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Regulatory Watch

Wheeler in motion at the FCC

November 2013: A blog post by new FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has attracted the attention of the New York Times, among others - he said "the agency would begin 'a diverse set of experiments' next year that would begin to move the nation’s telephone system from its century-old network of circuits, switches and copper wires to one that transmits phone calls in a manner similar to that used for internet data"... See http://nyti.ms/1iu5AUG and http://fcc.us/1cFq87L

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Global internet governance panel

November 2013: A new global panel on internet governance will convene in London on 12-13 December, comprising a diverse global group of stakeholders from government, civil society, the private sector, the technical community and international organisations. Called the Panel on the Future of Global Internet Cooperation, it will focus on the "pressing issue of internet governance", and plans to release a high-level report in early 2014... http://bit.ly/1b5woJc

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Internet freedom in Europe

November 2013: The European Commission's proposal on harmonising electronic communications services across the EU will unduly limit internet freedom, says the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). Peter Hustinx welcomes the inclusion of the principle of net neutrality but also says that it is "devoid of substance because of the almost unlimited right of providers to manage internet traffic..." http://bit.ly/HWSt0u

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South Africa's white spaces opportunity

November 2013: The website Human IPO, which covers African technology policy, reports a call for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to regulate on white space spectrum. Arno Hart, project manager at the Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa (TENET), which has participated in a recent television white spaces trial in Cape Town, says ICASA "has an unrivalled opportunity to lead the world..." http://bit.ly/1bAjuRP

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India's spectrum prices "too high"

November 2013: Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, has said her organisation is surprised by the decision of India's Telecom Commission to overrule the regulator's (TRAI) recommendations on reduced reserve prices for the 1800 MHz and 900 MHz spectrum bands, instead increasing prices by 25%. "Mobile operators in India have to pay significantly more for spectrum than in other parts of the world even though... http://bit.ly/1amsusI

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Mobile competition to bite in Europe

November 2013: Aggressive new competition is likely to push down pricing for the next generation of telecom services across many European markets in 2014 and undermine the potential benefit of mobile data growth to operators Fitch Ratings says. A new wave of competition from cable operators may also be a key factor behind further pressure on prices. “The most competitive markets are also the most likely... http://bit.ly/1fSlUvZ

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Federal Trade Agency and net neutrality?

November 2013: The US Federal Trade Commission's sweeping authority to protect the interests of consumers could "thrust it to the forefront of broadband regulation", says Bloomberg BNA. "Whether that's best - and whether the agency wants the job - are vital questions to consumers and businesses alike." With a decision pending on the Verizon vs FCC net neutrality case, "the FTC may be the only federal agency with the power to... http://bit.ly/17qcjXT

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Australia may be less ambitious on fibre

November 2013: Australia’s communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull has said that using fibre to the node technology in the National Broadband Network (NBN) will offer flexibility for future upgrades of broadband, ZDNet reports. He said that projected broadband consumption "falls short of the very high predicted line speed requirements", and so has encouraged a rethink on whether full fibre to the premises in the NBN rollout is required... http://zd.net/1jeVa8O

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FCC calls for phone unlocking

November 2013: The chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler, is calling for wireless carriers to unlock phones for American consumers, notes the Alaska Despatch. "In a letter to Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA, an organisation that represents the telecom industry, Mr Wheeler wrote that it 'is now time for the industry to act voluntarily or for the FCC to regulate'." Wheeler, who became... http://bit.ly/1hVfrFc

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Peru's new broadband regulations

November 2013: Peru has adopted a new set of regulations concerning broadband promotion and the construction of the fibre optic backbone, reports Telecom.paper. The regulations were published in a special edition of the official publication El Peruano. "The US$350 million project will connect the 195 districts in the interior of the country through broadband, reducing the technology gap with urban areas. It will also help reduce the..." http://bit.ly/16Vq9Ew

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Broadband dividend

November 2013: For every £1 the government is investing in broadband, the UK economy will benefit by £20, an expert report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport reveals. The report also reveals that in addition to offering "outstanding value for taxpayer money" the roll-out of superfast broadband nationwide will also "make a real impact on the way we live - from working at home to watching TV content online"... http://bit.ly/17qK1N1

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Twitter changes libel law

November 2013: The Financial Times comments that Twitter is driving a change in UK libel law - "On Twitter, it is users and not their online hosts who have legal responsibility for posts, creating a huge constellation of one-person publishers," it says. "While television channels or newspapers have responsibility for anything they broadcast or publish, responsibility for comments on Twitter lies with their author, not with Twitter." http://on.ft.com/1aPEsb4

