[kictanet] Online discussion on State of Broadband - Policy day

[Barrack Otieno]

Dear Kivuva and Listers,

Kindly find my responses in line:

On Thu, Apr 25, 2019 at 1:35 PM Mwendwa Kivuva via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Thank you Listers, we have had a great debate so far. There are so many
> issues that have remained hanging on the first thread. I hope we can
> continue debate on those issues, and tie the loose ends.
>
>
> We will move on to broadband policies.
>
>
> Here is a brief background. Kenya enacted a National Broadband Strategy
> in 2013. This was updated to the Draft National Broadband Strategy 2023
> <https://ca.go.ke/public-consultation-on-the-national-broadband-strategy-for-kenya/>
> that takes into account recent technological, industry trends and market
> realities. The Draft strategy went through public participation in March
> 2019. It covers; Infrastructure and connectivity, Content services and
> applications, Policy - regulations and Legislation, Capacity building and
> innovations, Broadband devices, Finance and investment, Privacy and
> Security, Role of stakeholders in expanding broadband penetration,
> Governance and delivery framework. The outcome of the public participation
> has not been released to the public by the National Broadband Strategy
> Steering Committee. We hope to get an update on that.
>
>
> We also have the ICT Policy 2006, and the yet to be ratified Draft ICT
> policy 2016. The ICT policy should be the overarching policy on which the
> other policies in the sector branch from. Probably we will get an
> explanation on how new ICT related strategies are being drafted without an
> updated ICT policy.
>
>
> This leads to the following questions:
>
>
>    1. How is the sector regulated and what complimentary policies are in
>    place?
>
> I would like to give credit to the team that developed the 2006 policy. It
was a forward thinking document coupled with great leadership at the time.
We had great Permanent Secretaries then namely Eng Rege and Dr. Ndemo and
great support from Hon Poghisio the Minister of ICT who spent a lot of time
with the community trying to figure out ways of ensuring we great a
conducive environment for growth and developement of the ICT Sector.
Strategic documents were prepared in a transparent manner, ratified and
implemented by all stakeholders led by the government. Come 2016 we started
seeing scenarios where some stakeholders are more equal than others and
scenarios where strategic documents are prepared through public
participation but ratified without the publics involvement. This has led to
apathy to say the least and slowed down the pace of developement in the
sector. I would safely conclude that we are currently on autopilot mode
though i stand to be corrected.

>
>    1. What complimentary laws and regulations are in place that either
>    stifle, or promote broadband?
>
> We need Data Protection Laws. We seem to suffer from analysis paralysis.
There is need for proper consultation and leadership to ensure we have
widely accepted Data Protection and Consumer Protection Laws in place since
our neighbours have already enacted such legal instruments. We need to
restore trust among stakeholders in the sector.
Most of the issues stifling broadband stem from County Assemblies.
Exorbitant way leave charges and lack of Broadband Strategies or Frameworks
within County Governments. We need to find a way of addressing this issue.
How the Universal Access Fund is managed will also determine the extent to
which we will successfully attain our broad band targets. Can CA shed some
lights on what has been achieved so far and the gaps that need to be filled?

   1. How is the business environment for those who want to venture into
   provision of broadband services?

There is definitely demand for broadband services. There have been notable
efforts by University Students and local SME's to provide wi-fi to Hostels
and Communities surrounding them. However the lives of this SMEs is totally
dependent on the big boys (Telcos). for example they rely on sharing masts
with Telcos provided they buy bandwidth from them and for as long as the
Telcos dont have an interest in providing broadband to customers in their
particular areas of operation. I need to be educated on policies around
sharing of Infrastructure. Do we have any? Capital Expenditure is the
greatest challenge for those who want to venture into Broadband Services.
Acquisition of Spectrum Licenses, Masts, Permits from county governments
and landowners to mount masts on their facilities, marketing of products
and services to local communities.

   1. What policy interventions can be put in place to promote broadband
   uptake?

I think we need to resolve the issue of last mile connectivity by engaging
local county assemblies across the nation to equip them with the skills
needed to enact laws that will promote broad band uptate.
We also need to review policies and guidelines around infrastructure
sharing to encourage more SME's to venture into broadband business.
If possible we may need to zero rate taxes on equipment operating within
the 2.4 or 5.8 ghz range which can support Community Networks. We have very
strong Nyumba Kumi initiatives which community networks can piggy back on.
In summary we need leadership

Looking forward to a great policy day.

Asante

Asante

Sincerely,
______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva

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-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
+254721325277
+254733206359
Skype: barrack.otieno
PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
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