Policy and Regulatory Module: Web Platforms and Resources
Balancing Act
News Update and Archive Balancing Act Weekly [From their
Website] “Balancing Act’s News Update is a weekly e-letter (in English)
and a fortnightly e-letter (in French) that goes out to over 9,000
subscribers. It covers telecoms, Internet and computing and is read by
decision-makers in: operators, Government, regulatory agencies,
equipment vendors and consultants.” Although a commercial enterprise,
their newsletter can be accessed on line for free and the information
is current, of high quality with numerous policy and regulation related
articles. The full archive is also available. They also publish reports
for sale. Live as of October 31st 2008
ELDIS:
Resource Guide in ICT for development Institute of
Development Studies Regularly updated. Eldis is a resource to share
development, policy, practice and research and is run by the Institute
of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. This resource guide (Eldis is
organised by resource guides and by Dossiers) offers annotated
summaries on numerous policy and regulatory related reports, many with
a focus on poverty. It is updated regularly, and includes sub-themes on
ICT Policy and ICT and Poverty. Live as of October 31st 2008
Equitable
access to ICT Infrastructure: Papers and commentaries APC
2007 and ongoing This set of resources is part of a series on equitable
access to ICT infrastructure commissioned by APC. A series of papers
and commentaries cover the following themes: business models, policy
and regulation, tools and technologies and people, networks and
capabilities. Live as at November 3rd 2008
Free
& Open Source Software Portal UNESCO 203-2005 This
is a UNESCO portal, part of their main website. It does not appear to
have been updates much since 2005, and a search quickly leads into more
general UNESCO concerns in communication. But it has some useful
content. Live as at October 31st 2008
Free Software and Open
Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) The Free Software
and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) promotes the use of Free
and Open Source software in Africa by bringing multi-stakeholder
partners together for the development of African societies using open
source software. < http:>Live as at November 4th 2008
ICT
Policies and Studies Communication Initiative (CI) “Theme”
Website with Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
Regularly updated. This is a thematic “window” into CI resources about
ICT policies. Its content include strong sections on ICT4D policies.
The CI Website also has an ICT4D section, ranging well beyond the
policy and regulatory area, but is worth searching for additional
material of relevance. . Live as at October 31st 2008
ICT
Regulation Toolkit InfoDev and ITU 2007 initially but
regularly updated. Although an individual publication, it is very well
organised as a Web based resource with Live as at links to a very wide
variety of resources. Taken as a whole it is a comprehensive guide for
regulators, and includes sections on all aspects of regulation, as well
as innumerable Practice Notes and further references. Live as at
October 31st 2008
International Open Source Network International Open
Source Network: UNDP Resources on open source relevant to Asai and
pacific region, including some policy analysis. < http:>Live as
at October 31st 2008
Regulatory Forum, The International
Telecommunications Union Regularly updated. The ITU's Regulatory Forum
contains some useful resources for regulators and those interested in
the topics, including links to relevant reports (e.g. see links to
reports on universal service). The annual Global Symposium on
Regulators (GSR) produces guidelines for regulators on different
topics, including most recently on infrastructure sharing. Live as at
October 31st 2008
Studies,
Toolkits, Handbooks and Knowledge Maps infoDev Various
dates Although some are dated, the resources available at the infoDev
website include many useful policy and regulation related report,
briefings, handbooks and so forth. They cover areas from universal
access to open sources and open access. Live as at October 31st
2008
World
Dialogue on Regulation for Networks Economies
RegulateOnline.org: World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economics
Last updated 2007. Describes itself as “concerned with regulation and
governance for network economies. We conduct research, facilitate
online dialogue and discussion among experts, and publish and
distribute papers, reports and other relevant information.” This
Website contains a high quality set of resources developed by partners
worldwide. Regulate online is a central activity of LIRNE.NET (Learning
Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies), a worldwide independent
consortium of ICT research organisations. Live as at October 31st 2008
Individual Reports The following comprise a
selection ofreports, some of which can be found on the Web sites above.
General Reports
World Summit on the Information Society Stocktaking Report.
International Telecommunications Union 2008 This fully updated report
on the 2005 version is a compendium of activities that fall understand
the Action Lines of the WSIS. The introduction is a useful overview of
activity in the area, and there are numerous short descriptions given
of ICT and e-government strategies, infrastructure policies, policies
to promote ICTs spread among the differential Action Lines.
