NP/93-2
17 May 1993
Original: English

ITU released today a report on the changing
role of government in an era of telecoms deregulation

The Secretary-General today released a Report on the Changing Role of 
Government in an Era of Telecommunication Deregulation. The Report 
was prepared by a colloquium of experts held at ITU Headquarters from 
17 to 19 February. The Colloquium was organized at the initiative of 
its chairman, Mr David Leive, retiring General Counsel of INTELSAT, 
who suggested the concept when he was chairman of the Regulatory 
Forum at the ITU's TELECOM 91. 

The Colloquium represents a new initiative to examine, in an 
informal, expert and practical way, some of the fundamental issues 
raised by the evolving role of government at a time when 
telecommunications regulation is undergoing far-reaching changes. The 
Colloquium, funded by the New ITU Association of Japan, brought 
together twenty-six high level regulators and other experts from 
sixteen countries, who served in their private capacities, to examine 
the challenges facing national regulatory institutions and processes 
in light of these changes. The purpose was to formulate practical 
advice which could be of immediate benefit to regulators and policy-
makers from developing and developed countries alike.

A briefing report was prepared by Michael Tyler of the United 
Kingdom, in affiliation with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy 
(Tufts University) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to 
serve as a basis for the discussions. 

The Report describes the consensus of the participants on the 
principal issues discussed, but does not represent individual 
participants' views. It describes the types of regulatory structures, 
the issues to be addressed by the regulatory entities and how these 
should be addressed, the implementation and enforcement of regulatory 
decisions and the resources to meet regulatory costs. 

The participants in the meeting strongly endorsed the concept and 
approach, and recommended that the Secretary-General and the 
Colloquium Chairman take the necessary steps to plan the next several 
Colloquia.

In his introduction to the Report, the Secretary-General stated: "I 
firmly believe that the published results of this and future 
Colloquia, reflecting the full range of views and insights, will be 
of great practical benefit to the public by promoting a favourable, 
predictable and cost- effective telecommunications environment."