From peter@sn.apc.org Sun Apr 1 21:39:41 2001 From: peter@sn.apc.org (peter@sn.apc.org) Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 21:39:41 (SAST) Subject: [Communitysa] CommUnity Newsletter 5: call for articles Message-ID: <200104011939.VAA32745@brain.sn.apc.org> Dear all, We are planning to produce another edition of CommUnity, the newsletter that is sent out to all known Community ICT projects (around 500) and interested 9individuals and organisations. This message is to ask advice on what articles we should include, and if anyone wants to write an article / letter for this edition. The aim of the newsletter is to write information of use and interest to people running Community ICT projects, such as Telecentres, Multi-Purpose Community Centres, Digital Villages etc. It usually is around 16 pages long, with a printrun of 1,000 (700 posted out), and distributed through email lists and on the website. Thhese are the articles we intend to include: * Report on Community ICT survey * DOT Force report & process * Telecomms policy process * Global Development Gateway debate * Focus: AIDS & Telecentres * Interview: Peter Lebepe * WomensNet Organisation profile * Article on USA telecentre status * Telecentre notes (Gaseleka, N Province Cttee, NCRF) * Notices: Zandi Lesame, Stockholm Challenge * Listing of Community ICT in SA WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE AN ARTICLE / LETTER / INTERVIEW FOR THIS? The planned timetable is as follows: Announce process Today Copy deadline Monday, 9 April Final version Thursday, 10 April Printing & production Wed, 18 April Sending out Monday, 23 April So, please send you suggestions / articles / inputs by 6 APRIL. Cheers, Peter From peterb@orientation.com Mon Apr 9 15:09:12 2001 From: peterb@orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 15:09:12 US/Eastern Subject: [Communitysa] New draft SA Telecomms Policy Message-ID: <200104091911.f39JBKf08025@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, In case you didn't see this, the new policy directives on telecommunications were issues by the Department of Communications at the end of March (http://docweb.pwv.gov.za/docs/policy/telpoldir.html) Below I include the parts directly relevant to universal access. Cheers, Peter UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to Universal Access and Universal Service: bridging the digital divide. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective on the date of its publication. 2. Universal access and universal service objectives 2.1 In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services. 2.2 Targets for access shall provide for accelerated access for differently abled persons to services including text and speech relay services, emergency speed dialling and specialised operator assistance. 3. Restructuring of the Universal Service Agency (USA) 3.1 The role of USA shall be to evaluate and monitor implementation of universal access projects. Institutional capacity to support effective evaluation and monitoring of attainment of targets is a priority. 3.2 A seven member board, one of whom will be the chairperson, will be appointed by the Minister to provide oversight. 4. Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) 4.1 Policy Direction No.3: Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (issue under Notice 775 of 1997) is hereby repealed with effect from April 2003. 4.2 In order to increase the size of the Fund, all telecommunication licensees shall from April 2003 contribute to the Fund a percentage of their turnover as prescribed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA): Provided that the prescribed percentage shall not exceed 0.5%. 4.3 The size of the Universal Service Fund shall be reviewed from time to time. 4.4 ICASA is hereby directed to amend the regulations issued under Government Notice R.730 of 1999 to give effect to this Policy Direction. EDUCATION RATE (E-RATE) 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the provision of telecommunication services to public education institutions. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act and, where appropriate, the South African Schools Act , 1996 (Act No.84 of 1996) 1.3 For the purposes of this Policy Direction the following meaning shall apply: "Public school" means any primary or secondary ordinary school or a public school for learners with special education needs that is funded by the state in terms of section 34 of the South African Schools Act, 1996. 1.4 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. E-rate 2.1 Telecommunication operators shall be required as part of their licence obligations to give a 50% discount on all Internet access calls made by any public school. 2.2 Registration of domain names by public schools shall be free of charge. UNDER-SERVICED AREAS 8.1 Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide telecommunication services including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the specific purpose of advancing universal access in geographic areas with a teledensity of less than 1% from 7 May 2002. 8.2 SMMEs and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide such services using their own or leased infrastructure. 8.3 A standard interconnection regime applicable to all SMMEs and co-operatives shall be developed by the network operators and approved by ICASA for implementation as from 7 May 2002. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the licensing of telecommunication services. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. Set aside for historically disadvantaged persons Pursuant to section 2(l) of the Act to encourage ownership and control of telecommunication services by persons from historically disadvantaged groups, the Minister directs as follows: 2.1 Anything up to 30% of shareholding in all new major telecommunication licences shall be set aside for persons from historically disadvantaged groups. 2.2 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shall ensure incorporation of this condition in all new major telecommunication licences. 2.3 In considering applications for other telecommunication licences, ICASA shall give due regard to applications from historically disadvantaged persons. Accordingly ICASA will be required to develop criteria that give priority to historically disadvantaged persons, SMME's, and cooperatives. 2.4 ICASA must investigate and develop regulations on social obligations for all operators, service providers, equipment suppliers and vendors on their contributions to the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. These shall be incorporated into licence conditions of the service providers. 2.5 ICASA shall report annually to the Minister on the overall status and improvement of the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the ICT sector. 