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| Issue: 31 | |
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Hello , Competition and market failure The latest edition of InterMedia is now available for members. As ever it’s packed with interesting articles that reflect the conversations and concerns that the IIC champions. In his article ‘Taming the Oligopolists’, Sumit Sharma extends the argument for using competition policy rather than regulation for convergent networks by looking at oligopoly models.
Competition policy is one of the IIC’s key themes for discussion, articles and events. At our upcoming International Regulators Forum in Washington DC, regulators from mature and emerging economies will be examining what the new waves on consolidation look like and whether this is creating modern monopolies. Has the communications regulator a role in regulating these monopolies and what are the metrics that can be used to evaluate the economic and social benefits of this regulation? With best wishes,
Andrea Millwood Hargrave |
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The Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) Success Story The next series in a great European co-production Earlier this month, over 50 IIC members and guests came together at a UK Chapter event hosted by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport in London to discuss the next stage in the development of the AVMSD, being reconsidered by the European Commission. Participants discussed the importance of the ‘Country of Origin (COO)’ principle and the panel emphasized the need to keep a ‘convergent’ perspective, within the Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy, in the review. Chapter meetings are a great way to network with those operating and policy-making in your region. Find out more about what’s going on in your region. |
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The main event of the year Communications Policy and Regulation Week, 5-8 October 2015, Washington DC CPR Week addresses ‘big picture’ themes that affect the communications community. It combines the 46th Annual Conference and the International Regulators Forum as well as workshops, networking events and private meetings. See the most up to date programme and confirmed speakers at the Communications Policy and Regulation Week website. Booking before 31 August entitles both members and non-members to a 10% discount. Register here. |
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The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center The Annual Conference, part of the IIC's Communications Policy and Regulation Week, is a gathering of the world's foremost authorities on policy making and regulation in the telecoms, media and telecoms sector. This year will be no exception. We are expecting a speaker line up of over 50 pre-eminent thought leaders and practitioners. And with the IIC's International Regulators Forum immediately preceding it, many communications regulators will be staying on to take an active role.
Keynote speaker
Other speakers confirmed so far |
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International Regulators Forum 2015, 5-6 October, Washington DC Developing Models in Response to Regulatory Disruption Kindly hosted by the FCC The IIC International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) is solely for senior statutory regulators in the communications, media and technology industries. The group convenes annually as part of the Communications Policy and Regulation Week and regionally at other times in the year. This meeting brings together about 70 international regulators to discuss practical problems and share experiences and approaches within a collegiate, informal, learning environment. 2015 discussions will be led by FCC Commissioners: And we have confirmed speakers from Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sweden. The IRF is for regulators only. The event is free for members and non-members pay a small fee. It is advantageous to book the Annual Conference and the IRF together and take advantage of the early bird rates. Register here. |
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Other regional events |
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Armenia Forum 2015: Communicating 4 Better Communication, Yerevan, 29-30 June 2015 IIC Regional event, hosted by NCTR, the audio-visual regulator in Armenia The transition to digital television and radio broadcasting in Armenia is moving apace, and the telecommunications market is growing. The issues raised by the move to digitalisation and the growth of 4G and internet services will form the background to the presentations and points for discussion with senior expert speakers from the region and beyond. Discussions will cover:
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ASEAN Broadcasting Regulation Forum, 7-8 July, 2015, Bangkok IIC Regional event, hosted by NBTC, the Thai regulator The Forum will bring together regulators from the ASEAN region as well as speakers from further afield to look at how the transition to digital broadcasting might be most efficiently achieved, the impact of digitalisation on current aspects of broadcasting regulation and possible regulatory responses to the new media landscape. Discussions will cover:
• current aspects of broadcasting regulation and the changing market The event free for IIC members and up to two delegates per organisation. To register visit ASEAN Broadcasting Regulation Forum 2015
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Event Calendar
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Regulatory Watch The IIC’s eye on the news. This bulletin is regularly updated with thumbnails of industry news. Follow the links for a round-up of latest industry stories. |
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Operators urge fast-track European reform CEOs at a number of European operators have once again written to the European Council urging fast regulatory reform in the digital communications market to remove barriers to more investment. |
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No M&A consolidation in India? India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has “poured cold water on hopes of consolidation in India’s crowded wireless market, with an official revealing the regulator will not be revising merger and acquisition (M&A) rules”, reports TeleGeography. |
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Open wifi networks “endangered by copyright enforcement” An open letter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) suggests that the principle that internet intermediaries are not responsible for the content that passes over their networks has come under challenge. |
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France orders Google to expand ‘right to be forgotten’ CNIL, France’s data protection authority, has ordered Google to make delisting effective on the whole search engine, irrespective of the extension used. |
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ITU adopts ‘IMT-2020’ as name for 5G With the finalisation of its work on the “vision” for 5G systems at a meeting of ITU-R Working Party 5D in San Diego, the ITU has now defined the overall goals, process and timeline for the development of 5G mobile systems. “IMT-2020”. |
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In the current issue of InterMedia…
Sumit Sharma extends the argument for using competition policy rather than regulation for convergent networks by looking at oligopoly models.
