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Click here
for the "Birth of Broadband Report"
 In 2000, ITU Member States and
Sector Members selected the regulatory implications
of broadband as a high priority for future research
under the "New Initiatives Programme".
This site, launched in January 2001,
introduces the topic of the regulatory implications
of broadband, which was the theme of an ITU New Initiatives workshop
held in May 2001. Given the strong and growing topicality of
broadband issues, new areas of focus are being addressed in a second
workshop. This time, the workshop is on the theme of
"Promoting Broadband", and will be held in April 2003. The
background papers and case studies prepared for this second workshop
are available at the Promoting
Broadband website.
Broadband ushers in convergence - at last. Broadband
networks can be used for communication of all kinds (voice, data,
video, etc.). In a narrowband world, several distinct industries
focus on specific kinds of communication. The telecommunications
industry focuses on voice, the TV industry (cable and broadcast)
focuses on video, and the IT industry focuses on data. These
industries have traditionally been regulated distinctly due to their
varying levels of monopolization, national interest, and universal
service responsibilities. Such distinct regulation may not 'fit' the
converged world of broadband.
Issues such as cross-media competition, access
to networks, and technology-neutral regulation place broadband at
the canter of divergent policy and regulatory debates. What role
should policy-makers play in stimulating investment in broadband
networks? Do converged networks require converged regulatory
structures? What will be the new bottlenecks in an era of plentiful
bandwidth?
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