A few words on emerging telecommunication policy and regulatory issues

Fast-paced innovation in the telecommunication industry has created significant opportunities for consumers, businesses and governments alike, and has made daily life simpler and more convenient in many ways.

However, the rapid pace of change and the near ubiquitous nature of communications technology have created number of new challenges that have not traditionally been the purview of industry regulators, and do not seem to be adequately addressed by the market.  The pervasiveness of technology today has also meant that regulators are re-examining their role and mandate, and considering different approaches to regulatory reform. The massive deployment of mobile and wireless networks, combined with the development of new RFID systems and nanotechnology, will have important consequences on well-known areas like spectrum management, competition policy and interconnection. But a number of  emerging issues will also need special attention in the context of always-on ubiquitous connectivity and convergence, such as: consumer protection, user trust, data and privacy protection, digital identity, content regulation, freedom of expression, human rights, digital divides, and the social and ethical impacts of new technologies.

This site provides selected articles and papers that relate to emerging policy challenges raised by new communication technologies and continuing convergence. There are also resources available on "internet-related public policy issues", which focus on cybersecurity and internet governance.

• The Aspen Institute, R.M. Entman (Rapporteur), Policy Issues for Telecommunications Reform: Reports of the 2005 Aspen Institute Conferences on Telecommunications and Spectrum Policy, 2006.
• Danish Technological Institute, Nordic foresights and visions on ICT in healthcare, security, the experience economy and production systems, 2006.
• DiploFoundation, Internet Governance Research Project, The protection of the public interest with regards to the internet, February 2006.
• European Commission, Your voice on RFID: Background document for public consultation on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), 2006.
• R. Mansell, “Introduction – Human Rights and Equity in Cyberspace” in M. Klang & A. Murray (eds), in Human rights in the digital age, Glasshouse Press, 2006.
• A. Henten, R. Samarajiva & W.H. Melody, Designing Next Generation Telecom Reform: ICT Convergence or Multisector Utility? January 2003.
• Hogan and Hartson & Analysys, prepared for the European Commission , Preparing the next steps in regulation of electronic communications - A contribution to the review of the electronic communications regulatory framework, July 2006.
• IDATE, Communications & Strategies, Technological Convergence and Regulation: Challenges Facing Developing Countries, Special Issue, WSIS, November 2005.
• ITU New Initiatives Programme, L. Srivastava, I. Silver & R. Kirwan, Issues Paper: The Regulatory Environment for Future Mobile Multimedia Services, June 2006.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Consultation Paper on Issues relating to Convergence and Competition in Broadcasting and Telecommunications, January 2006.
• ITU New Initiatives Programme, G. Gow, Privacy and Ubiquitous Network Societies, March 2005.
• ITU, ITU Internet Reports 2006: digital.life, December 2006.
• ITU, ITU Internet Reports 2005: The Internet of Things, November 2005.
• ITU, GSR Discussion Paper, International Internet Interconnection , E. Lie, February 2007.
• R. Mansell, Security Challenges of Networks: Cyber Trust and Cyber Crime, EDS Innovation Research Programme, Discussion Paper, March 2006.
• Ofcom, Section 2: "The changing nature of regulation in the public interest", in Communications - The next decade: A collection of essays prepared for the UK Office of Communications, November 2006.
• OECD, Telecommunication Regulatory Institutional Structures and Responsibilities, January 2006.
• OECD, The implications of WiMax for competition and regulation, March 2006.
• RTR (Germany), ICT best practices in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the Republic of Korea, Sweden and Switzerland, March 2006.
• The World Bank (J. Bezzina), Interconnection Challenges in a Converging Environment: Policy Implications for African Telecommunications Regulators, June 2005.

Consumer protection, privacy and digital identity

• J. Camp, K. Connelly & L. Lorenzen-Huber, Beyond consent: implications of ubicomp for privacy, TPRC, 2006.
• Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), Nanotechnology and Data Protection, January 2006.
• European Commission, Data Protection (website)
• European Commission, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), 31 July 2002.
• European Commission, Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, Working document on data protection issues related to RFID technology, January 2005.
• European Commission, i2010, A roadmap for eID for the Implementation of the eGovernment Action Plan, December 2006.
• European Commission, Signposts towards e-government 2010, November 2005.
• European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA), ICT and Privacy in Europe: Experiences from technology assessment of ICT and privacy in seven different European countries, Final report, October 2006.
• Italian Data Protection Authority, Interactive TV: Measures That Are Both Necessary and Appropriate to Bring Processing Operations into Line with the Legislation in Force, February 2005.
• ITU, GSR Discussion Paper, Consumer Protection and Quality of Service Issues in an NGN Environment, R. Stevens-Strohmann, February 2007.
• ITU New Initiatives Programme, L. Srivastava, Social and human considerations for a more mobile world, March 2004.
• ITU New Initiatives Programme, L. Srivastava, The case of radio-frequency identification, April 2005.
• ITU New Initiatives Programme, G. Gow, Privacy and Ubiquitous Network Societies, March 2005.
• ITU, ITU-T Focus Group on Identity Management (website)
• ITU, Chapter Four: Digital.Identity, in ITU Internet Reports 2006: digital.life, December 2006.
• M. Lips, J. Taylor & J. Ogan, Electronic Government: Towards new forms of authentication, citizenship and governance.
• National Consumer Council (United Kingdom), The age of identity, February 2005.
• National Consumer Council (United Kingdom), Data protection challenges: responding to the risks, December 2005.
• OECD, Report on the Cross Border Enforcement of Privacy Laws, October 2006.
• OECD, OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data, 1980.
• OECD, Scoping Study for the Measurement of Trust in the Online Environment, December 2005.
• The Open Group, Identity Management – A White Paper, March 2004.

The protection of minors

• EICN (European Internet Coregulation Network), Protecting Minors from Exposure to Harmful Content on Mobile Phones, 2005.
• International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and the Media, Ulla Carlsson (ed.), "Regulation, awareness, empowerment - young people and harmful media content in the digital age", 2006.
• R. O'Connell and J, Bryce, Media Division - Directorate General of Human Rights, Council of Europe, Young people, well-being and risk on-line, 2006.