NCC, Global Sister Regulators In Active Mode As 20th Edition Of Global Symposium For Regulators Ends
• Tasked To Respond To Challenges Of Digital Transformation During And Post-COVID-19
• NCC On Top Of Its Game!
By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief
The Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) and other participants at ITU’s 20th edition of the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-20), held virtually from September 1-3 have agreed that promoting an adaptive, resilient and collaborative regulatory system is critical to “building back better” and advancing digital transformation for all.
Regulatory authorities that gathered at GSR-20 agreed that in the wake of COVID-19 digital regulation could boost the readiness of digital markets to face unexpected events and emergencies and deliver up to the expectations despite the odds and accordingly adopted GSR-20 Best Practice Guidelines: The gold standard for regulation to respond to the challenges of digital transformation in the aftermath of global crises and beyond.
“This crisis has demonstrated that information and communication technology is a unifying thread that runs through all aspects of our societies and economies, and our approach to ICT investments must recognize and embrace this reality,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “At stake is the ability of regulators and policy-makers everywhere to unlock investment to support growth, jobs and innovation – but also to save lives and demonstrate their value added in this increasingly connected world.”
National economies and citizens have been relying increasingly on digital infrastructure during COVID-19. The current crisis and the probability of new global emergencies means that regulators will need to switch to regulatory frameworks that are adaptive, collaborative, outcomes-based and technology neutral and here is where watchers of the telecommunications space would give kudos to the NCC , that was since converted on these principles, and is currently under the watch of Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.
The GSR-20 Best Practice Guidelines emphasize the need for coordination among all stakeholders, integrating sustainability into regulatory frameworks, maximizing benefits while reducing harms of digital technologies, striving for transparency and trust throughout the regulatory process, an evidence-based approach, and frequent revision of regulatory frameworks to ensure they remain fit for purpose.
“The GSR-20 Best Practice Guidelines cast a framework for progressive regulatory patterns and policy while charting the way ahead for industry and regulators. We have identified concrete steps to pursue regulatory reform towards achieving thriving, inclusive digital markets,” said GSR-20 Chair Dan Sjöblom. “As the pace of digital transformation accelerates, developing an effective regulatory approach is more vital than ever. In the face of new global emergencies, governments and regulators need to consider holistic, cross-sectoral, and, to the extent possible, multi-national regulatory and policy approaches.”
The GSR-20 Best Practice Guidelines propose the following reforms:
• Agile framework for competition in digital markets: Regulators should support innovation and new business and licensing models that facilitate affordable access to and investment in health, enterprise, and educational services on digital platforms.
• Codes of conduct (voluntary or enforceable): Regulators should guide digital platforms and support them throughout the process of creating codes, their implementation and enforcement in important areas, such as online content moderation on digital platforms, addressing misinformation and online news quality, and child online protection. Media and digital literacy and awareness efforts should likewise be central to navigating the challenges around services that are enabled by the digital transformation.
• Upgrading national emergency plans: Creation and implementation of effective emergency plans enables better preparedness and decision-making during crises. Such plans are key to anticipating future unexpected events and their negative impacts and they should focus on both urban and rural areas through a multi-technology approach. Bilateral, regional and international cooperation should ensure business and public service continuity and underpin national recovery efforts.
• Spectrum reform: Spectrum managers need to be able to respond timely, making spectrum available for wireless applications when and where they are needed, and as easily as possible, giving spectrum users and innovators flexibility to provide services that will deliver the greatest benefits. Ensuring that sufficient unlicensed spectrum is available drives innovation and investment in a range of technologies that can complement and support networks and expand broadband access at low cost. Spectrum reform should also be focused on ensuring that access to broadband service is provided affordably to those areas and populations that have been traditionally unserved or underserved.
At the same time, regulators recognize that there is no single, comprehensive blueprint for best practice and that regulatory patterns for the connected digital economy will be rooted in local circumstances while addressing regional and global challenges, especially now while the world is striving to build back better with digital technologies across the board.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the work of regulators and policy-makers is critical,” said Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Our ICT policy and regulatory frameworks will need to be fit-for-purpose. They will need to be up-to-date, flexible, incentive-based and market-driven to support digital transformation across sectors, and across geographical regions. In short, they will need to leverage the power of digital platforms and infrastructures to build the resilience we need to protect us against future global emergencies.”
This year’s GSR programme kicked off on June 30, 2020 with a leadership debate “Resilient and secure digital connectivity for all: COVID-19 Recovery and lessons learned for better preparedness and response”. The event was followed by Regional Regulatory Roundtable Discussions for the Europe, CIS, Arab States, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.
On August 27 and 28, the United States Telecommunication Training Institute (USTTI) and ITU organized webinars on Behind the Scenes Look at Emerging Technologies to explore the work taking place to prepare for the deployment and usage of emerging technologies. Experts provided regulators with information on the technological underpinnings of emerging technologies and the spectrum planning that is taking place to enable these new services.
GSR-20 also featured the Regional Regulatory Associations meeting and the Industry Advisory Group for Development Issues and Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officer’s meeting (IAGDI-CRO) on August 31 and the Heads of Regulators Executive Roundtable on 1 September. We can confirm, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(EVC/CEO) of NCC, was in attendance.
Finally, the core sessions in September included a series of lightning sessions presenting the Global Network Resiliency Platform (REG4COVID); the new Digital Regulation Handbook and online platform, a collaborative effort between ITU and the World Bank; the outcome report of the Economic Experts Roundtable; and the Global ICT Regulatory Outlook and ICT Regulatory Tracker.
The GSR-20 validates an over two decades of collaboration between the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union.
The 2020 Digital Regulation Handbook was originally published as the Telecommunication Regulation Handbook, and now updated to mark the 20th anniversary of the publication and provides more detailed guidance and case studies of best practice in regulation of the digital economy while the Digital Regulation Platform provides an update and revised version of the ICT Regulation Toolkit.
Thematic areas include:
• Regulatory governance and independence
• Competition and economics
• Access for all
• Consumer affairs
• Data protection and trust
• Spectrum management
• Emerging technologies
• Technical regulation
• Emergency communications