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Norway's unusual spectrum approach

November 2013: Writing about the current round of spectrum licencing, Telecoms.com writes that "the Norwegians may provide the first real upset" among the usual auctions and renewals, which tend not to have led to a dramatic shift in the competitive landscape. "Curiously it has selected a first price, sealed bid combinatorial auction model. There is a reason why first price sealed bid auctions are seldom used these days and that is because..." http://bit.ly/1fegxKg

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Thailand drafts TV regulations

November 2013: Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has drafted three new regulations relating to competition in the broadcasting industry, notes Rapid TV News. The first rule defines different markets based on broadcasting services such as frequency broadcasts, non-frequency broadcasts, satellite TV, cable TV and terrestrial TV. It will define any market operator with 25% of the audience... http://bit.ly/1gFg44b

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Canadian spectrum - use it or lose it

November 2013: Canada's Industry minister James Moore has said wireless companies will lose the right to use wireless spectrum they hold if it is not used to serve Canadians in rural areas. "Beginning in March 2014, 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz spectrum licences will be subject to renewal," he said in a statement. "These licences contained conditions requiring that the spectrum be used for fixed wireless access, which represents..." http://bit.ly/I3AAx7

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Latin America mobile report

November 2013: The GSMA has released an assessment of the impact of the mobile industry in Latin America. The report, Mobile Economy Latin America 2013, highlights four key policy areas - effective spectrum management, consistent licence renewals, coordinated quality of service and "more supportive regulation" - "Regulation in Latin America has become more interventionist in recent years, with the trend to regulate termination..." http://prn.to/1iu0x6v

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Regulation a key driver for M2M

November 2013: The number of machine to machine (M2M) connections worldwide is set to rise from 368 million in 2013 to 2.9 billion by 2022, according to Strategy Analytics, which expects 3G or faster networks to account for 78% of these connections. It also notes that regulations are partly driving the development of the market, with the US Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Europe’s eCall legislation providing a spur to the healthcare and telematics industries... http://bit.ly/17J892R

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Africa's regulation improving

November 2013: The regulatory environment for Africa's ICT sector is continuously improving - countries with ICT regulatory bodies have grown in number from 26 in 2000 to 44, notes TMCnet.com. "Moreover, they are increasingly independent from their governments... There are also signs that these regulatory organisations are becoming more assertive, but this has led to disputes with telecoms companies. And certain African countries still stand accused of discriminatory regulation."... See http://bit.ly/1irTdIF

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Latest Stories

	Telecommunications and Media Forum, Washington, DC The annual TMF (3-4 December) once again provided an environment where informed and lively discussions took place, with all sides of the debate being ventilated with presentations by experts and keynote speakers. Presentations available soon.
	IIC Canada Chapter Annual Conference The 2013 IIC Canada Chapter Annual Conference was held on 18-19 October 2013 in Ottawa. Many presentations available on www.cpac.ca.
	Global Summit on Dynamic Spectrum Access Regulators, leading academics, cutting-edge technologists and pioneering business people took part in the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) inaugural Global Summit on 18 November 2013 about the future offered by new dynamic spectrum access technologies.
	Transatlantic Free Trade Will Fuel Innovation Read AT&T’s Karim Antonio Lesina on the status of EU-US trade talks and the implications for the digital economy.
	Evolving governance in the Internet age Jean Jacques Sahel takes stock of Internet Governance discussions and argues that the global agenda should herald an era of collaboration within the symbiotic ecosystem that is the Internet value chain.

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Latest Resources

	Creating a Data Ecosystem Centred on the Individual: Context and Policy Report from an invitation only workshop held as part of the IIC Communications Regulation and Policy Week, sponsored by Microsoft (PDF download).
	Unlocking dynamic spectrum access Mihayo Wilmore and Ian Ferguson from the new Dynamic Spectrum Alliance advocacy body discuss the need for flexible spectrum policy.
	*Intermedia* Volume 41 Issue 4 for Autumn 2013 is now available to members for download (login required).
	TMF Istanbul 2013 presentations now available Keynote and speaker presentations from the 2013 TMF event in Istanbul, 12-13 June, are available to IIC members for download. Please log in to access these presentations.
	TMF Brussels 2013: Programme and presentations now available The final programme and speaker presentations for this recent TMF in Brussels on the 19-20 March are now available to download (Member login required).
	Personal Data Management: The User's Perspective This report is based primarily on research commissioned by the International Institute of Communications from IPSOS UU between March-August 2012, funded by the Microsoft Corporation. Download now.