THE
RISE OF NATIONAL REGULATORS
In
1990, only 12 countries had established a separate regulator.
That number increased to 54 in 1996.
By 2000, the number of regulators jumped to 96.
At least 26 other nations plan to establish a separate regulator in
the near future.
Regulators from around the world will share their national
experiences.
THE
TREND TOWARDS REGIONAL REGULATORY ORGANIZATIONS
National
regulatory bodies have begun forming regional organizations or councils as
a vehicle for sharing experiences or for developing regulatory guidelines
and
principles.
Some examples are the ASEAN Telecommunications Regulators Council
(ATRC),
Foro Latino americano de Entes Reguladores de Telecomunicaciones
(REGULATEL)
and the Telecommunications Regulators
Associaiton of Southern Africa (TRASA).
More recently, a group of Caribbean nations agreed to establish the
Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) which will be mandated to
recommend a harmonized regime to participating national regulators.
Representatives from regional regulatory organizations will
describe their experiences and goals.
INTERCONNECTION
An efficient interconnection regime is generally considered essential to
fostering a thriving competitive market.
This year’s edition of the annual ITU publication, Trends In
Telecommunication Reform, provides an in-depth exploration of
interconnection. Trends
authors will make presentations of their findings.
With the assistance of a panel of national regulators, the Trends
authors will then open the floor to an interactive dialogue with all
Symposium participants.
REGULATORY
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
This session will explore options such as community tele-centres and other
forms of public Internet access.
THE
IMPACT OF CONVERGENCE
Converged regulatory bodies – those that address telecommunications,
cable television, broadcasting and other ICTs - will describe their
experiences in a special workshop.
THE
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR ESTABLISHING INDEPENDENT REGULATORS
Countries that have not yet created a separate regulator are invited to
participate in a special workshop tailored to their needs.
INITIATIVES
FOR THE FUTURE
Since national regulators are forming regional
groups to help bolster their knowledge base, the next logical step is a
global vehicle to assist regulators - perhaps in the form of a regulators’
hotline.
Such an initiative, agreed as part of the 1998 ITU Valletta Action
Plan, requires the active participation of all the world’s regulators.
The Symposium will discuss this concept and other initiatives to
build and strengthen regulatory bodies. |
