formulation of a Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework (currently at v2), the proliferation of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and capacity building in Internet Governance Principles across the Caribbean.
The 12th CIGF will provide a regional platform to discuss and clarify issues of Internet governance of Caribbean and global prominence (such as Net Neutrality, Cyber-security, Privacy) towards building consensus on appropriate Caribbean approaches. It will also contribute to realising a new thrust, announced at the 10th CIGF in The Bahamas, to enhance Internet governance expertise and capacity at the national level in the Caribbean through the development of local multi-stakeholder structures. This would facilitate national implementation mechanisms for regionally derived/harmonised approaches. The 12th CIGF will also conclude the work of identifying appropriate amendments for incorporation into Issue 3.0 of the Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework as well as formulate action plans for identified projects for regional implementation e.g. re IPv6, DNSSEC.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Communications of Trinidad and Tobago have launched “TT WiFi”, an initiative to provide free WiFi Internet access to public spaces, beginning with WiFi Internet service on several Public Transportation Service Corporation (PTSC) buses.
The ninth edition of the Latin American & Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF) meeting will take place in the city of San Jose, Costa Rica, on 27-29 July 2016.
What is LACIGF? LACIGF is the Regional Latin American and Caribbean Preparatory Meeting for the Internet Governance Forum. The event has been held annually since 2008 and offers a multistakeholder dialogue and meeting space for government, private sector, technical community, academia and civil society actors to share and discuss their views on the regional Internet Governance agenda.
The LACIGF agenda shows the times of the various Internet Governance sessions over the 3 days. Note that the times are local to Costa Rica which is 2 hours earlier than the time in Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, one must add two hours to the times listed in the LACIGF agenda.
You can watch and participate in the LACIGF by watching the LiveStream in English | Portuguese | Spanish
You can use the LiveStream mobile app to open the links. To view the livestream in your desktop browser but your browser must have the Adobe Flash plugin installed (if you’re using browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Opera) or use browsers with the Adobe Flash plugin built in (such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge).
Here’s a list of the sessions with local times to Trinidad and Tobago:
Wednesday July 27 2016:
11:30am-12:30pm and from 1:00pm – 3pm
Surveillance and privacy – Concerns regarding cybersecurity and trust in the igital environment
6pm – 8pm
The status of online Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: Progress, challenges and trends.
Thursday July 28 2016
11:00am – 12:30pm
Evolution, progress and challenges of implementing the multistakeholder approach to Internet public policy and Internet governance work at national and regional level.
1pm to 3pm
Lessons on the development and implementation of strategies for providing access and legal net neutrality initiatives: What are the next steps to ensure an open and interoperable Internet in the region?
4:30pm to 6pm
Broadening our understanding of Internet intermediary liability: Scope and limits of intermediary liability within the digital ecosystem
6:30pm to 8pm
The balance between intellectual property and access to knowledge: Scope and impact of interregional trade agreements in the regulatory ecosystem
Friday July 29 2016
11:00am to 12:30pm
Persistent and emerging challenges faced by Internet access – Connecting the next billion.
1pm to 3pm
Integrating Internet Governance with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda: What are the region’s digital inclusion priorities?
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Multistakeholder perception of the Digital Economy
This Code of Practice was announced by CANTO in March 2016. It is a voluntary code whose wider objective “is to provide a framework for operators across the Caribbean Region to collectively address the issue of Net Neutrality”. This doesn’t mean that CANTO supports Net Neutrality as commonly defined in the United States. The text of the Code of Practice says this:
“CANTO and its members support the concept of the open internet and the general principle that legal content, applications and services, should not be blocked.” To give effect to this position, Signatories to this code commit that:
1. within the terms, bandwidth limits and quality of service of their individual service plan, customers should have access to their choice of legal Internet content, services, and applications;
2. any restrictions on use attached to a particular service plan are effectively communicated to customers;
3. save for objective and transparent reasons traffic management will not selectively target the content or application(s) of specific providers within a class of content, service or application;
4. they will make available a range of service plans that provide customers with viable choices for accessing legal content, applications and services
What this means for customers:
Commitment 1) means that when customers enter a contract for the supply of services then the Operators will not put additional restrictions that aren’t in the contract on how the contracted services are used.
Commitment 2) means that customers will understand what they are contracting for.
Commitment 3) means that Operators will not single out specific on-line applications that are otherwise permitted with a service plan unless there are valid reasons to do so. This supports fair competition.
Commitment 4) means that Operators will have a sufficiently wide portfolio of service plans with different features that customers will be able to find one that meets their individual needs at a price that reflects the value of the service.
Julian Wilkins, Chairman of the CANTO Board appeared on the Time to Face the Facts Show on June 26 2016 to talk about Internet services in the Caribbean and outlined several reasons why he and other operators in CANTO are concerned about having net neutrality enshrined in telecommunications regulations in the Caribbean (stuff for another article 🙂 ) . There are some selected clips on the Time to Face the Facts Show’s Facebook page and on CANTO’s website but the whole episode can be viewed on Vimeo:
