USAASA changes strategy

The Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (USAASA) needs to create a demand for ICT before it can fulfil its mandate, it says.

In an interview with ITWeb, CEO Phineas Moleele said the basics need to be addressed first and a demand for ICT in under-serviced areas must be created.

“The cellphone industry grew because there was a demand in those areas. Now we need to innovate in the same way.”

Moleele said one way to create the demand is to start at schools where ICT must be used as a teaching aid, and so its importance and value will grow among the residents of those areas.

USAASA was established to promote the goals of universal access and service in the under-serviced areas of SA. It was set up as government's way of bridging the digital divide.

The CEO said under-serviced areas must specifically be targeted.

The agency, more than 14 years after being established, has defined what comprises an under-serviced area. The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) will publish the definition later this month. USAASA, in February 2010, defined what universal access means.

Moleele said the agency is very pleased with this achievement, because it has been a long time coming.

He said the definition of an under-serviced area is an important milestone, because it clearly identifies the areas that operators are obligated to, and project grants are allocated to the most deserving areas. In addition, National Treasury can now be informed about costs for the agency's work in an entire area and funding from treasury can be stabilised.

An under-serviced area is where there is no infrastructure at all, where the infrastructure is not sufficient to carry services, or where the infrastructure does not reach or benefit the whole community, according to USAASA.

The agency previously faced heavy criticism when the need for its existence was questioned. It came under fire for wasting money and failing to achieve targets during the presentation of its annual report to Parliament last year.

It was revealed that the agency did not deliver on five of its eight strategic objectives during the 2009/10 financial year, that it wasted almost R1 million on fruitless expenditure and under-spent about R15.29 million.

However, Moleele said the missing objectives have now been addressed.

Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications Natasha Michael says USAASA will present its strategic plan to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee soon.

“USAASA has a very important role to play, but it's all about effective management and a streamlined approach. The top-down approach was problematic.”

She said the agency has a critical role and it must be executed effectively.

Moleele said USAASA acknowledges that top-down approaches are ineffective and implementing and managing local initiatives cannot work from a national level.

“Ownership of both concept and infrastructure must be at community grassroots level.” He added that projects need to have both a business and social proposition.

“Involvement of the bottom two tiers of government is critical; local government, more so. Public-private-people partnerships are what are required.”

This is why the agency is placing a strong focus on collaboration. “We need to partner with provinces, local NGOs, metros, and industry to have a greater impact and more sustainability. Collaboration is the key word to ease our approach.”

Michael said the problem with many institutions is that they operate in their own void. “So I agree fully with the focus on collaboration.”

“We need to really drive this for certain communities that really have nothing. We have to find a more permanent solution. The affordability is not stabilised and that's a challenge.”

It is in aid of a permanent solution that Moleele said demand must be grown first. “We can't just throw money on the supply side and then there's no demand. We need to make people aware of ICT and its value.”

He also said the lack of monitoring and evaluation, and the difficulty in forging partnerships, especially those that promote uptake and usage, are challenges.

“We need to build a more effective relationship with the regulator, other government entities, local communities and with operators. Although we are related to ICASA, our processes need to be aligned. We must plan together so we are on the same page and don't come out as silos.”

It is due to this lack of effective relationships that Moleele said USAASA is not effective in coordinating the network operators' under-serviced obligations.

The agency collects 0.02% of annual turnover from telecommunications operators as part of the Universal Service and Access Fund, to increase universal access to the poorer segments of society.

USAASA is also not a strong agency at provincial levels and its projects are not sufficiently cognisant of national priorities, said Moleele.

The agency has now altered its strategy to overcome previous shortcomings.

Instead of being an implementer, it will now act as a leader and facilitator since it does not have the sufficient experience to implement. It will develop and hand over the criteria to experienced companies.

Also, instead of talking to partners separately, the agency will now work with partners as a networked organisation so their roles can be fulfilled collectively and they don't compete.

The CEO said USAASA wants to come in as an integrator and work with different state departments, ICASA, the ICT public and private sector, NGOs, and international partners.

He explained that this will allow it to enable socio-economic development, measure and report on progress, align stakeholders, drive affordability and promote infrastructure rollout.

Moleele added that there will be focused spending of funds with a new operating model and strategy, instead of available funds not being spent.