Government`s telecommunications policy should be given a chance going forward, despite a less-than-sterling track record, with the proposed convergence colloquium supplying a glimmer of hope, says Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperspn Dene Smuts.
Anyone who wants a broadcasting or telecommunications license should be able to get one as quickly and as easily as possible.
Dene Smuts, spokesperson, Democratic Alliance
"The negotiated bidding process is less than ideal, however, the urgency of appointing the second national operator does allow some leeway," Smuts says.
She goes on to say that the current policy is "a bizarre mixture of the structure that Chinese government has put in place and the need for free market forces."
"The current SA government (the African National Congress) shares the need to retain control of the telecommunications infrastructure and delivery systems, which is very similar to the way the Chinese market is constructed. Rather, government should be setting policy that allows the regulator to set a fair playing field where the competitors should be able to compete fairly and freely," Smuts says.
According to Smuts, telecommunications is part of government`s "social cluster" of departments. These are the ministries tasked with delivering services to the previously disadvantaged who were neglected during the apartheid regime. However, Smuts` view is that telecommunications should essentially be clustered with trade and industry.
"At the end of the day the private sector has shown that it is more capable of delivering services than government is in this arena. That is why the cellphone operators are willing to deliver four million free SIM cards to people who were originally the recipients of the Telkom fixed-line installations, which has proved to be a costly failure," she says.
The DA`s telecommunications policy, which was relaunched several weeks ago, proposes that regulation should be focused on the means of delivery and that government must stay out of the content arena.
"Essentially, anyone who wants a broadcasting or telecommunications license should be able to get one as quickly and as easily as possible. The only exception being the radio spectrum, which is a national resource," Smuts says.
Smuts hopes that the convergence colloquium, that is due to be held in July in Johannesburg, will go some way to bringing government`s telecommunications and broadcasting policy in line with international expectations.
"This will be a good opportunity for business to play its part and show what the benefits of a free market system will bring to the population as a whole," she says.
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