Net neutrality: mybb submission required

[ellipsis]

ICASA has launched an inquiry into competition in the ICT sector. While the whole thing should be of interest to SA consumers of telecommunication and broadcasting services, it would be particularly useful for there to be a consumer voice around the issue of net neutrality in South Africa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality to get you started but there is plenty about it on this site and elsewhere

The relevant bits of the ICASA document:

3. THE SCOPE OF THE INQUIRY
The inquiry will seek to address the following issues:
3.1 The current state of competition in the ICT sector as a whole;
3.2 Challenges to creating a level playing field across platforms;
3.3 The impact of convergence, net neutrality and disruptive technologies on the competitive landscape;
3.4 The role of fixed (fibre) and wireless (high demand spectrum) in enabling competition;
3.5 The tension between consolidation and plurality in the ICT sector.

The inquiry will go through a number of iterative stages. Initially responses to the issues will be solicited through written submissions and oral representations at a public hearing. Key areas requiring further research and engagement with stakeholders will be identified. This will lead to a draft position paper on competition in the ICT sector, which will be subject to a further public comment process. Once the public consultation process is complete, the Authority will issue the findings of the inquiry as a final position paper. The Authority expects that the inquiry will take six to eight months to complete.

Innovation, net neutrality and disruptive technologies

Innovative technologies introduced through dynamic spectrum management are finding ways of accessing artificial restrictions of spectrum. Is it time to introduce them into the market in the short term?

How will issues of net neutrality come into play? What are the implications of the current anxieties in the traditional telecom market regarding becoming ‘dumb pipes’, simple purveyors of bandwidth? Multiple closed transactions between mobile companies and content developers are taking place outside any regulatory framework, yet broadcasters continue to be subject to strict rules. What role will new disruptive technologies such as TV White Spaces play in making our ICT sector more competitive?

How can more effective competition be introduced in the subscription television broadcasting environment? The mobile sector has effectively moved to an IP platform. What are the immediate implications for the ICT market?

Comments are due by 20 June. If this thread has life and is peppered with constructive comment then we will prep a mybb submission.

 

[Paul Hjul]

20th June is quite a bit away and the ICT Green Paper stuff is due Monday after which I will look at this a bit more. I am somewhat confused as to this process if there is an ICT Policy Review running ...