The Cape Telecommunications Users` Forum (CTUF) is preparing to battle for a more equitable telecommunications policy, when it comes under discussion in July.
CTUF coordinator Alan Levin says current telecommunications policy and legislation is outdated and failed to live up to its initial promises, and it is high time that government reviews this and makes suitable corrections.
Furthermore, Levin feels government has not taken heed of the needs of the smaller users who feel the impact of legislation more acutely on their organisations` operations.
"Government has failed to meet its own deadlines for the implementation of its own policy. The major case in point being that of the awarding of a second fixed-line licence."
Levin says there are also glaring problems with other bits of legislation, including the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act that came into effect last year.
"In terms of that Act, any encryption system has to be registered with the Department of Communications, but almost every PC comes with some kind of encryption and so the law is unenforceable," he says.
New legislation must create enforceable laws and level the playing fields for fair competition in the telecommunications arena.
Government has come under increasing criticism for its failure to award a second national fixed-line operator licence and the sidelining of the regulator (The Independent Communications Authority of SA) in the process. Criticism has also been voiced about legislation that outlaws certain technologies such as voice-over-IP.
The Democratic Alliance recently issued its proposals for changes to telecommunications policy and international research firm Gartner Dataquest has gone so far as to caution international telecoms companies about doing business in SA.
The Department of Communications is to host an international colloquium on convergence in Johannesburg in mid-July, to deliberate on the challenges presented by convergence.
According to the department`s director-general, Andile Ngcaba, the conference will cover areas such as applications, services and infrastructure; fixed and mobile telephony; universal service and access; Internet and electronic media; and market segmentation and structure.
Levin and CTUF hope to make a meaningful contribution and want to be the voice of the smaller telecommunications user as small and medium enterprises represent the majority of Cape telecommunications users.
"Most of the current regulation is, at best, the worst case of compromise and that does not satisfy anyone," Levin says.
CTUF is an informal organisation reflecting debate surrounding telecommunications issues of concern to the Western Cape.
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