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Issue: 35
IIC Policy World

What's in this month's issue?

• Upcoming events

• Event calendar

• Update from Asia Pacific

• Update from Europe

• InterMedia – Economics and Regulation

• Latest updates from Regulatory Watch

• Q&A: Nomvuyiso Batyi, Councillor ICASA

• Your feedback

Hello ,

Regulators as economic catalysts…

Most regulatory policies were established when monopolies were needed to build national communications infrastructure.  Regulators served as the counterpoint to self-serving agendas of monopoly organisations by acting as consumer advocates writes Jerry Power in his article Economic Catalyst in InterMedia. National boundaries are increasingly insignificant and in a world of global competition, no-one wants to be hampered by regulation that prevents them competing on the world stage.  

In Johannesburg next month our TMF will be looking at the future of African telecommunications regulation and how it is evolving to reflect the convergent nature of the digital ecosystem. As our host, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has pointed out, allocation of spectrum, policy and regulation needs to reflect the changing demands for data and sound and ensure that they are creating policies that foster innovation and investment in the country.

Regulating for innovation and change is a constant theme of the IIC.  We hope to see you at one of our events soon.  

With best wishes,

 

We recently asked members what they valued about the IIC. The top 10 reasons they cited are listed below.  Joining couldn’t be easier – if you would like to find out more contact me.

Andrea

Andrea Millwood Hargrave
Director General

Upcoming Events
 

Telecommunication and Media Forum

Best practice decision making to drive connectivity, accessibility and competitiveness

8-9 December 2015
Hosted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

In South Africa regulation of content and carriage are still treated separately which in the rapidly converging communications ecosystem is challenging for policy making and regulation.  South Africa is one of the last countries to migrate to digital and this meeting is an opportunity for ‘free thinking’ on regulating with views represented from all sides.  Panellists and delegates will examine issues from both supply and demand side considering disruption caused by OTT services and spectrum management.

Join Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize of the Telecommunications and Postal Services; Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams of the Department of Communications ; Nkateko Nyoka, from Vodacom;  Nomvuyiso Batyi from ICASA,  and Megan Richards  of the European Commission among others to discuss the future of policy and regulation in the region and beyond.

Key discussion themes for this meeting will be:
• The economics of connectivity and accessibility in emerging markets
• Demand-side challenges and competition - what are the issues for policy makers?
• WSIS +10

There are still two weeks left to register for the Forum.  There has been an excellent response to this event from members and non-members and we are looking forward to lively discussions with participants from Africa and beyond, including contributions from PCCW Global, Facebook, National Media Commission, Ghana, Uber and the USAASA.


To register click here

The IIC’s Communications Policy and Regulation Week – October 2016, Bangkok

Although it’s almost a year away we are happy to announce that in 2016 the Annual Conference and Communications Policy and Regulation Week (CPRW) will be in Bangkok. We will give you firm dates and discussion themes in due course.

RECENT EVENTS

The most important event in the IIC Calendar

Communications Policy and Regulation Week

October 2015, Washington DC

Over 200 speakers and delegates examined connecting the unconnected, competition policy, regulation for content and applications, fresh thinking on spectrum and the future of the Internet of Things. 

We’re delighted to bring you the highlights here:

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler spoke forcefully on the need to increase human capital using ICT and was equally forthright about the FCC's role in applying rules to ensure competition and the open Internet. Watch

Millicom CEO Mauricio Ramos gave a powerful keynote on ‘Connecting the Unconnected’ a key theme for the IIC as the industry addresses the issue of delivering connectivity to remote areas. He brings unique insights to the debate as his organisation currently services over 56 million users in Latin America and Africa.  Watch

Craig Silliman of Verizon introduced fresh thinking on spectrum in his keynote and was joined by panellists from the FCC, One Media, AT&T and Lockheed Martin to explore the transition of spectrum into the hands of the innovators, appropriate levels of competition and preparing for WRC-15.  Watch

International Regulators Forum

Developing models in response to regulatory disruption

October 2015, Washington DC

Once again a thought provoking two days of discussions with viewpoints and experience represented by regulators from all continents preceded the Conference.  All sessions were chaired  by FCC commissioners and senior staff. Tom Wheeler, Chair of the FCC, gave the closing remarks focusing on disruption and how the regulator must develop to meet the challenges.
 

