Search Skate, Inc.

02/23/2022

CLOSING THE

Search Skate has developed an online solution that:

A. Distributes the Internet quickly by enabling potentially thousands of citizens in each country to have their own interest-based, locally owned and operated portal businesses at little to no cost to them. [SDG #8] In turn, these Portals:
1. Expedite growth of the local Internet economy and businesses (growing the Internet economy from the bottom-up);
2. Create a network of future IXPs;
3. Deliver culturally and linguistically relevant content;
4. Offer local digital literacy and skills training; and [SDG #4]
5. Introduce a local entry point where users can access Internet Governance to participate in discussions at the local, regional or global level, as well as report and track local issues and share solutions.

B. Standardizes and expands stakeholder groups globally to better reflect the representation and facilitate uniform, inclusive participation from every nation (i.e. Private Sector represents the commercial users need to be divided into individual industry sectors in alignment with WTO industry sector classifications. Civil Society represents non-commercial entities that support the public good and disaster response. Separate categories such as Agri/Food, Education, Housing, Infrastructure, Public Health, etc. will allow these important entities to have the voice they need in discussions;

C) Offers an option to group countries into either the Northern or Southern regions to unify nations by common needs; encourage cross-border cooperation; facilitate coordinated short-and-long term planning; and strengthen negotiations to improve the balance of voices between emerging and more industrialized nations;

D) Creates a bottom-up architecture for inclusive participation at the local level, and representative participation at the regional and global levels; supports reporting and tracking metrics to identify trends; and enhances communication within and across stakeholder groups to build cooperation; and last, but not least

E) Generates a new revenue stream dedicated to fund Internet Governance operations and ensure the Internet remains an independent global public asset.

For more information see

Designed to be implemented by and for the Internet, SearchSkate goes up in months with minimal start-up costs, and introduces a new multi-billion dollar Internet fund to ensure the Internet remains an independent global asset.

11/30/2021

ELECTRICITY! #1 Most Important Sustainable Development Goal

Electricity (SDG #7) is the most important of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Without stable access to clean continuous power, 125 of the 169 targets (74%) cannot be implemented and maintained.

And by building and implementing clean, renewable Biogas power plants, nations can generate electricity at a much lower cost while improving their air quality (SDG #12) and the quality of surface water (SDG #6) as well as the health of citizens (SDG #3). This is because Biogas process safely and odorlessly converts landfill, as well as agriculture and domestic (human) waste into fuel for power.

11/23/2021

EXPEDITING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS...
A New Twist

The rush is on to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development deadline. Amazingly, one of the best ways for countries to expedite their process has been overlooked, Project Portfolio Management (PPM). A Project Portfolio Manager maximizes efficiency by coordinating events across all 17 goals/projects. Then by looking at the 2030 Agenda as a single portfolio of events/projects, the Portfolio Manager expedites the process by: 1) eliminating redundant efforts, then identifying the Critical Path that will sequence implementation of crucial dependencies to ensure the final finish date will be met; and 2) evaluating the Alternatives Analysis to ensure each solution can implement the multiple targets.

THE CRITICAL PATH

While all the tasks for implementing the 17 Goals are important, the sequence is crucial. Project Portfolio Management identifies a linked chain of events called the “Critical Path,” that will impact the finish date. In the 2030 Agenda, 125 (74%) of the 169 identified targets require electricity, making implementation of SDG #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) the very first item in the Critical Path.

However, implementing and distributing SDG #7 is dependent on having the Rural Road Connectivity in SDG #9. So, the Critical Path should reflect Rural Road Connectivity being implemented concurrently with SDG #7. And Critical Path item #3 being an inclusive Internet infrastructure to provide the communication, coordination, research, training, reporting, and tracking needed to efficiently and effectively implement all the goals. But Portfolio Management can still do more.

EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Choosing the right solution also expedites completion. A solution can resolve the targets for one goal, or targets for multiple goals. For example, SDG #7 (Affordable, Clean Energy) can be implemented using wind, tidal, hydro, solar, geothermal or biomass depending on what best serves each country. But Biogas makes an attractive and unique choice. Biogas generates electricity at a much lower economic and environmental cost by safely and odorlessly converting organic materials such as agricultural and domestic (human) waste, and landfills into solid, liquid and gas fuel. Countries like Germany, Switzerland, Australia, United States, and South Africa already have large biogas plants in operation, and China’s waste to energy sector will be opening a plant near Shenzhen that can process 5000 tons of waste/day. In remote areas and developing countries, Biogas can also be a huge boon because it can eliminate sewage and landfill issues while improving surface water quality and local health.

Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

11/19/2021

EXPEDITING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS... A New Twist

The rush is on to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development deadline. Amazingly, one of the best ways for countries to expedite their process has been overlooked, Project Portfolio Management (PPM). A Project Portfolio Manager maximizes efficiency by coordinating events across all 17 goals/projects. Then by looking at the 2030 Agenda as a single portfolio of events/projects, the Portfolio Manager expedites the process by: 1) eliminating redundant efforts, then identifying the Critical Path that will sequence implementation of crucial dependencies to ensure the final finish date will be met; and 2) evaluating the Alternatives Analysis to ensure each solution can implement the multiple targets.

THE CRITICAL PATH

While all the tasks for implementing the 17 Goals are important, the sequence is crucial. Project Portfolio Management identifies a linked chain of events called the “Critical Path,” that will impact the finish date. In the 2030 Agenda, 125 (74%) of the 169 identified targets require electricity, making implementation of SDG #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) the very first item in the Critical Path.

However, implementing and distributing SDG #7 is dependent on having the Rural Road Connectivity in SDG #9. So, the Critical Path should reflect Rural Road Connectivity being implemented concurrently with SDG #7. And Critical Path item #3 being an inclusive Internet infrastructure to provide the communication, coordination, research, training, reporting, and tracking needed to efficiently and effectively implement all the goals. But Portfolio Management can still do more.

EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Choosing the right solution also expedites completion. A solution can resolve the targets for one goal, or targets for multiple goals. For example, SDG #7 (Affordable, Clean Energy) can be implemented using wind, tidal, hydro, solar, geothermal or biomass depending on what best serves each country. But Biogas makes an attractive and unique choice. Biogas generates electricity at a much lower economic and environmental cost by safely and odorlessly converting organic materials such as agricultural and domestic (human) waste, and landfills into solid, liquid and gas fuel. Countries like Germany, Switzerland, Australia, United States, and South Africa already have large biogas plants in operation, and China’s waste to energy sector will be opening a plant near Shenzhen that can process 5000 tons of waste/day. In remote areas and developing countries, Biogas can also be a huge boon because it can eliminate sewage and landfill issues while improving surface water quality and local health.

08/11/2021

Our Internet Belongs to Everyone, Including YOU!

It may be hard to wrap your mind around, but it’s TRUE! The Internet’s the world’s first and only global public asset. In other words, it belongs to all countries and to all 7.9 billion citizens of out planet, including you and me.

Now for some serious Wow! “Our” Internet is also the world’s most valuable public asset, handling over an estimated $26.7 trillion in digital trading for the year 2020 was estimated by UNCTAD to have exceeded $26.7 trillion US dollars. Now being the smart person you are, you’re probably got s few serious questions, like: “So how much money did I make on the Internet in 2020?” and “Why have I not been invited to participate in the discussions about the Internet issues that affect me and my family, things like digital inclusion, trust and security, and human rights?

Excellent questions, my friend. The answer to the first question is…keep your day job. As disappointing as may be, the Internet doesn’t have dedicated revenue stream for funding, and doesn’t make a profit. So, to build a commercial Internet without money, a creative and very successful business model was adopted. The model empowered businesses to build the Internet’s platform. Services and products; and then use advertising (now data) to recover their expenses and make a profit.

The answer to the second question is not as quick or easy. Since no one country or government has jurisdiction over a global public asset, the UN-Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was created in 2006 and is still evolving. The IGF is charged with bringing people from the various stakeholder groups together as equals to discuss issues related to Internet. Currently, not all “owners” have access to participate in this process. However, Secretary-General Guterres has released the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation which identifies 8 key areas for action to improve the effectiveness and reach of the IGF. When implemented these changes should result in a bottom-up governance system so everyone has access and opportunity to participate in the development and governance of the Internet.

