Convergence Tops Priorities for 2009 World Telecom Policy Forum
GENEVA -- ITU member countries have teed up policy and regulatory issues involving convergence for debate at 2009’s World Telecommunication Policy Forum. Consensus on a range of telecom and Internet issues could feed into a treaty-level conference planned for 2012. National positions on the issues are being developed, officials said.
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Issues are on two tracks based on accord reached at a 2006 quadrennial conference (CD Nov 21/06 p2). The first track urged review of the International Telecommunication Regulations. The second called for a 2009 World Telecom Policy Forum on “convergence, including Internet-related public policy matters,” concerns over developing countries’ ability to adapt to new telecom technologies and studies of “emerging telecommunications policy and regulatory issues” and issues emerging for international telecom networks and services, the decision said.
The forum aims to forge “a shared vision” of new telecom services and technologies and related policies, the U.K. wrote in a preparatory document. The U.S. wants the forum to focus on standardization for converged and next-generation networks, broadband and other access issues, its preparatory document said. Emphasis should be on cyber-security, enhancing policy makers’ expertise, especially as regards developing countries’ work in standardization, and barriers to policymaking, the U.S. said. The forum should not duplicate World Summit on the Information Society efforts or prescribe solutions, the U.S. said. Broadband success stories should be highlighted, along with cyber-security cooperation and coordination and the need for human skills and policymaking in the era of convergence, the U.S. said.
The forum should study different forms of convergence, market developments, the regulatory framework, and challenges, such as copyright and digital rights management, the U.K. said. The impact of convergence on the International Telecommunication Regulations, the ITU, Internet governance including security and domain names also needs study, the U.K. said.
Next generation networks “are a key future trend in networks,” Canada wrote in its preparatory document. Policy and regulatory issues for building confidence and security in information and communication technology relate to forum discussions, Canada said. Special stress should go to telecom network aspects, Canada said. Regulatory needs haven’t been determined, it said.
ITU member countries have raised telecom, Internet and other international public policy concerns in ITU study groups and other meetings, the ITU secretary-general wrote in a draft report for forum preparation. Much Internet public policy debate is not within ITU’s remit, the U.K. wrote.
Skyrocketing traffic volumes are spurring network neutrality debates, Japan wrote in its preparatory document. Equitable cost and access to networks could be discussed, Japan said. Switzerland said the number of forum themes is too broad to produce useful results. Three previous forums had only one theme, Switzerland wrote.
“The rapid expansion of both the capacity of the global Internet and the development of bandwidth-intensive applications are creating new policy challenges,” the Internet Society wrote in a preparatory document. Forum discussions should not be intermingled with preparations for the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunication, said the Internet Society. Raising treaty issues at the forum could distract from core issues, ISOC said.
A treaty-level world conference should be avoided for reasons of efficiency and economy, Sweden said in a preparatory document. Opinions developed during the forum should not be binding or prescriptive, but instead should focus on common elements for revising the treaty’s regulatory provisions, Sweden said. “If consensus cannot be reached they could… be developed as ITU Recommendations,” Sweden said.
The first forum preparatory meeting is June 24. Reaction to the ITU secretary-general’s draft report for forum planning is due May 15. Nominated officials in the preparatory group come from Azerbaijan, Canada, Europe, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Syria and the U.S. The proposed forum dates are March 25 to 27.