Broadband Regulation

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Broadband regulation

The regulation of broadband is an increasingly important issue for two main reasons. Firstly, broadband provides the means to transport various signals (voice, data,video, etc) that have traditionally been subject to differing regulation. Secondly, the infrastructure costs and first mover advantage in the provision of broadband services have great implications for competition.

Convergence-related issues

· Do converged broadband networks raise new regulatory challenges that require new regulatory frameworks?

· Are existing licensing frameworks relevant?

· Should the regulation of equivalent services be equal, irrespective of the medium of delivery?

· Is it necessary to converge regulatory structures in order to ensure balanced regulation of converged technologies?

· Is it still appropriate to regulate different services (e.g., voice, data, video) in different ways even if they are delivered over the same medium and may be indistinguishable at the level of bits?

· Is it possible to regulate domestically given that the Internet (for example) is a global network?

· Does the fact that networks can carry signals for previously distinct sectors change the level of cross ownership of different types of networks that should be permitted?

· Is competition the essentially 'good' policy that it is considered to be in the narrow world?

Competition-related issues

· How can effective competition be
established and maintained?

·    Would this require, for instance, imposing
      infrastructure sharing requirements, or
      standardizing open standards for set-top
      decoders, publicly supporting the
      establishment of alternative infrastructures
      or introducing measures to ensure the
      efficient use of spectrum?

·     What type of universal services
      requirements may be appropriate for
      broadband services?

·    Should existing telecommunication networks
      be opened to broadband competition, by, for
      example, unbundling local loops.

Level of development related issue

Regulatory issues obviously differ greatly between countries. In particular, issues for developing countries differ from those for developed nations. Competition at the infrastructure level, for instance, may be inappropriate where venture capital is the limiting factor in the development of communication services. To aid our understanding, a series of case studies is available. See selected documents on broadband access and the digital divide.

Selected documents on regulation

Regulatory Overview of the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors

"Global Telephony after the WTO Agreement", Speech by Gregory Staple

A Regulator's Perspective of the Future of the Telecommunications Market (Germany)

Communications in Italy in year 2000: from regulation to implementation

Broadcasting Green Paper (South Africa)

Regulation Of Broadband Network Services (Hongkong)

Telecom Act (USA)

Local loop unbundling: statement and next steps (UK)

Universal Service Contribution Calculation Methodology (Hongkong)

Selected documents on convergence

New Ways to Think About the Visions Called Convergence