Log in here to view the report of the event available for delegates and IRF members.

Event Calendar

8-9 December 2015 Telecommunications and Media Forum Johannesburg Global event - IIC
12 January 2016

AGCOM – Review of Europe’s Digital Single Economy from the Italian perspective

Rome Regional Event - IIC
28 January 2016 The EU horizon for ICT Policy: DSM as the first convergence-ready framework? London Regional event - IIC
10 February 2016 IoT / M2M: Boom Time and Cyber Insecurity London Regional event - IIC
16-17 March 2016 Telecommunications and Media Forum Brussels Global event - IIC
October 2016 Communications Policy and Regulation Week Bangkok Global event - IIC

 

News
 

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.

Incoming cyber-security regulation

Companies around the world are bracing themselves for an avalanche of cyber-security regulation. 

Freedom on the internet declines

Freedom on the Net 2015, the annual report from Freedom House, has found internet freedom around the world in decline for a fifth consecutive year.

European telecoms firms come together to support competition

The CEOs of ten ECTA (European Competitive Telecommunications Association) member companies have set up a high-level advisory group.

Nigerian Telco’s introduce code of ethics

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has drawn up a code of ethics for professional and business conduct.

OECD assesses progress in global regulation

The OECD’s Regulatory Policy Outlook is said to be first evidence-based analysis of the progress made by countries to improve the way they regulate.

Spectrum allocated for automotive radar and aero safety

Spectrum for short-range high-resolution automotive radar has been allocated at the World Radio-communication Conference (WRC-15), meeting in Geneva

Media ownership rules ‘obsolete’ – NBN chair

The chair of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) has argued that Australia's cross-media ownership laws are no longer necessary, as the advent of streaming video-on-demand services such as Netflix have rendered them obsolete, notes ZDNet.

In the current issue of InterMedia...

Economic Catalyst

In the current issue of InterMedia, Jerry Power says regulation must change to promote digital ecosystems.

Jerry Power is head of the Institute for Communications Technology Management at the University of Southern California.  He is co-author of Transforming Business (Wiley 2012) and is a member of the Global Agenda Council on the Future of Digital Communications.

Full index of 2014-2015 InterMedia articles
InterMedia is a rich resource of articles, reports and interviews and the contents reflect the IIC’s on-going discussion themes.  To make life easier for you, we’ve created an index of all the articles published in 2014 and this year.

Q&A

Questions for Nomvuyiso Batyi, Councillor of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)

1.  ICASA must oversee both content and carriage issues. As convergence blurs the distinctions between content, carriage and delivery, how do you see the system working going forward?

2. The Authority must adjudicate over matters such as spectrum, demanded by both telecommunications and the broadcasting sectors, how does the Authority balance the demands?

3. ICASA has recently produced a discussion document on a Draft Framework for Dynamic and Opportunistic Spectrum Management, by which it is assumed you are talking about the regulation of white spaces. Is this a correct interpretation?

4. What have been the recent highlights and challenges for you and your team?

5. ICASA is supporting the forthcoming TMF next month - what are the ‘hot topics’ you hope will be discussed and in your view, how does the IIC approach these differently from other organisations?

See Councillor Batyi’s answers

Regional Update
 

The IIC has a number of directors  in various regions of the world. These are dedicated TMT professionals who work with the IIC on a voluntary basis to share knowledge, facilitate relationships and create long-term bonds between regulatory authorities and the businesses they regulate.  Here we bring you news from these regions.

Asia Pacific

Recent events

Smart Health, IoT and the Empowerment of Patients

24 November 2015, Singapore, hosted by Microsoft

This event reviewed the growing supply-chain of smart health care provision, with an emphasis on the implications for, and practicalities of, patient empowerment.  Analysys Mason provided insights from their 2015 global study of trends in smart health developments and the Secure Solutions Group (SSG) presented a case study on a smart home project for the elderly showing how smart mobile apps can manage a flow of personal data whilst empowering end-users with “opt in” controls.