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Questions for Stéphane Ducable, Head of Public Policy, EMEA, Amazon Web Services 1. Please briefly describe how you see cloud computing. And why does cloud matter for Europe? 2. In March this year, you spoke in the cloud, M2M and data economy session at the IIC TMF in Brussels and you spoke about the policy and regulatory strategies needed across Europe to drive growth. As someone in a trans-global industry, and a multi-national role, what are the greatest challenges for you, especially in terms of policy making? 3. Do you see more coherent or greater fragmentation of policy decisions globally? 4. What do you see as your main challenges in the near term – 2016-2017 5. Your panel at the IIC included lobby groups, industry groups and regulators and was very 'lively' - if you saw value in that diversity of participants, what was it? 6. How would you describe your experience at the IIC Telecommunications and Media Forum in Brussels? |
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The IIC has a number of chapters operating in four major regions. Each is made up of dedicated professionals who work in a not for profit capacity to share knowledge, facilitate relationships and create long-term bonds between regulatory authorities and the businesses they regulate. |
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Asia Pacific Region |
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Review of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
On 12 June 2015, the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, MP, announced a review of the ACMA. Terms of reference for the review can be found here. |
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Spectrum Review Report released The Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary have announced the release of the Spectrum Review Report outlining recommended changes to improve Australia’s spectrum management framework. The report can be found here. |
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ACMA research - Using mobile devices for voice, messaging and internet access Mobile phones and mobile internet devices are an increasingly important feature of Australia’s communications landscape. This research explores the extent to which have mobile phones become substitutes for fixed-line telephone and fixed-internet, and what is the influence of Australians’ age, location and living circumstances. Details of the research. |
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Senate Committee gives Copyright Amendment Bill 2015 the green light Legislation allowing rights holders to get copyright infringing overseas websites blocked, appears likely to become law after a federal parliamentary committee reviewing the bill gave it the green light. See a copy of the committee report here. |
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Recent Events Powering the Digital Economy in Vietnam On June 9 2015, the Singapore Chapter held a meeting hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) offices in Hanoi to discuss how different sectors of the economy can leverage off the Internet to transition towards a Digital Economy. Upwards of 70 people attended the seminar jointly organized by TRPC and local partner, the Institute of Information Technology for Business of VCCI. |
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In the same month the Singapore Chapter along with the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA) held a meeting in Jakarta entitled ‘Doing Cloud and Tech Business in Indonesia: Tackling Constraints in Innovation, Exploring Emerging Creative Opportunities’. The event was attended by more than 100 participants including representatives from the government, businesses, and local industry associations. |
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Roundtable on “Digital Economy for Our Future” Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand This invitation-only meeting is a joint initiative between the IIC Thailand Chapter and the Electronic Transaction Development Agency and will bring high-level policy makers and players from public and private sectors together and initiate a constructive dialogue on the issues around Digital Economy Policy & Strategy. It will be attended by representatives of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Ofcom and the IIC. |
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Americas |
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Drinks reception 6th October, Washington DC, The Embassy of Canada The IIC Canada Chapter will not be holding its annual chapter meeting this year. Instead it will be joining forces with the IIC’s 46th Annual Conference and International Regulators Forum in Washington DC and will help launch proceedings with a drinks reception for all delegates at the Embassy of Canada. The chapter plans to hold a smaller half day seminar in Ottawa later in the year. |
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Recent Events Future of Internet Governance and the IANA Stewardship Transition
A Conversation with Fadi Chehadé, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN In June, the US Chapter invited Fadi Chehadé, ICANN’s CEO, to share his views on ICANN – its past, present and future, the transition to IANA – they whys and wherefores, the multi-stakeholder process – its recent history and present state. Those attending heard more about how ICANN has matured and what it has accomplished in the past few years, and where ICANN plans to head in the near future. |
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Europe |
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France Hyper liberté ou Liberté Absolue. Le professeur Francis Balle de la Sorbonne à Paris, ancien membre du Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) propose une analyse approfondie de ce dilemme qui remet en cause toute la liberté d’expression. Lire l'article en entier. Professor Francis Balle from Sorbonne in Paris, former member of the Conseil Superieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA), the audio-visual regulator in France, considers the issues that challenge the freedom of expression. Read the full article in french. |
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Data Protection, Privacy and Surveillance
Will cyber insecurity fundamentally change how we use the internet? For discussion This meeting will explore ways to combine a respect for privacy and the need to protect personal data and critical information infrastructures, while at the same time enabling government authorities to protect national security interests. The panel will include:
• Emma Ascroft, Director, Public Policy, Yahoo!, The event is free to members, there is a small fee of £30 for non-members. To register, please download and return the form to Laura Courbet with UKCHAP15-JUL in the subject heading. |
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The Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) Success Story 16 June 2015, London, Hosted by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport Chaired by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, this recent event brought together panellists from Ofcom, Viacom, University of Westminster and the European Commission to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the current review of the AudioVisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) at the UK Chapter meeting. All agreed that the Country of Origin (CoO) principle is at the core of the Directive’s success, even though it was acknowledged that some countries, like the UK, have benefitted more than others. |
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Feedback We’d be interested to hear your views on any of these stories so email Laura Courbet with any comments and we’ll publish a selection of viewpoints. |
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Membership Options |
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We asked members what they find most valuable and useful about their membership of the IIC. This is how they ranked the benefits -
“IIC membership allows us to… |
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IIC Sponsorship IIC Sponsorship is for organisations active in regulation or industry. These members work closely with the IIC, helping to shape the policy agenda, contributing to discussions from which the wider community benefits. |
Full Membership Full membership is for organisations active in the world of telecoms, media and technology and their regulation regardless of size. Members are drawn from regulators, telecoms operators, broadcasters, network providers, OTT players and smaller digital start-ups. |
Associate Membership Associate membership is for firms providing professional services and consultancy to the industry such as lawyers, consultants and analysts. The meetings give specialists in the TMT field the chance to keep up to date with new thinking and new players.
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