BRIEFING TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND POSTAL SERVICES

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BRIEFING TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND POSTAL SERVICES

• PROGRESS ON ICT POLICY REVIEW PROJECT

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• Separate frameworks have guided the sector since
  1994. The White Papers on Broadcasting,
  Telecommunications Postal sectors and the Green
  Paper on e-commerce, have underpinned the policy
  and legislative developments since democracy.
• Much has changed in recent years, especially in
  the ICT sector due to the rapid expansion and
  fast-paced developments in technology, and the
  emergence of new media as a result of the
  Internet.
• Changing ICT environment
• Technology convergence is of particular interest
  to policy makers and regulators as it changes the
  nature of services, allowing an operator who was
  licensed under one category to be able to do
  things that would have required different
  category licences in the past
• Convergence of Internet and Media and
• Convergence in Policy and Regulation.

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BACKGROUND

• The ICT Policy Review process was launched in
  April 2012.
• Aim to develop a White Paper on ICT Policy for
  South Africa.
• Minister appointed 22 experts that would serve on
  the ICT Policy Review Panel.
• The scope of the Panel work includes, but is not
  limited to, making recommendations on the
  appropriate ICT policy and regulatory framework
  that supports the growth and development of the
  sector.
• The Panel will also make proposals to the
  Minister with respect to institutional mechanisms
  for delivering universal access and universal
  service policy goals. Additionally, the Panel is
  tasked with making recommendations regarding the
  development and maintenance of diverse,
  innovative, efficient and effective ICT market
  that operates within a competitive environment
  and in the best interest of the South African
  public.
• The inaugural meeting of the Review Panel was
  held in January 2013.

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BACKGROUND Cont.

• Some Panel members requested to be released from
  the project due to other pressing commitments.
• The current Minister then appointed five new
  members to serve in the Panel, in replacement of
  members who left.
• The Project Management Office was established to
  support the Panel
• Five Committees were set up to drive the work of
  the ICT Policy Review process
• Such Committees focused the following key areas
  Telecommunications, Broadcasting, Postal,
  Investment and Infrastructure and e-Services and
  Cybersecurity
• Research was conducted on these key areas to
  support the policy development process and
  facilitate evidence-based policy making process.
• Post the Green Paper gazette, the Committees were
  restructured to reflect the ICT sector in a
  converged environment, from the traditional
  separation of subsectors.

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Current Governance Structures- ICT Policy Review
ICT Policy Review Panel
ICT Policy Review Panel
Chairpersons Meeting
ICT Industry Growth






Infrastructure Services






E-services internet regulation






Institutional Frameworks






Content





Inter-Departmental Working Group
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POLICY REVIEW PROCESS (4 STAGES)
FRAMING PAPER GAZETTED
GREEN PAPER GAZETTED
DISCUSSION PAPER TO BE ISSUED
WHITE PAPER TO BE GAZETTED
April 2013
To Follow
January 2014
To Follow
gt UNDERPINNED BY INVITATION TO STAKEHOLDERS TO
PARTICIPATE
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FRAMING PAPER

• The Framing Paper set Objectives and Principles
  that underpin the current policy environment -
  laid the foundation for discussion.
• This Policy Framing Paper first round of
  consultation
• The Framing Paper - gazetted for public
  consultation in April 2013.

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INTEGRATED ICT POLICY GREEN PAPER

• The Green Paper - gazetted for public
  consultation in January 2014, following Cabinet
  approval in December 2013.
• The Green Paper - canvass opinions on the various
  aspects of the communications sector that need to
  be reviewed.
• Extensive public consultations, including
  provincial public hearings in all provinces were
  undertaken in March 2014.
• More than 70 submissions were received from
  various stakeholders including multinational
  companies, non-profit sector organisations and
  municipalities as well as organised business
  associations.

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INTEGRATED ICT POLICY DISCUSSION PAPER

• Current phase development of the Discussion
  Paper Policy document
• Discussion Paper will outline various policy
  options on key policy issues.
• Policy Options largely informed by public
  hearings, written submissions on the Green Paper,
  committee work, research conducted and
  consultations with government stakeholders.
• Gazette Discussion Paper- beginning of November
  2014

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INTEGRATED ICT POLICY WHITE PAPER

• The Integrated ICT Policy White Paper will be
  formal Governments policy position on all
  matters relating to the information
  communications technologies.
• It will inform the development of an integrated
  National ICT Law, which reflects convergence of
  the sector and promotes the 2030 vision of a
  South Africa that is dynamic, has a vibrant
  knowledge economy and has an information society
  that is more inclusive and prosperous.
• This Paper will be tabled in Cabinet in March
  2015.

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Key Policy Issues TELECOMMUNICATIONS AT A
GLANCE
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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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Facilities outside coverage of the main service
providers

• Total facilities outside coverage
• 6785 schools
• 793 health facilities
• 192 police stations

Legend
Source BMI-T, 2012
Source BMI-T, 2012
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Telecommunications Policy issues to address

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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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• Key Policy Issues
• BROADCASTING
• AT A GLANCE

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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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Broadcasting policy implementation - Successes
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Broadcasting Policy Issues
Legal and regulatory framework
SABC
Other cross-cutting issues

• Define the SABC mandate
• in the digital era
• Developmental
• programming and
• priorities
• childrens programmes
• educational programmes
• health programmes
• sports developmental national unity
• e-Government services
• Events of national interest
• Funding of the SABC
• Governance
• Structure of the SABC

• Supporting SA content
• Similar obligations for broadcasters
• Increasing diversity
• language services
• provincial reflection
• Sustaining community
• broadcasting
• Content standards
• and protection of children
• Access to signal
• distribution
• Enforcement of IP rights

• Define broadcasting
• activities in the internet
• age
• Convergence
• New content services
• Regulatory parity and
• internet parity
• Licensing and spectrum
• Competition
• market concentration
• access to premium content
• bundling across platforms
• bottlenecks and gateway
• access to services

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• Key Policy Issues
• POSTAL SERVICES
• AT A GLANCE

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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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Postal services policy implementation successes

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Postal Services Policy Issues

Postal
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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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• Key Policy Issues
• E-SERVICES CYBERSECURITY
• AT A GLANCE

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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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E-services, cybersecurity cybercrime
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A global leader in the development and use of
Information and Communication Technologies for
socio-economic development
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Institutional Arrangements

• The NDP highlights the need to develop
  specialised institutional capacity to ensure that
  policy keeps up with the evolution of the sector
  and that regulation is effective.
• The roles and responsibilities of different
  players are defined in current policy and
  legislation and are intertwined, requiring the
  different institutions to act in collaboration to
  achieve specific policy objectives outlined in
  the various legislation governing the sector.
• A review of the institutional roles and
  responsibilities of the different players
  involved in policy and regulatory settings
  indicate a lack of common purpose and interaction
  to the degree required to drive policy. The lack
  of interaction is at times mechanical. The
  question now is how all institutions dealing with
  public policy can better cooperate to deliver on
  the key policy and legislative mandates.
• There is a need to strengthen policy, regulatory
  and market oversight (Legislature, the Executive,
  Regulator).

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WAY FORWARD

• Gazette the Discussion Paper beginning of
  November 2014
• Conduct Public Consultations government
  structure clusters, public hearings.
• Analyse stakeholder input
• Develop concrete Policy Recommendations report
• Panel to present the report to the Minister and
  Department.
• Department to present Policy Recommendations to
  Portfolio Committee
• These Policy Recommendations, if approved, would
  form the basis within which the new Integrated
  ICT Policy White Paper would be developed.
• Table White Paper in Parliament