iWeek Conference 2006: Veni Markovski – Civil society and government: making internet more accessible.

How civil society and government can work together to make the Internet more accessible, Mr Markovski is a Senior Advisor, Government Agency for Information Technology and Communication, as well as Chair of the board Internet Society Bulgaria. His speech could be summarised as an attempt to design rules of engagement on ICT and related topics, and to make ISPA more influential in ICT policy and regulations. As governments work towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals set up by the UN’s Kofi Annan, therefore exists an inevitable partnership between governments and civil society on ICT and other development aspects.

The Latest data about Internet penetration in Bulgaria from Market Test:
Number of Internet users (between 15 and 69 years): 29.3 %
Internet use from home: 15.10 %
Internet use from Internet clubs: 14.80 %
Internet use from elsewhere: 9.30 %
For more information, please visit the ISOC blog.

Ideally, Bulgaria is a leading country in the usage of the Internet by the public and how it is shaping consumer behaviour in market economies. Mr Markovski spoke of the need to persuade the governments to make them aware that “ICT is not an insult” but a service that can improve and facilitate development. He reiterated the need for Internet Service Providers to educate and speak to politicians in ensuring that they are on their side. Indeed, the argument of engaging policy makers and industry players is as important as providing services, after all politicians make policies. Without knowledge of key issues in the industry, their policies are likely to marginalise ISPs at large. As such, it serves nobody’s interest but those of industry players to engage everyone. As founder of the Bulgarian Internet Society, since 2002, Mr. Markovski has been appointed the chairman of the Bulgarian President’s IT Advisory Council.