The Department of Science and Technology (DST) wants the Telecommunications Act amended to allow research institutions to be entitled to the E-rate, the Internet connectivity discount that schools are entitled to.
DST director-general Rob Adam was speaking to ITWeb today ahead of his department`s budget speech to be made by minister of science and technology Mosibudi Mangena in Parliament.
"SA makes no differentiation between commercial connectivity rates and those for research and development institutions," Adam says.
He says research and development institutions in other countries have benefited from the excess in bandwidth generated by the dot-com boom six years ago, allowing for such institutions to receive a rate that is lower than the prevailing commercial rates.
"However, our institutions do not get this. So while our commercial rates are high compared to other countries, this is even more so in terms of research and development," he says.
The Department of Communications, the government department tasked with drawing up such legislation, is finalising the Convergence Bill that should replace the Telecommunications Act in its entirety. There has been no mention of such a provision in the draft copy of the bill and the opportunity for public comment is due to close this Friday.
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