To learn more about Internet Governance, watch for my next article, “What is Internet Governance, and why should I care?”.

02/24/2020

It’s unfortunate he didn’t bring this issue to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) so that ALL nations could work TOGETHER to implement a common response to the problem.

12/14/2019

We can close the Digital Divide, NOW!

Search Skate, Inc. has developed and offered the Internet Governance Forum ( ) an actionable solution that can be implemented in months not years, to reach all countries and systematically close the digital divide.

The system:

• Distributes the Internet and its benefits to all countries and people by generating locally owned and operated interest-based portal business that can also serve as local IXPs;
• Builds/expands the Internet’s economy in a every country, driving local demand for improved infrastructure and inclusive access;
• Provides a local entry point for all users/stakeholders to have inclusive, bottom-up access to and participation in the benefits, as well as the building and governance, of the Internet;
• Delivers culturally and linguistically comfortable digital spaces where users can come together, collaborate within and across interest areas and geographic locations; and
• Generates a new multi-billion-dollar revenue stream to fund Internet Governance operations to ensure it remains an open, independent global public asset!

11/28/2019

UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez addresses IGF2019 in Berlin.

11/26/2019

Attending in Berlin with opening remarks by SG-UN Antonio Gutierrez and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

10/29/2019

It’s World Internet Day!!!

On October 29th, we celebrate the most important invention in human history. While the internet

09/24/2019

Remarks of Susan Sanders
Founder, Search Skate, Inc.
FGI-Haiti 2019
Port-au-Prince
September 12, 2019
--As Prepared for Delivery--

It’s wonderful to be here. Haiti’s Internet Governance Forum offers us an opportunity to step away from the rush of our daily lives for a few moments and reflect on the events of the past year and the many Internet opportunities and challenges facing us in the upcoming year. A special thanks goes to the President of the Haiti Chapter of the Internet Society, Obed Sindy, for all the time and planning that went into making this event so successful. I am honored to have been invited to speak to you today.

We live together in one world. It’s beautiful world of blue skies, sparkling waters, majestic mountains, verdant valleys, desert wildernesses, ice caps and of course our urban jungles. There are also challenges. Our one world is divided into 193 countries in four hemispheres with different governments, ideologies, geography, climates, cultures, languages and needs. The good news is we have over 7.7 billion people on our planet, and each one has a unique set of gifts& abilities. With that much intellectual capital, we should be able to overcome most any challenge that comes our way. But how do we tap into and utilize a resource so vast and diverse?

Well, the Internet, of course…or so we hoped!! But with over 40% of the world not having access to the Internet (that’s >3.8 billion people), we’re missing both the opportunity to get their valuable input and act on it locally, regionally and globally. So the issues are still there waiting to be solved. They’re issues you discussed at last year’s Forum, and the ones prominent organizations like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Internet Society (ISOC) have identified. The Internet and its benefits need to be distributed to all nations and peoples. This will require transforming forgotten communities, building/enhancing the infrastructure and ensuring the Internet is culturally and linguistically responsive. And the solution needs to be bottom-up so all stakeholders can participate and have a balanced voice in the Internet’s governance.

I’m here today to let you know all this is possible. There is HOPE, and HELP is on the way. Global organizations are seeking answers, and there’s a patented, online system called Search Skate (https://searchskate.com) that has been designed to respond to many of the needs that Haiti, the IGF, WSIS and ISOC have identified. The best part is it can be implemented in months, not years with minimal start-up costs.

Search Skate’s online Internet Governance system creates tens-of-thousands of locally owned and operated, interest-based portal businesses that can distribute both the Internet and its economy across all 193 nations. The portals make a profit by providing value added services such as website design, development, hosting, translation and other aids to businesses and individuals. Their existence in an area can grow the local Internet economy while fueling the need to improve the infrastructure and growing the demand for inclusiveness. But the real bonus is Search Skate’s Portal Businesses can be equipped to serve as Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), improving connectedness, reaching the “forgotten” and systematically closing the digital divide.

By linking to existing related local content and promoting the development of new content, Search Skate portals create culturally and linguistically comfortable digital spaces that welcome existing local users, and on-board new users. Spaces where users can connect with others who share similar interests; network; post or collaborate to resolve issues. In addition, they can access links to sites on literacy/training/education, healthcare, jobs, growing digital skills or building the Internet.

