Dummies guide to the Convergence Bill

[eye_suc]

1. Are these regulations really needed?

2. Are these regulations in use in other, non-3rd-world countries?

3. Dont these regulations make things worse than they were in many ways?

 

[reech]

ZA govt has decided to buck the international trend of deregulation and over-regulate, it seems, simply to prop up a toothless and ineffectual comms authority. What a joke.
- or are we evolving into a society where the govorment behaves like a control freak?

 

[nOhIwAy]

1. Are these regulations really needed?

2. Are these regulations in use in other, non-3rd-world countries?

3. Dont these regulations make things worse than they were in many ways?

I could not agree more.

The more I think about this BILL the more ridiculous it becomes.

There are 150 million bb users worldwide
we have 60 000 == .04% or 1 in 2500 with about the lowest capabilities.

They must scrap the whole process until they have something which is worthwhile leglislating.

I know they will proceed - there seems to be a paranoia to legislate, legislate and legislate -

for *&#! sake 90% of the people don't even have a telephone.

 

[dominic]

1. Are these regulations really needed?

2. Are these regulations in use in other, non-3rd-world countries?

3. Dont these regulations make things worse than they were in many ways?

yes, yes and no - imo the convergence bill as a whole is both absolutely necessary and for the main part i feel that it lays out a sound basis for future regulation. it is easy to get sidetracked by issues such as application services licences and content but there are plenty of highly capable people agitating on these issues who will be addressing the portfolio committee later next month - take a pragmatic view on it & as noted above consider the capacity SA has to regulate web sites and e.g. mail servers. the convergence bill lays out a framework - it is largely up to ICASA to determine how it will work in practice especially with regard to who will be exempted from licensing requirements

also it may seem like over regulation now but one of the aims of the Bill is to greatly lessen regulation over the next 5 years....no comment - we shall, as always, have to see

 

[mystic]

We probably need this regulation to get ourselves out of the current mess.

Having said that, I think the only thing that was ever needed to be regulated was scarce/limited resources such as radio frequency spectrum. Why does there have to be a limit on the number of Network Operators? Why can't we have 3NO, 4NO etc, as many as would like to build networks? The market can decide who will fail and who will prosper.

Why do ISPs (VANS) need to be licensed? They just provide a service running on top of a network infrastructure provided by a Network Operator.

As far as it seems to me, the only regulations needed are:

1. Radio frequency spectrum allocation, use and standards
2. Competition regulation to prevent monopoly abuse (Already have a competion law - just apply it)
3. Regulations and standards wrt accessing public land to lay fibre/cable and install towers
4. Regulations wrt interconnect regimes
5. Regulations wrt allocation and use of numbering plans