The Department of Communications (DOC) has made a move towards a long-awaited ICT legislation facelift for SA, with the appointment of an ICT Policy Review Panel featuring eminent local names.
Communications minister Dina Pule yesterday made public the 22 panellists that will advise her department as it embarks on reforming the regulations that govern SA's ICT sector.
Among the names is former Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys; former councillor at the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) and current chief corporate services officer at Neotel, Tracy Cohen; controversial billionaire businessman Atul Gupta; academic and regulatory specialist Charley Lewis (currently senior lecturer at the Link Centre); member of the board of the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA, Shaun Pather; and former ICASA CEO, Nkateko "Snakes" Nyoka.
Collective obligation
Pule says the panel's ultimate responsibility will be to advise the DOC "as it proceeds towards developing a green paper and later, a white paper on [an] Integrated National ICT Policy".
The panel will be divided into the six focus areas: broadcasting, telecommunications and information technology, postal, content development, digitising government, and investment and manufacturing.
The advisory group's first meeting is timetabled for next month, with a further three meetings scheduled for the rest of 2013, says Pule.
A fully delineated description of the structure and purpose of the Policy Review Panel (terms of reference) are available on the DOC's Web site.
Panel process
Pule launched the process to review the department's ICT policies about eight months ago, following through with a National ICT Policy Colloquium on 19 and 20 April.
At the time, the DOC said it expected to conclude all the legislative requirements for developing a new integrated ICT policy by the end of next year, and to start implementing the policies in 2014.
The colloquium, said the department, would help it develop and promote sustainable ICT policies, which will increase universal access to ICT services throughout SA.
In June, Pule called for nominations for membership of the ICT Policy Review Panel, in what she said was a first step in the formulation of the department's integrated national policy.
Yesterday, the minister said it was "humbling to receive the amount of support that [the DOC] is getting from society and the industry" in seeking to overhaul the ICT policy landscape in SA.
"It is a great act of patriotism that so many people answered our request for their time and their expertise. A lot of the respondents are people that we have worked with before and they bring a wealth of experience to our processes."
The 22 panellists are as follows: Lewis, Pather, Calvo Mawela, Lehlohonolo Letele, Cohen, Kerron Edmonson, Lucky Masilela, Angeline Maseko, Johann Koster, Sizwe Lindelo Snail, Monde Twala, Sipho Johannes (Joe) Mjwara, Lulama Nongogo, Elizabeth Libby Lloyd, Hlukanisa Richard Jossy Zitha, Mothibi Glenview Ramusi, Gupta, Mpho Mosimane, Febe Potgieter, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Uys and Nyoka.
Pule says, with the official establishment of the panel, "[the department is] a step closer to developing the ICT policies that will make the country competitive and bring millions of South Africans into the knowledge and information society".
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