[kictanet] Day 1 of 10 -What is the Role of the Converged (Info&Communications) Regulators.

[John Walubengo]

Apologies to our international participants - today was a
holiday in Kenya and therefore quite a slow day here. -
just  gotten online now.

Thanx Eric for your previous views on the role and Alice
for tying in the idea of who are the Regulators customers?
It is important to put the role and the target customers in
perspective since from there it will be easier to discuss
how the Regulator can best engage with their customer
through the web (eCommunications).

My take is that the Regulators customers include:
-Government
-Telco Operators
-IT & Broadcast Service Providers
-Postal Service Providers
-Consumers

any other customers or entities interacting with regulators
I may have left out? lets share

walu.
nb: Tomorrow I will start the second thread but ask members
to continue belated discussions on previous threads as long
as they can keep the correct Subject Lines  i.e. Day 1 of
10:-Role of Converged Regulator.


--- alice <alice at apc.org> wrote:

> Hallo Eric
> 
> My questions were intended to begin to respond to some of
> the issues 
> Walu has brought up which touch on the three East African
> regulators and 
> their communication practices,  and not so much about
> physical 
> representation, although it is equally important.
> 
> More questions...How we can use regulators websites to
> inform the 
> various constituencies? for consumers to ensure that they
> understand 
> their rights and are in a better position and are able to
> make informed 
> choices?
> 
> Similarly, how do/can we use emerging technologies in the
> service of 
> understanding regulation of the same?
> 
> alice there
>  
> 
> 
> > Dear Alice,
> >
> > You see the regulator is suppose to be the pivot on
> which there should 
> > be equilibirum among the operators who make the various
> levers and 
> > again am sure in Kenya things have change for the
> better with CCK and 
> > hence"the speed of light" progress you guys are making.
> 
> >
> > I think one element is to also strengthen the consumer
> coalition and 
> > Alex Gakuru has being doing alot of work in that area,
> you have done a 
> > lot yourself in terms of the CSO and hence you
> represent them on the 
> > CCK leadership. I dont know the current representation
> on the CCK 
> > leadership but if all the stakeholers are there then
> you are good to go. 
> >
> > On another note, the oversight from industry is a
> mindshift and i hope 
> > most countries make it sooner than later in Africa. 
> >
> > Eric here 
> >
> >
> > On 10 Oct 2007, at 10:19, alice wrote:
> >
> >> Agree Eric, important conversation indeed.
> >>
> >> And I see it asking the following questions: Who talks
> to regulators? 
> >> What about and what do regulators do with what they
> have learnt in a 
> >> policy regulatory sense.
> >>
> >> To use the Eric example,  Re: Industrial oversight for
> Regulators - 
> >> How do regulators  subject their decision and
> engagements to major 
> >> industry input using communication technology? and has
> this been 
> >> effective from an industry point of view? The private
> sector has the 
> >> most clear relationship with regulators, simply
> because their ongoing 
> >> activities are a primary object of oversight....so the
> assumption 
> >> here would be that regulators then have a load of
> information, 
> >> services and applications to facilitate conducting of
> business in the 
> >> country, is this the case?
> >> What about consumers?
> >>
> >> alice there
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Eric Osiakwan wrote:
> >>> Dear Walu,
> >>>
> >>> This is an important conversation you are getting
> underway and i 
> >>> would like to robe in two fundamentals that are
> essential for the 
> >>> emerging regulatory regime;
> >>>
> >>> 1. Regulation is facilitation and must benefit local
> industry - It 
> >>> is important for our regulators to see themseles as
> facilitors of 
> >>> the industry in the interest of the consumer (even in
> the presence 
> >>> of a consumer parliament...:-) and work towards
> helping the local 
> >>> industry to grow and innovate. The cash cow for the
> local operators 
> >>> in "license" or landing right etc. Recently i was
> talking to a 
> >>> substantive regulator and he told me the most
> shocking thing, he 
> >>> said he is going to give all the licenses to
> indigenous local 
> >>> operates so they use it as cash cow to trade with
> those carrying 
> >>> FDIs. Now thats a strategic mindframe that gives
> weight to the local 
> >>> folks and i was excited this is coming from a
> regulator....
> >>>
> >>> 2. Industrial oversight for Regulators - Because of
> the growing 
> >>> mindset and rapid adaptation of technology, the
> regualtory system 
> >>> worldwide is changing and it is becoming clear that
> effective and 
> >>> efficient regualtors actually have oversight from
> industry. In order 
> >>> words they must subject their decision and enagements
> to major 
> >>> industry input so that it is consistent with
> technological evolution 
> >>> which makes them facilitators of growth and economic
> development, 
> >>> not the opposite. So am advocating more for "self
> regulation" and 
> >>> less inteference in business process and innovation.
> Please note 
> >>> that self regulation does not mean "no
> regulation"......
> >>>
> >>> Eric here
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 9 Oct 2007, at 08:47, John Walubengo wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> In think we can kick off the discussion by first
> reviewing
> >>>> the roles of three selected Info & Communications
> >>>> Regulators(Kenya, Tanzania & Malaysia). 
> >>>> The idea is to gain an understanding of the role of
> the
> >>>> Converged Regulator and then extend that into
> tomorrow’s
> >>>> Question :- How can the Internet assist Regulators
> in
> >>>> executing these roles or achieving their objectives?
> >>>>
> >>>> Probably at the end of this task, we should
> highlight five
> >>>> key functions or roles the Converged Regulators
> should be
> >>>> playing and then use them as the reference points
> for
> >>>> building appropriate and corresponding
> eCommunication
> >>>> strategies. 
> >>>> Feel free to point out any role that may not have
> been
> >>>> covered in the three examples.
> >>>>
> >>>> walu.
> >>>> ~~~~~samples roles below~~~~~
> >>>> 1. From Kenya
> >>>> The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) was
> >>>> established in February 1999 by the Kenya
> Communications
> >>>> Act, 1998, to license and regulate
> telecommunications,
> >>>> radio communication and postal services in Kenya. 
> >>>> The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) plays a
> >>>> critical role in the liberalization of Kenya's
> postal and
> >>>> telecommunication sectors. CCK is the Gateway that
> >>>> encourages private investment in the sector and
> provides
> >>>> for the rights and obligations of both operators and
> >>>> consumers. The licensing of new players has given
> the
> >>>> consumer greater choice. 
> >>>> As the Link, CCK liaises with consumers, operators
> and
> >>>> service providers to ensure a level playing field in
> the
> >>>> sector. CCK also assigns frequencies to all licensed
> >>>> telecommunications operators as well as broadcasters
> >>>> utilizing wireless technologies in the provision of
> their
> >>>> services. 
> >>>> CCK is the Watchdog of the consumer; making sure
> that
> 
=== message truncated ===



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