Small Nations Regulators’ Forum

Now in its fourth year, the Small Nations Regulators’ Forum was originally created as a result of an invitation-only IIC meeting supported by OfReg, the multisector regulatory authority of the Cayman Islands. Representatives from island nations agreed that particular issues were not unique to islands and countries with small populations and/or economies typically have more problems in terms of ensuring competition, enforcement and access, and it was felt valuable to share experiences and remedies.

It has proven to be popular and membership has grown and now forms part of the International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) held each year as part of the Communications Policy and Regulation Week.

The IIC Forum for Small Nations focuses on the opportunities and constraints in media and communications regulation in countries with small populations and or small economies. As with other IIC Fora, meetings take place under the Chatham House Rule.

What is a Small Nation?

*A small nation is a country whose population is less than 0.1% of the world population – currently approximately 7.7 billion across 195 countries.

SNRF Membership benefits

Free to IIC Regulator members and regulators of Small Nations*

Opportunities for gathering insights, exchanging views, and influencing the debate include:

• Automatic membership to your local Chapter – to include complimentary attendance to events
• Discounted places for the International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) & Regional Regulators’ events
• To use the IIC SNRF logo on your company website

Valuable publications and educational resources:

• IIC’s monthly electronic newsletter
• Full reports from events where applicable
• Full recordings from events where applicable

2019 London

The Cost of Regulation in a Small Nation

The matters raised previously continue to be an issue for the SNRF and were discussed at the 2019 meeting in London which was supported by Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
Reports and discussion papers are available to members of the Forum.

2018 Mexico City

How Can the Retention of Domestic Revenue Be Improved in a Converged Environment?

The following year, the Broadcasting Commission Jamaica (BCJ) chaired the Forum and hosted the first online meeting which looked at the emerging threats to democracy and social stability in small nation-states, and included a discussion of fake news, political manipulation, and criminal and terrorist use of social media.

2017 Brussels

Internet Connectivity and Net Neutrality in Island Nations

The inaugural meeting of the Small Nations Regulators’ Forum was held in 2017 in Brussels under the chairmanship of OfReg, the multisector regulatory authority of the Cayman Islands. At that meeting the particular challenges facing small nations, especially in terms of connectivity and accessibility were discussed.