I Matsepe-Casaburri: ICT Policy Makers Workshop

23 January 2006

Programme director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

A warm welcome to you all and compliments for the New Year. This workshop
takes place at the beginning of the year. This signifies determination and
readiness to get down to the business and find solutions to challenges that
confront the ICT sector nationally and continentally. But a special thank you
at the joint effort by government policy makers, regulators and academics.

But this year starts with great promise and hope on the continent and some
parts of the world, namely the election of the first women presidents in
Liberia and Chile and first indigenous/native in Bolivia and hopes for peace in
several conflict ridden or war ravaged societies on our continent.

This Giant Africa is inextricably linked to and is part of the global
economy. But the world is transforming into one which is driven by a phenomenal
increase in the amount of communication between individuals, regions, countries
and continents with different historical civilisations and histories and
sharing information.

We are living in an information society in which ICTs are recognised as a
vital tool in achieving sustainable human development. But the reality is that
the advancement in these technologies has also at the same time pushed some
countries and people behind, especially in developing countries. The challenge
is to make ICTs available not just to those that can afford or are advanced but
also to the less advanced and marginalised communities in both rural and urban
areas.

To do this, guidance of good policy and regulation is crucial; our challenge
is to make certain that the benefits of ICTs can bring: foster growth,
development and access to these continuously for the better and for the
majority of people. While regulation is not new in the developing world,
policymaking is a relatively new concept. Sector reforms such as allowing
competition in sector, reducing or minimising government involvement in the
sector and separation of the policy making role and the regulatory role have
brought new challenges.

Governments, the policy makers, are confronted by the challenge of:
* Understanding their role in liberalised environment
* Developing ICT policy that is responsive to the needs of the majority of the
citizens especially the poor and the marginalised.
* Using independent regulators to implement policies without eroding policy
intent and its benefits or sacrificing the independence of regulators.
* Developing policies that: (1) Ensure equitable access and infrastructure
development to underdeveloped areas and low-income people. (2) Address the need
for universal access. (3) Attract investment especially to under serviced areas
and high-risk people.
* Balancing the above with meeting business needs and attracting
investments

A distinctive knowledge divide is emerging between policy makers and
regulators in terms of understanding the nature and content of the policy and
its impact on development. Most developing countries are only now realising the
need for all departments of governments especially those dealing with the
economy (such as Finance, State Enterprise, Trade and Industry, Education,
Health, Science and Technology and Home Affairs) to co-ordinate their work with
the policy-making department especially the civil servants within each of these
departments.

Most governments in developing countries put limited resources on capacity
building and training. Budgets for these are almost nonexistent. On the other
hand, regulators tend to be well resourced because often their funds come from
industry charges. They have put a lot of emphasis on training. This is
dangerous in that it causes tensions between policy makers (civil servants) in
the responsible line ministries and the regulators, yet good regulation cannot
happen without good policy.

The civil servants who advise cabinet and ministers have to be empowered
through training and advice from regulators and industry during public policy
making processes. They have to have a thorough knowledge of all issues and
challenges. Failure to address this knowledge divide will create a missing
link.

In this respect, I am very happy and excited that this workshop has been
organised. I give a special tribute to NetTel@Africa, Independent Communications Authority
of South Africa (ICASA) and my Department for putting together such an
important initiative.

The South African report that emanated from the successful Colloquium on
Telecommunications Pricing which was held here last year, has proved to be a
valuable tool in shaping our plans and activities and helping us determine the
correct or most effective policy positions, particularly at this time of so
much change within the sector.

ICT advances have led to multiple convergences of content, computing,
telecommunication and broadcasting. The internet, as we know, has also further
increased the capacity of ICTs. This has impacted on the way we govern and how
business is done; it has facilitated “learning and knowledge sharing; generated
global information flows, empowered citizens and communities in ways that have
redefined governance and policy”.

As the convergence occurs, custodians of the sector must adapt policy making
accordingly. For example, as traditional broadcasting is being replaced by
internet or digital broadcasting we have to develop policy directives that give
us the space and ability to effectively manage and regulate the sector within
the context of the new environment.

The policy regime must allow and make room for the necessary separation
between the policy-making role and the regulatory role. Similarly, the policy
framework must make it possible for enabling convergence of sectors to work
together so that enabled sectors “such as education, health, commerce,
agriculture, governance etc.” can become further empowered through the
appropriate development and application of ICT.

Furthermore, the policies we develop must be empowering to our people so
that they may participate meaningfully in the knowledge economy. The policies
we put in place must help us avoid the dangers posed by the digital divide;
they must help us minimise the risk of having our communities being further
excluded from the knowledge economy and opportunities for economic and social
development.

Universal access has to be the key

While ICT is a sector in its own right, it is cross-sectoral as well. ICT
policies must therefore, relate to other relevant sectoral policies such as
infrastructural policies, governance policies or applications policies. Intra
government co-ordination and collaboration is therefore crucial.

Consequently in developing and implementing an ICT policy we must
continually have in mind, other relevant policies and their related
institutions and regulations in order that we accommodate the phenomenon of
multiple convergences. It is also necessary to review existing legislation,
enact requisite changes and create the appropriate legal framework within which
the policy will be implemented.

The lack of an overall policy and poor harmonisation of initiatives will
lead to a random adoption of different systems and standards, unnecessary
duplication of effort and a waste of scarce resources. A good policy framework
must help bring about the necessary synergies among all the different
stakeholders.

South Africa has achieved some progress in deploying ICTs and is attempting
to create a broad based national ICT policy framework which is responsive to
our developmental agenda and which has the following characteristics that serve
the public interest:
* Clearer regulatory and operational roles
* Pro investment and pro competition stance
* Provision for universal access

Enabling legislation defines the regulatory structure, gives it content and
defines the roles, powers, functions and responsibilities of the role players
i.e. The Minister and the Regulatory Authority, ICASA. Since this sector is
constantly evolving as a result of the ever-developing technological advances,
in September 2005, we passed the ICASA Amendment Bill, which is soon to be
signed into Law. The intention of the Bill is to accommodate the new regulatory
challenges and needs that have arisen, thereby demonstrating Government’s
commitment to be appropriately responsive to changes in the environment.
Although policies are formally put in place by government, different
stakeholders and in particular the private sector, make inputs into the policy
process and affect its outcomes.

Rules and regulations must take into account issues of privatisation and
foreign direct investment so that all stakeholders have equal opportunity to
shape the policy making process. Governments are often faced by the huge
challenge of having to accommodate the interests of private sector players
while at the same time not neglecting the interests of the ordinary people who
are often less vocal than business because they don’t have the knowledge or
resources.

Access and civil liberties are two issues that are critical to the
formulation of ICT policy. Ordinary citizens must also become involved in the
ICT Policy making process. How to mobilise for this is indeed a challenge. The
policy making process must promote equity; it must assist people to use the
technology so that we achieve demonstrable and visible changes and improvements
in their lives. Access to ICTs for all is an essential aspect of this.

Towards the end of last year, we returned from the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, energised, determined and optimistic that
we would work even harder to create the regulatory and implementation
environments that will impact positively on the possibilities that ICTs
promise, for social justice and sustainable development. Indeed, it is our
right and privilege to take an active part in ICT policy making, so that all
our people, all our communities may have a say, in how our societies develop
and how their future unfolds.

I am confident that this workshop will be successful and we will certainly
learn much from each other as we share experiences from our respective
countries.

Thank you.

Issued by: Ministry of Communications
23 January 2006
Source: Department of Communications (https://www.doc.gov.za/)