Broadband input welcome

Johannesburg, 08 Apr 2009

The Department of Communications (DOC) welcomes any input from private organisations on the development of a national broadband strategy.

Following the establishment of the National Broadband Forum (NBF), DOC spokesman Joe Makhafola says he is aware of the NBF and the department's “doors are always open”.

The NBF is made up of the Association for Progressive Communications, SA Connect, the Shuttleworth Foundation and the Southern African NGO Network. The group aims to draw up a framework which it will present to the DOC in a bid to contribute to the drafting of a national broadband strategy.

According to Makhafola, anyone can make presentations to the department, but the group must remain mindful of the department's efforts on the development of a national broadband policy.

“That is where they [NBF] would come in. When the policy document is published and the public is invited for comment,” says Makhafola.

Delayed policy

The department has been promising a broadband strategy for several years. In 2006, with the introduction of the Electronic Communications Act (EC Act), deputy communications minister Roy Padayachie said a broadband policy framework would be announced soon.

While refraining from giving any deadlines, he stated the department had tabled the framework and was on track to complete it by September 2006.

Makhafola also declines to give any timelines, saying only that the DOC is in the process of deliberating on the national broadband policy and it will be made available to the public “closer to the right time”.

Disjointed efforts

Makhafola states government continues to acknowledge the importance of broadband in the creation of an information society. However, broadband penetration levels in the country remain relatively low.

Following a policy of managed liberalisation, the DOC hopes to create a market structured around integrated operators whose services would evolve to offer broadband. With the introduction of the EC Act, regulatory and licensing frameworks were addressed to deal with the emergence of convergence. Government then initiated a state-owned broadband operator, Broadband Infraco, which was expected to address the high cost of international cable bandwidth.

The NBF feels government's efforts have failed, as issues of limited competition and the high cost of services still remain. The solution, it says, lies in the creation of a comprehensive national broadband policy which will help it deal effectively with broadband extension.