Search Skate’s bottom-up approach increases participation by providing a local entry point to its online Governance System and its “Common Workflow/Service Management System.” Users at the local level can submit and track their concerns about the misuse/abuse of the Internet including technical, security and on-line human rights violations; or offer ideas for solutions or enhancements to the Internet. The workflow system then uses standardized, transparent processes to evaluate, route the concern to the appropriated stakeholder group or committee at the local, regional or global level, tracks and reports the progress back to the contributor for transparency.

Want to take a more active role in Internet governance, maybe become a leader, but don’t know how? The Search Skate system creates standardized top-tier Stakeholder Groups in each country along with escalation paths to the regional and global levels. Links to the Stakeholder Groups from each interest-based portal increases visibility and encourages local users to grow their leadership skills by participating in on-line meeting or volunteering to work in a group or committee.

Our Internet is an important global economic platform that generates opportunity and trillions of dollars in trade each year. Profits feed our families. So how can Search Skate’s Internet Governance process balance the profit driven needs of the Private Sector with the needs of the public good and Civil Society? And how are the needs of developing countries balanced against differing needs of more industrialized countries?

Search Skate creates a standardized, repeatable process to address these concerns. To recap, it starts with the creation of an online system that distributes the Internet to all nations and peoples to help ensure inclusive participation. Then it establishes a portal for each Stakeholder Group in each country, so everybody has access and a place to participate.

Now Search Skate gets creative. It looks at the disparate needs between the developing nations and the more industrialized nations. As it turns out, most of the heavily industrialized countries are in the Northern Hemisphere, and most of the developing countries (except Haiti) are in the Southern Hemisphere. Search Skate’s solution? Bring the countries of the Southern Hemisphere (plus Haiti) as a “region” to work together and advance their needs, and the countries of the Northern Hemisphere into a separate “region” working together to meet their requirements.

Search Skate took a similar approach in addressing the needs of the Private Sector and those of Civil Societies. They’re quite different! The Private Sector is profit driven, built on marketing and selling of goods and services and there is competition between organizations. The components of Civil Societies focus on meeting the basic human needs to survive and thrive (food, water, shelter, health, literacy/training/education and employment.) To achieve this, Civil Society organizations need a collaborative, cooperative way to work together locally, regionally and globally. Search Skate’s conclusion? Keep and enhance our existing Commercial Function of the Internet, but add a new, separate but integrated Non-Commercial Function to support the collaborative and cooperative needs of Civil Society organizations. Our Civil Societies perform critical function for us all. They are the silent partner of commerce, helping grow an educated, well-trained and healthy workforce; retooling workers for the Media Age; when the economy dips or industries falter; rebuilding lives after disaster strikes and transforming impoverished, forgotten communities into healthy, employed workers and consumers.

One major benefit of linking related local content to the local Interest-Based Portal Businesses is it opens the opportunity for the Non-Commercial Function Portals to create and maintain consolidated interest-based calendars. The calendars promote collaboration and coordination across Civil Society activities, within and across portals, to facilitate local problem solving and open-up opportunities for sharing of knowledge, resources, transportation and lodging as the organizations work together in building ecosystems to transform impoverished communities or to coordinate local/global disaster response.

This is a diagram of Search Skate’s solution. To help ensure a balanced open dialog, there is a committee or committees at each level comprised of representatives from each Stakeholder Group.



If you want an inclusive balanced Internet participation 24/365 at the local level, and input in how the Internet is run, get active! For Search Skate’s system to be implemented, users from every stakeholder group and every nation need to be vocal. Contact the Internet Society, the Internet Governance Forum, the Geneva Internet Platform, IGFSA, LACNIC, Mozilla Foundation, European Broadcasting Union, World Telecommunications Policy Forum, LACTLD, Centre International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Community Networks Africa, ASUT (Swiss Telecom Association), London Internet Exchange, Tajik Academy of Sciences, RightsCon/AccessNow, Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency or your favorite organization and let them know that you want an inclusive, balanced, online Internet Governance System. Or write a blog, tell your friends, share our website on social media, and follow Search Skate on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Internet belongs to everyone. Let’s build and govern it together!