Digital Rights Weekly/Year 3/Issue 10

Mar 08, 2024

Women in Data Conference 2024 Concluded Successfully
On 5 March, the ‘Women in Data Conference’ marked its 5th edition, organized by the Women in Data Steering Committee comprising 12 different organizations. Digital Rights Nepal took charge of managing the event, themed “Ctrl+Z: Rewriting Gender Paradigms in Data and Tech.” This year’s conference aimed to tackle entrenched gender disparities within the data and technology sectors. Stakeholders from government, academia, media, and the private sector gathered to engage in meaningful discussions, shedding light on pressing issues surrounding gender inequality in these fields. The conference also offered four skill-based workshops, equipping attendees with valuable tools to advance their careers and promote inclusivity.
Santosh Sigdel, Executive Director, Digital Rights Nepal and WID Conference Coordinator, emphasized the low participation of women in ‘STEAM’ education and data sphere in Nepal. Sigdel underscored the need for collaborative efforts across various sectors, stating, “Policy intervention, education, civil society participation and private sector engagement are involved in this; change cannot be brought about by working in one sector alone. Cooperation is necessary.”

Rekha Sharma continued as Minister of Communication and information Technology
Amidst recent developments in Nepali politics, Rekha Sharma has been reinstated as the Minister for Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) from the CPN (Maoist Centre). She retains her position within the MoCIT under the new coalition government. Additionally, she continues her role as the government spokesperson.

Feasibility Study Initiated for International Internet Gateway in Nepal
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has initiated a significant step by forming a committee to conduct a feasibility study of the International Internet Gateway (Bandwidth Platform) in Nepal. This decision comes as a response to concerns raised by the Ministry regarding the lack of uniformity in the price and quality of internet bandwidth obtained by service providers from various international sellers.
The mandate of the committee includes assessing security measures, foreign exchange pressures, and regulatory aspects pertaining to the feasibility of the bandwidth platform and providing recommendations on institutional, structural, and policy issues necessary for implementing the bandwidth platform, within 30 days.

NTC Challenges NTA Decision on Frequency Payment in Court
Nepal Telecom (NTC) has taken legal action by filing a writ petition at the Patan High Court against a decision made by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA), the regulatory body of the telecom sector, regarding frequency payments. The telecom giant contested the regulatory authority’s directive to settle outstanding frequency dues for the use of the 2100 MHz band, as communicated in a recent letter.

Patan High Court Declines Interim Order in NTA Chairman Appointment Case
The Patan High Court has declined to issue an interim order in a case concerning the appointment process of the chairman of The Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA). A joint bench of Justices Rishiram Dawadi and Purushottam Prasad Dhakal made this decision following a hearing of a writ petition filed by petitioner Ramdev Yadav seeking an interim order.
Previously, a single bench presided over by Anju Upreti Dhakal had issued a show-cause order and called for discussions on the matter.

Opportunities

APNIC academy Opens Registration for Online Open Tutorials and Open Labs

Join APNIC Academy for upcoming Online Open Tutorials and Open Labs in April 2024. These short sessions will provide training on Internet technologies and techniques and include theory plus lab exercises. Register now!
To Register: APNIC Academy / Events

Digital Rights Weekly is a week-based update on Digital Rights and ICT issues, that happened throughout the week, compiled and analyzed from the digital rights perspective by Digital Rights Nepal (DRN). DRN is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to the protection and promotion of digital rights, including the right to online freedom of expression and association, online privacy, access to information, and related issues such as internet governance, cyber laws/policies, and cyber securities in Nepal.