Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

International Telegraph Union

"The International Telecommunication Union, previously the International Telegraph Union, is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies. ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world and establishes worldwide standards. ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums, such as ITU TELECOM WORLD, bringing together representatives of government and the telecommunications and ICT industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology. The ITU is active in areas including broadband Internet, latest-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks. ITU is based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a member of the United Nations Development Group and its membership includes 193 Member States and around 700 Sector Members and Associates". - Wikipedia

ITU work is treaty based (and in terms of the USA must be ratified by the US Senate).

International Telecommunications Regulations enacted 1988 (ITRs) .

International Telegraph Convention 1865

1850: Austro-German Telegraph Union formed (first of its kind, and fore runner to the ITU) [ITU2015 p. 15]

May 17, 1865 International Telegraph Convention is approved. [Fari 2015] [ITU2015] [Cybersecurity Review 2009] United Kingdom's network were privately owned and therefore the UK was not a participant in the convention

Jan. 1, 1866. International Telegraph Convention takes effect. [ITU2015 p. 25]

" Annexed to, and supplementing, the Convention were the Regulations for International Service (also known as the Telegraph Regulations). The Regulations contained provisions which dealt with the international telegraph network; the service provided by telegraph offices; charging systems, the composition of tariffs and the collection of charges; signaling codes; the preparation of telegrams and the counting of words; the routing, transmission and delivery of telegrams; telegrams relating to the safety of life; government telegrams; and press telegrams and other special cases" [1 March – 17th May 1865: First International Telegraph Conference in Paris, Geneve International http://www.geneve-int.ch/node/18035]

"Among the basic norms that were adopted were the use of the Morse code as the international telegraph alphabet, the protection of the secrecy of correspondence, and the right of everybody to use the international telegraphy. The contracting parties also reserved the right to stop any transmission that they considered dangerous for state security, or in violation of national laws, public order or morals. Uniform charges (tariffs) for international telegram exchanges were established. For the first time, all terminal and transit charges were coded and published in a table annexed to the Convention." [Plenipot 1865]

International Telegraph Convention, as amended 1872 (first available English version)

Article 1: wire gauge standard for international connections [#interconnection]

Article 2: Hours of Service

Article 3: Adoption of standard the Morse code and equipment. [ITU2015 p. 18] [Fari 2015 p. 15]

Article 4: Nondiscrimination "The High Contracting Parties recognize the right of all persons to correspond by means of International Telegraph."

Article 5: "They undertake to adopt all necessary measures to insure the secrecy of messages, and their prompt dispatch" [#privacy]

Article 6: "The High Contracting Parties however make known that they accept no responsibility on account of the service of the International Telegraphs."

Article 8: "The sender of a private message can always be called upon to prove that the signature attached to it is genuine. He has, on his side, the power of including in his message the authentication of his signature."

Article 9: "Messages in plain language must offer an intelligible sense in any one of the languages used in the territories of the contracting States, or in Latin.

"Each State indicates which languages amongst those used in its territories it considers suitable for international telegraph correspondence.

"The following messages are considered as secret:

1st. Those which are composted of figures or of secret letters.

"2nd. Those which contain any series or groups of figures or of letters the commercial meaning of which may not be understood by the original sending station.

"3rd. Messages containing passages written in words of preconcerted meaning, incomprehensible to the departments, or containing words not forming part of the languages mentioned in the first paragraph of the present article."

Article 10: Government and service messages may be forwarded on all occasions in secret language. Private messages in secret language may be exchanged between two states which admit that mode of correspondence. [#privacy]

Article 12: The transmission of messages takes place in the following order

1st Government messages

2nd Service Messages

3rd Private messages

A message commenced cannot be interrupted to give place to a communication of superior rank, except in case of absolute emergency.

Messages of the same rank are transmitted by the original sending stations in the order of their deposit by the senders, and by the intermediate offices in the order of their reception.

Between two offices in direct communication, messages of the same rank are transmitted in alternate order.

At intermediate stations, local messages and transit messages which have to be sent by the same wires are placed together, and transmitted without distinction, according to the time received at the office.

[#Priority and #non discrimination]

Article 14: Routing of messages

Article 40: Least cost routing

Article 15: interruption of service / restoration [#reliability]

Article 16: Time to Live of telegrams to ships

Article 20: "The High Contracting Parties reserve to themselves the power to stop the transmission of any private message which may appear dangerous to the security of the State, or which may be contrary to the laws of the country, to public order or decency, on condition of immediately advising the Administration to which the original sending Station belongs. This control is exercised by the terminal or intermediate offices, subject to recourse to the Central Administration which decides without appear." [#censorship]

Article 21: "Each Government also reserves to itself the power to interrupt the system of the International Telegraph for an indefinite period, if it judges it necessary; either generally, or only upon certain lines and for certain kinds of messages, upon condition that it immediately advises each of the other contracting Governments." [#killswitch]

Article 22: "The originals and copies of messages and the slips containing the signals or similar papers are preserved during at least six months, counting from their date, with all necessary precautions to secure their secrecy. This delay is extended to eighteen months in the case of registered messages. [#RecordRetention]

Article 23: The originals or copies of messages can only be communicated to the sender or to the receiver, after proof of his identity…" [#wiretap]

Part III, Article 32: "The charge for all messages exchanged by the same route between the offices of any two of the Contracting States, shall be uniform. …"

The European model was of Postal, Telegraph, and Telephone (PTT) services, government agencies providing government monopoly service. Hubbard argued that this influenced the nascent development of telegraph service, with telegrams in Europe being far more in the order of social correspondence like that of letters through the postal service - while in the United States initial telegraph service was primarily utilized by business. [Hubbard]

"Among the basic norms that were adopted were the use of the Morse code as the international telegraph alphabet, the protection of the secrecy of correspondence, and the right of everybody to use the international telegraphy. The contracting parties also reserved the right to stop any transmission that they considered dangerous for state security, or in violation of national laws, public order or morals. Uniform charges (tariffs) for international telegram exchanges were established. For the first time, all terminal and transit charges were coded and published in a table annexed to the Convention." [Plenipot 1865]

" Annexed to, and supplementing, the Convention were the Regulations for International Service (also known as the Telegraph Regulations). The Regulations contained provisions which dealt with the international telegraph network; the service provided by telegraph offices; charging systems, the composition of tariffs and the collection of charges; signaling codes; the preparation of telegrams and the counting of words; the routing, transmission and delivery of telegrams; telegrams relating to the safety of life; government telegrams; and press telegrams and other special cases" [1 March – 17th May 1865: First International Telegraph Conference in Paris, Geneve International]

1870 British telegraph service placed under government control; will be operated by the British postal service. [The Telegraph 2017] United Kingdom joins ITU in 1871

1879: Japan joins the ITU.

1908: United States joins the ITU [ITU List of Member States]

References

• Paris, 1865: The Birth of the Union, International Telecommunications Union 2015 [Birth of the ITU]
• International Telegraph Conference (Paris, 1865), ITU [Plenipot 1865]