An examination of the ‘Right to be Forgotten’: Its global implications and the potential for Singapore law

16 November 2015, Hong Kong, hosted by Mayer Brown.

Building on the success of the recent event of the same name held in Singapore, the topic was revisited, looking through the eyes of the Hong Kong market. Delegates heard presentations from Greg Kovacic, Founder, Digital Trust Asia and others.

News update from Australia

Data Retention Laws commence 13 October 2015

Service providers that use communications infrastructure in Australia to operate any of their services may be subject to data retention obligations.

New Communications Minister Mitch Fifield at Australia Digital Summit

At the recent 2015 Australian Digital Summit, new Communications Minister Mitch Fifield gave the keynote address on:  'Thoughts and insights on Australia's role in the digital economy'.

2015 Regional Telecommunications Review Report released

The 2015 Regional Telecommunications Review Report to Government has been tabled in Parliament and makes 12 key recommendations.

ACMA has registered a new code of practice for Commercial Television

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has agreed to register a new Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, submitted by Free TV, the industry group representing commercial free-to-air broadcasters.

ACMA annual report: ushering in change

This year marks the Australian Communications & Media Authority’s 10 year anniversary.  They have just released their annual report.

News update from Thailand

Spectrum Auction Update

NBTC moved the 900 MHz auction from November to December while keeping the 1800 MHz auction schedule.  The 1800 MHz auction is the second spectrum auction initiated by the NBTC.  The first one was the 2100 MHz which three incumbent operators won the bid.  This time the auction was on November 12th at NBTC office. There were four bidders with two slots of 15 MHz spectrum to be allocated.

CAT and TOT threaten to sue NBTC for misappropriation

CAT and TOT the Government owned operators threaten to sue NBTC for "misappropriating" their own spectrum. They claim that the spectrum had been assigned prior to the establishment of the regulator with no expiration of spectrum use

Europe

Upcoming Events

Digital Europe: European and national policies to drive investments, market development and competition

12 January 2016, Rome, Hosted by AGCOM

The meeting will discuss the Digital Single Market from a comparative and country specific perspective. 

Speakers will include the President and Commissioners of Agcom, Representatives of European Commission and National Communications Regulatory Authorities (Germany, France, Italy), along with CEOs and top representatives of Vodafone, Wind, Fastweb, Google, Telecom Italia, Netflix, Mediaset, Sky, the president of IIC and the president of the Italian Chapter of IIC.

The event is free to IIC members and by invitation only to others.

To register please contact the Italian Chapter.

The EU horizon for ICT Policy: DSM as the first convergence-ready framework?

28 January 2016, London, Hosted by Ofcom

The DSM is arguably the first genuine attempt at a holistic EU approach to the ‘convergence industries’, with the impact of the online world permeating most of the EC’s ongoing consultations. In fact, if well executed it could be the first truly 'convergent framework'. Panellists from industry and government will present and debate their viewpoints with the IIC audience, to see what success would look like for the DSM, and how to achieve it.

Contact Laura Courbet to register and join delegates to hear a rich line up of opinions including speakers from the Department for Culture Media & Sport. The event is free to IIC members with a small registration fee for non-members.

IoT / M2M: Boom Time and Cyber Insecurity

10 February 2016, London, hosted by KPMG

IoT has become the latest buzzword, and is the next frontier for many in the technology business and beyond. Some surveys predict more than 50 billion connected devices within the next decade. This IIC discussion will see expert speakers debate the topic and give a market view of the latest developments as well as methods and costs of mitigating risks.


Contact Laura Courbet to register and join delegates at KPMG's fabulous venue to debate the issues. The event is free to IIC members with a small registration fee for non-members.

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.

Membership Options

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…

1. Keep up to date with trends, issues and what the industry is focusing on
2. Gain unique insights and industry or policy information
3. Meet my counterparts and stakeholders from industry and regulatory bodies
4. Contribute to debates on the public policy agenda and share my organisation's viewpoint
5. Build a network and develop relationships particularly informally with regulators
6. Explore ideas in an independent environment
7. Focus on particular issues or technological developments at workshops
8. Schedule private meetings with contacts at global events
9. Meet lawyers and consultants who could be helpful to our business
10. Build lasting relationships around the world through the regular schedule of events

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.

Membership Benefits

 

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