Ms Julieta TENCHEVA Head of International Relations in IT and Communications Dept., Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications The International Telecommunication Union plays an indisputable role for the development of telecommu-nications and the Information Society worldwide. The Republic of Bulgaria is among the oldest ITU Members and we are proud to have had the opportunity to ac-tively contribute to that role. We support the efforts of the ITU dedicated to hot issues such as achieving equitable communication for everyone, promoting the use of ICTs to combat climate change; achieving confidence and security in the use of ICTs and child online protection; bridging the digital divide; disaster management; transition to digital broadcasting, Next Generation Networks; broadband, etc. Today there is no doubt that broadband technol-ogy is indispensable for the effective functioning of modern economy and society. It connects business-es, governments and citizens with each other, and facilitates social interaction and inclusion. Therefore, broadband policies are a vital instrument for pro-moting and ensuring competitiveness and address-ing social concerns. That is one of the reasons why access of our citizens to communications based on broadband technologies is among the highest pri-orities Mr. Chairman, Esteemed ITU Elected Officials, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Heads and Members of Delegations, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour to address this highly prestigious global telecommunications forum – the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union. of the Bulgarian Government. Being a policy-making body, we believe that the broadband policy should go beyond the emphasis on speed and net-works, focusing not only on technical capacity as a measure of a successful broadband system. The broadband policy should lead to ubiquitous and fast access to the information society resources, highly efficient work and services to all. In general, the case of Bulgaria demonstrates that without a barrier to entry as expensive upfront cost for trenching, lo-cal initiatives on neighbourhood level and start-up entrepreneurs can create a very dynamic and com-petitive market, resulting in a high-paced roll out of high-speed broadband. 198