World Dialogue on Regulation

Telecom reform is about restructuring the telecom sector. National industry specific regulators carry primary responsibility for implementing the new policies and driving the restructuring process forward. Results so far have been mixed, and progress has been much slower than expected. Yet 21^st century economies in both developing and developed countries require upgraded broadband telecom networks to provide the information infrastructures for next generation Internet services, including e-commerce and e-government. Widespread applications of new electronic services can provide major productivity benefits in all sectors - private and public - of new “network economies”. The boundaries of opportunity for organizations and individuals are being determined primarily by the effectiveness of policies, as implemented through regulation, in preparing the institutional foundations for network economies.

The challenge of reform is to sweep away obsolete regulations protecting monopolies and restricting network access, and to establish new regulations that will provide a foundation for information infrastructure development, electronic services innovation and productive applications everywhere. But so far the pace of policy and regulatory reform is lagging behind that of technological advance and the restructuring of markets. This is a major constraint on growth and development opportunities. Implementation of the US Telecommunications Act of 1996 is proceeding at a snail’s pace, and the new EU “Telecommunications Package” of Directives is widely seen as catching up to the present rather than preparing the ground for the future. Despite initial telecom reforms and significant network growth in a number of developing countries, most people still do not have access to electronic communication services of any kind. The vast majority of the population in all countries does not have access to broadband connections for next generation Internet services, and are not likely to have them anytime soon. The digital divide between rich and poor countries continues to grow.

WDR will facilitate the transformation of regulation to provide both a foundation of support and a catalyst for development of network economies in both developing and developed countries. This will require research, an extensive international dialogue on the major issues of regulatory reform, discussions among experts, and widespread distribution of papers, reports and other relevant information. This website is the centerpiece of the international dialogue. We welcome your contributions. The greater the participation the better will be the results.