Descriptions are short and uncritical, but with some links to other
resources. Live as at October 31st 2008
Universal Access Community-based Networks and Innovative Technologies:
New models to serve and empower the poor Seán Ó Siochrú, Bruce Girard
UNDP 2005 The makes the case for community-owned networks, as
cooperative enterprises offering voice, data, internet and other media
services to their communities, including detailed policy
recommendations and a number of commissioned case studies. At the
website there are also feasibilities studies in four east African
countries: Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.Live as at November 3rd
2008
Diversifying Participation in Network Development: Case Studies &
Research from WDR Research Cycle 3. Amy Mahan, Bill Melody (eds)
RegulateOnline.org: World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economics
2007 A useful set of case studies and analyses covering Village Phone
(Chapter 6); Smart subsidies in Nepal (Chapter 7); Micro telecos in
Latin America and Caribbean (Chapter 8). Live as at October 31st
2008
ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks
Rohan Samarajiva, Ayesha Zainudeen (eds) LIRNEasia. SAGE 2008 Section
3: Regulation: To Stifle or Enable focuses, in four chapters, on many
aspects of regulation in Asia including an analysis of the roll-out of
fibre backbone by BSNL and the role of the regulator; a critical review
of India's universal access policy and of access deficit charges; and
an examination of the least subsidy auctions in Nepal, comparing it
with Latin America. A final section includes three responses from high
level practitioners with divergent viewpoints. Live as at October
31st 2008
Information Society for the South: Vision or Hallucination ITeM 2005
This collection of essays includes two that bring a 'public goods'
perspective to the issue of universal access to ICTs, (Accuosto and
Johnson; and Fernando Prada) and a third that argues the case for a
global universal access fund (Carron). Live as at November 3rd
2008
Universal
Access Funds. Update Intelecon December 2007 This consists
primarily of two tables summarising description of universal access
funds around the world. The first describes the fund status, funding
sources, how it is administered, and what the money is spent in a total
of 46 developing countries in all global regions. The second table
offers a little more detail on ten of these. Live as at October 31st
2008
National ICT Strategies, ICT4d
Strategies, e-Strategies
E-Governance
in Africa: from Theory to Action. A Handbook on ICTs for Local
Governance. Gianluca Misuraca. Africa World Press/IDRC. 2007 The report
includes case studies, analysis and recommendation regarding
e-governance at local policy level, including policy related aspects.
Case Studies are from Senegal, Uganda, South Africa and Uganda. Live as
at October 31st 2008
e-Governance
&e-Government
APDIP Final 2007 Quite a good set of reports on e-governance in the
Asia Pacific region, including case studies, an primer and analyses.
. Live as at October 31st 2008
ICT
Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development: A Comprehensive
Guidebook, UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP)
2005 As the title says, this is a comprehensive guidebook on how to
develop an ICT policy and e-strategy. It is “people-centred” and covers
sectoral strategies, including e-government, e-business and e-commerce,
e-health, ICTs applied to learning at all levels, ICTs for scientific
research and development, and ICTs for local and community
development.Live as at October 31st 2008
Broadband backbone and regional
cooperation
Broadband
for Africa: Policy for Promoting the Development of Backbone
Networks, Mark Williams. InfoDev and World Bank 2008 A report outlining
in some detail the current situation for broadband service and
Infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, makes the case for their
introduction, and offers policy and regulatory suggestions to achieve
it. Live as at October 31st 2008
Multisector
Utility Regulation R. Samarajiva, A. Mahan, & A. Barendse, WDR
Discussion Paper 0203 2003 A useful early paper on conduit sharing and
multisector regulation Live as at October 31st 2008
Stimulating
Investment in Network Development: Roles for Regulators; Case
studies and research from World Dialogue on Regulation Research Cycle
2; A.K. Mahan, W.H. Melody (Editors). RegulateOnline.org: World
Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economics 2005. Focusing on the
issue3 of network investment, this volume contains seven national case
studies, analyses of a variety of issues form radio to interconnection
and regulator websites; and an afterword on pro-poor pro-market ICT
policy and regulation. Live as at October 31st 2008
Open Access
Models Options for Improving Backbone Access in Developing
Countries (with a Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa) Spintrack infoDev. 2005
Although developments have overtaken its specific focus on Sub-Saharan
Africa, this influential report is still a good introduction to policy
in open access models in backbone access. Live as at October 31st 2008
Telecommunications Challenges in Developing Countries: Asymmetrical
Interconnection Charges for Rural Areas Andrew Dymand World Bank
Working Paper No. 27 2004 . Makes a case for the use of asymmetrical
interconnection cha5rges for rural telecom operators, and outlines
steps towards implementing them in practice..
Towards
an African e-Index: ICT access and usage across 16 African
countries Alison Gillwald and Christoph Stork LINK Centre,
Witwatersrand University 2006 This summarises the extensive and ongoing
analytic and survey work of the ResearchICTAfrica team into trends,
policy and regional development in ICTs in Africa. Live as at October
31st 2008
BroadcastMedia
Broadcasting, Voice and Accountability: A Public Interest Approach to
Policy, Law and Regulation. Buckley, Steve, Kreszentia Duer, Toby
Mendel and Seán Ó Siochrú 2008 World Bank Institute and University of
Michigan Press. The handbook gives innumerable examples of policy law
and regulation in the public interest, and contains a lengthy (nearly
120 pages) set of annotated links to resources at the back. The first
section also includes a review of policy and regulatory trends in
broadcasting. Live as at October 31st 2008
Fighting Poverty:
Utilising Community Radio in a Digital Age AMARC 2008 A mixed set of
resources on community media and poverty, mixed in both form (there are
video and audio clips included) and content (a mixture of short pieces,
resource documents etc.). A number of items are relevant to policy on
community radio. Live as at November 4th 2008
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