NEXT GENERATION POLICY AND REGULATION

Key Challenges

Hopeton S. Dunn, Ph.D.Academic Director,

Telecommunications Policy and Management (TPM) Programme,

Mona School of Business, UWI

Presented at the Caribbean Internet Forum 2008, October 30, 2008, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoPresented at the Caribbean Internet Forum 2008, October 30, 2008, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Next Generation Networks

• NGNs are IP-based telecommunication networks that allow for the transport of integrated services combining high-quality voice, video, image and text across a single network at high speed

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Source: TPM Programme, MSB

Selected NGN Applications

• Global Positioning Systems

• WiMax

• Mobile Computing

• IPTV, mobile TV and mobile radio

• Mobile advertising and marketing

• Interactive Video Games, Virtual Communities

Creating the Information Society – A Global Development Imperative

“…stakeholders need to continue working together, focusing on concrete actions and projects in the field of ICTs, supporting the development of the inclusive information society, spurring investment, employment and broader human, social and economicdevelopment.” Dr Hamadoun I. Touré

Secretary-General, ITU

Poverty in Jamaica• Poverty rate at 14.3% (based on 2006 estimates)• Incidence of poverty increasing in rural areas• Male-headed household consumption at a higher level than

female-headed households

Source: PIOJ Poverty Mapping for Jamaica, 2008

I:\NICT Plan DocumentsI:\NICT Plan Documents

The Challenge of Interconnection• It may affect existing interconnection

arrangements

• New interconnection models may be required for a new regulatory environment

• Ensuring no discriminatory access behaviour even to users in rural locations

• Developing a transparent interconnection regulatory framework

Spectrum Management

• Phasing out of inefficient spectrum allocation for accessibility by new NGN operators

• Determining licence fees that are not prohibitive to investors

• Considering licence-free use of spectrum for education / government purposes

Universal Access

• NGNs promises universal access via cheaper voice and affordable value-added services

• However there is a challenge is in the widening of digital divide due to uneven rollout between rural and urban locations and between affluent and low-income communities

• There is also a challenge in regulating access for the disabled and in making appropriate content and tools available

Geographic dimension

Disability dimension

Distributional equity dimension

NGNs and the Universal Access Framework

Universal Access Funding

• Should Universal Access funding should include NGN Technology and Broadband Connectivity?

• If so how would it be collected and what form would it take?

• Who should benefit from these funds: the service providers, the end-users, community access, schools?

Consumer Protection

• New and more complex security challenges for the end-user

• More personalized media may lead to unauthorized disclosure of personal information and preferences

• SPAM / SPIT (Spam over Internet Telephony)

• GPS services may make consumers vulnerable to being tracked or followed by criminals

Content Regulation

• With the increasing number of media outlets it is much harder to regulate the content available to the public, especially in terms of inappropriate content for children

• There is also the problem of intellectual property rights violation, which may be more common in an NGN environment

Further Challenges for Content Regulation

• The regulation of new economic spaces such as virtual communities and interactive television

• Peer-to-peer communication

• Mobile TV across national borders

• Pervasiveness and the risk of the consumer being bombarded by marketing-driven content

Regulatory Convergence

• As providers begin to offer a range of services in ICT, a centralized body for its regulation will become necessary

• Although in the Jamaican context the proposal is to converge the telecom, spectrum and broadcast transmission regulation, there may be a need in the future to incorporate financial regulation

• Wilson (2006) distinguishes between Effective and Formal access.

• Formal Access – Physical reach

• Effective Access – Physical reach plus:– Financial affordability

– User expertise

– Ease of interface

– Relevance of content

• Effective Access - a necessary but not sufficient condition to enhance ICT competitiveness

Achieving “Effective Access”

Capacity Building

• NGN uptake depends on the availability and quality of the content and applications

• It will also depend on the level of training of its users in using these applications for personal and economic development

• Suitable content for target populations including e-government, telemedicine and e- learning services will motivate uptake

• Formal literacy and information literacy of other types are necessary ingredients

Formal Literacy and ICT Adoption

• Illiteracy impedes active use of text messaging and advanced mobile applications among some poor youth in inner-city communities

• The 20% illiteracy rate in Jamaica is concentrated among rural or inner city youth

• Formal literacy must be addressed as we move into being more knowledge-based societies

Information Literacy – A Crucial Component

• Speaks to the ability of an individual to effectively and critically engage in the participatory, networked culture

• Information Literacy encapsulates a range of other literacies:

– Media literacy

– Visual literacy

– Digital literacy

Cyber-Crime Legislation and Education

• Cyber-Crime laws related to hacking and unauthorized information sharing are needed

• Education of consumers is a part of the information literacy drive required

Environmental Challenges• Higher energy

demand and therefore greater fuel consumption;

• Increase in electronic waste (e-waste);

• Increased NIR exposure (non-ionizing radiation exposure);

e-Inclusion:Open Access

to ICTs

Education and Training

Cultural Content and Creativity

Research and Innovation

e-Government

e-Business and ICT Industry Development

Legislative and Policy Framework

Network Readiness and Infrastructure

Development

Strategic Roadmap of ICT Development

AcceleratedEconomic & Human Development and

Global Competitiveness

Highly Educated and Well-Trained Jamaicans

available to the ICT Sector

Greater Global Recognition of

and Rewards from Brand Jamaica

Growth in Innovation and Development of

New ICT Products and Services

Greater Public Sector use and Citizen Adoption of e-Government Processes

Expanded Job Creation, Entrepreneurship and New

Business Development

Strategic Development Outcomes

Conclusions• The main challenge that

NGN bring is in the development of the infrastructure, the legal and regulatory framework and the human element in harmony across the region for seamless connectivity

“Sooner or later, … all media content is going to flow through a single black

box into our living rooms (or … through the black boxes we carry with

us everywhere we go).” (Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture)