Working Group Meeting Notes

1
Working Group Meeting Notes

• Innovation in Telecommunications -
• Regulation Innovation

Tuesday 12th December 2006 1000 BST
2
Participants

• Apologies
• Simon Persoff Orange Home
• Taylor Reynolds OECD
• Ken Ducatel EC
• Chris Marsden Rand Europe
• Richard Steinberg University of Cambridge,
  Judge Business School

Attended Brian Corbett CRN (Interim
Chair) Bruno Basalisco Imperial College
London Bob Briscoe BT Frank Domoney - BT Arnaud
Jacquet - BT Sajjid Salyani - Ofcom Linda Doyle
Trinity College, Dublin
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Agenda

• Update on Spectrum Working Group focus BC
• Review Innovation in Telecoms WG work on spectrum
  based on above All
• Proposed spectrum related tasks for allocation to
  WG participants BC
• Review of outcomes from Net Neutrality event
  general discussion All
• Agree key aspects of Net Neutrality issues for
  further research and review All
• AOB and next meeting date

4
Update on Spectrum Working Group focus

• Spectrum WG is currently focused on Dynamic
  Spectrum Access
• Key task is to define the term dynamic
• What timeframe (seconds/minutes/days/months?)
• Is it dynamic allocation through use of
  technology?
• Is it dynamic through spectrum licensing policy?
• Plan is to hold a brainstorm session in the New
  Year

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Review Innovation in Telecoms WG work on spectrum

• Agreed spectrum will continue to be present in
  this WGs activities as it is part of the wider
  regulatory picture, but
• Coordinate with Spectrum WG to avoid duplication
• Possible joint meeting
• Pass over some activities to Spectrum WG
• Question raised about BT work on Spectrum Roadmap
• ACTION Linda Doyle Bob Briscoe to get update
  on this activity and point to any available
  material
• Spectrum military/consumer crossover
• May be more appropriate for the Spectrum WG
  check with Peter George (WG Mgr)
• Check re. William Webb (Ofcom) activity in this
  area

6
Review of outcomes from Net Neutrality event

• Discussion moved onto a wider review of the
  effect of telecoms liberalisation on economic
  growth (ref. views from World Bank and EBRD)
• Regulation to move away from defining things
  within its current context (examples of changing
  context - 20 mobile for developing countries,
  powerline communications (P1901 IEEE standards)
  potential impact on developed world)
• Debated merits of taking a clean sheet approach
  to regulation in order to assess optimal
  regulatory regime
• Avoids complexities of regulatory legacy
• Potential for No Frills Regulatory Framework
  assess relevance to both developed and developing
  comms. Markets
• Can this help to create a framework for
  evolution?
• Fast-moving developments in communications mean a
  static framework is no longer viable

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Participant objectives

• Summarised goals for each participant to help
  focus on deliverables goals included
• Understand regulatory debate impact on
  innovation consumer protection
• Understand technology in the wider picture is a
  regulator needed? interplay between standards and
  regulation
• How to redesign the internet for the its current
  environment
• Focus on regulation of ISP interconnect
  agreements
• Boilerplate regulatory framework for developing
  economies
• A framework for regulation after the bulldozer?

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Potential areas for further research

• Case study 3G licence regime v GSM impact on
  uptake and innovation?
• Impact of property rights on freedom innovation
• Internet designed for tussle
• Net Neutrality not an issue in isolation part
  of a broader regulatory philosophy
• Regulatory focus?
• Raw infrastructure as a utility (ref. Swedish
  model for broadband delivery)
• Concentrate on informing consumers (informed
  choice rather than regulated market)

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Net Neutrality Review

• Need to draw conclusions/actions from the Net
  Neutrality event
• Focus on key aspects to guide review
• Commons
• Collective Good
• Dynamic Proprietorial Rights
• Ofcom report Next Generation Access
• Interconnection
• ACTION all to circulate views on Net Neutrality
  event

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Actions

• Circulate list of potential key components of a
  No frills regulatory framework Frank Domoney
  target date pre end 2006
• Circulate any available information on the BT
  spectrum roadmap Linda Doyle/Bob Briscoe
• Circulate views on Net Neutrality event All
• Discuss with Peter George (Spectrum WGM)
  military/consumer crossover interest in Spectrum
  WG - BC
• Check out Ofcom report Next generation access
  (on Ofcom website?) All
• Volunteers required to
• Define remit for a case study on relative merits
  of GSM v 3G regulatory/licensing approach
• Define remit for survey of regulators to
  demonstrate examples of innovative policies
• Next meeting target date for mid February time
  place TBA

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Interesting reference materials

• Clayton Christensen The Innovators Dilemma
• Thomas L Friedman The World is Flat
• James Surowiecki The Wisdom of Crowds
• Matthew Cleevely paper The Role of Ofcom in
  Encouraging Innovation
• http//www.ofcom.org.uk/research/technology/innov
  ation/
• Ofcom - Next Generation Access Simplification
  plan
• http//www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/annual_pl
  an2007/
• FCC rules favouring innovative technology