Yesterday, history was made in Stockholm, Sweden.  I was privileged to make the keynote speech at the 'Broadband Cities Conference 2006' organised by The International Network of E-Communities (INEC) - but there was nothing earth shattering about that although it is always encouraging to speak before a gracious and grateful audience.  No, it was what took place immediately following my presentation that is worthy of note.  I refer to the signing of the "Declaration on Open Networks".

This is a remarkable document in itself in that it clearly sets out in simple language many of what the OPLAN Foundation regards as the defining characteristics of an 'open public local access network'.  If nothing else, I do encourage you to take the time to read this short ten clause document. I have no doubt that it will grow in significance and notoriety as the democratically elected leaders of more and more cities and municipalities around the world, embrace its sentiments and aims and put their own signature to it in the months and years ahead.

But yesterday, the eight initial signatories (listed below) either in person, or through a personal representative attending the event, presented a signed copy of the Declaration to INEC before the assembled conference.

Maarten van der Poelgeest : Alderman and Deputy Mayor, City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jonmundur Gudmarsson  :  Mayor, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland
Valerio Veloso  :  CEO, PortoDigital, Recife, Brazil
Lou Ann Christensen  :  Mayor of Brigham City, UTOPIA, Utah, USA
Badlisham Ghazali  :  CEO, Multimedia Super Corridor, Malaysia
Annemarie Jorritsma  :  Mayor, City of Almere, the Netherlands
Hans Janssen  :  Alderman of Tilburg and Chairman of Stedenlink, the Netherlands
Bo Bladholm  :  Lord Mayor, City of Stockholm

Why this is so significant is because it is the first sign of what I have been saying for several years now.  Namely, that the engine which will drive the wider adoption and deployment of OPLANs will NOT be a sudden Damascus awakening on the part of national public policy makers or regulators.  Sadly, they will remain, as to date on this issue, with their ears inclined to the powerful and persuasive global lobby of the cartel of vested interests of the conventional telecoms and cable sectors.  No, the engine which is, and will, increasingly drive the adoption of OPLANs will be visionary local civic leaders who grasp the underlying principles and appreciate that they can offer their electorate a better route to a connected future than that being served up by the telcos and cablecos.  These visionary local politicians will grasp the fact that a manifesto commitment to deliver an open public local access network to their citizens will deliver pay-back at the ballot box.

And look at the identity of the initial signatories of the INEC declaration.  These are not geeks or techies or enlightened civil servants and bureaucrats - in the main these are just such democratically elected civic leaders. 

Yesterday in Stockholm, there was a genuine sense of 'history in the making' at the conference.  I am covinced this was not misplaced.   The OPLAN fire has not only been lit around the world by this public Declaration on Open Networks, it is beginning to burn.  When it meets with the already flaming brush in the developing world epitomised by the WSFII gathering last week in Dharamsala in India, it will turn into an unstoppable inferno.  I salute the mayors and civic leaders and the citizens they represent who have put their signatures to this important document.  The world will increasingly awaken to the relevance and importance of what you have done on paper and what you are bringing about in your cities and communities.  You are doing more than any words of mine can to, 'open minds to open networks'.