2.6 Regulations and licence conditions shall provide that no reduction in the level of shareholding of historically disadvantaged persons in all major telecommunication licences shall be permitted without ICASA's approval. --------------------------------------------- think globally, search locally - Orientation South Africa Email. http://za.orientation.com From peterb@orientation.com Thu Apr 12 08:56:46 2001 From: peterb@orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 08:56:46 US/Eastern Subject: [Communitysa] Comments on US/UA Policy Directives Message-ID: <200104121258.f3CCwwH00425@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, Below are some comments on the recent Department of Communications Policy Directives for Telecommunications, looking at some of the Universal Access / Service issues. Any comments? Cheers, Peter ============================= Overall, we welcome the proposals for increasing universal service and access in the country. The greater contributions to the USF are especially positive. In the section on Universal Access, point 2.1 states that "In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services." We fully support this, though would urge that the the body responsible for setting these targets be made more explicit. Whether the Department of Communication, ICASA or the USA should be responsible for setting these targets should be spelled out. As a suggestion, a national conference should be held annually to review progress for that year and set targets for the next year, called jointly by DoC, ICASA and the USA. The USA is then responsible for monitoring the progress on those targets, publicly publishing the findings, and submitting suggestions to the following year's conference. Similarly we welcome the setting up of a board for the USA, and agree that it should be appointed by the Minister. While understanding the difficulties of apportioning seats, we would strongly support representation on the board to include elected representatives of telecentres and other community ICT projects. The increase in the ceiling for the USF to 0.5% of turnover of all telecomms licensees is strongly supported. However, the date for implementation is suggested as April 2003. It is clear there will need to be restructuring of the USF and USA to efficiently manage the increased resources, but 2003 seems a little far off. We would support a date of April 2002. The E-Rate discount of 50% is strongly supported. We would also support a discount of around 30% being available to community provision, such as telecentres. This would be similar to what is currently offerred by Vodacom to their phoneshops. The telecentres that currenlty use Telkom have a very small rate of profit (around 4%) and are finding it very difficult to survive, without increasing prices to customers which goes against providing affordable universal access. Those organisations that would qualify for the 'C-Rate' (Community) could be approved by the USA: We strongly support the provision allowing SMMEs and co-operatives to provide telecomms services in underserviced areas. The policy directive defines this as applying to geographical areas with under 1% teledensity. It will require a level of data co-ordination not yet acheived to develop the Geographical Information System required to produce this information. Some issues of definition will also have to be clarified: · Are we referring to fixed line phones only? Much of the growth in phones in disadvantaged areas is cellular (two-thirds are indicated by the Telecentre 2000 study, Benjamin and Stavrou 2000). So leaving cellular out could greatly misrepresent true telephone usage. However including it is also problematic, as cellphones cater to a specific population (and can leave the area easily). · Getting the data. The operators certainly have the data needed, but so far they have shown themselves unwilling to share it in a useable way. This will probably require specific directives from the Minister working with ICASA to oblige timeous and accessible release of electronic data in a form that can be compared and utilised. While commercial sensitivity should be respected and this information not made public domain, it is entirely necessary to collect this information, presumably by the USA. · What measure of population will we use? Teledensity is a measure of telephone lines against population, and the most recent reliable data for most areas of the country is the 1996 Census, and many population changes have occured since then. · Size of analysis. The size at which 1% teledensity is calculated must also be defined. Clearly the individual household level is too small (one house with 0% teledensity, the next with 100%). But the level that is possibly most obvious (local authority boundary) might be too high. For example that would mean that specific areas of disadvantage (such as Alexandra) in a richer local authority (Greater Johannesburg) could not be defined as an 'Under-serviced area'. A related consideration is that the area defined 'under serviced' must be large enough to make a small telecomms SMME / Co-op viable. This will require further feasability study and market testing. None of these issues posses real difficulties, and the aim of the policy directive is fullly supported. However consideration to the above points will have to be given before the policy can be properly implemented. There is a separate point that we would like the Minister to consider. One of the barriers to Internet access in rural areas is that it is necessary to make a long distance phone call to the Internet Service Provider (ISPs). This is because most ISPs are based in cities. While some ISPs do have wider access points (known as Points of Prescence POPs), the POPs also tend to be in the provincial towns and most ISPs do not have these networks. Therefore it is consideraby more expensive to access the Internet from rural areas in South Africa, another element of the Digital Divide. This makes email access more costly, and web browsing almost prohibitively expensive. >From Senegal comes an innovative lesson in how to overcome this. Senegal has started a new dialling code type for Internet access, accessible from anywhere in the country, and chargeable at local call rates. This would give a new phone code (e.g. 088) that all ISPs could use for their access lines. Any call to these numbers from anywhere in the country would be charged as a local call. This will give a form of subsidy to internet access, but only for the more remote (mainly rural) users. Currently the internet users in Johannesburg, Cape Town or other big cities are already paying local call rates. There is no reliable figures for percentage of internet users in rural areas, though a knowledgeable source (Arthur Goldstuck) estimates it around 3%. Therefore this will be a small cost to the telecomms operator, though a huge benefit in providing internet access in rural areas. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Peter Benjamin LINK Centre, Wits University, South Africa (Temporary mailbox while travelling - main address peter@sn.apc.org) --------------------------------------------- think globally, search locally - Orientation South Africa Email. http://za.orientation.com From peter at sn.apc.org Sun Apr 1 21:39:41 2001 From: peter at sn.apc.org (peter@sn.apc.org) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:07:35 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] CommUnity Newsletter 5: call for articles Message-ID: <200104011939.VAA32745@brain.sn.apc.org> Dear all, We are planning to produce another edition of CommUnity, the newsletter that is sent out to all known Community ICT projects (around 500) and interested 9individuals and organisations. This message is to ask advice on what articles we should include, and if anyone wants to write an article / letter for this edition. The aim of the newsletter is to write information of use and interest to people running Community ICT projects, such as Telecentres, Multi-Purpose Community Centres, Digital Villages etc. It usually is around 16 pages long, with a printrun of 1,000 (700 posted out), and distributed through email lists and on the website. Thhese are the articles we intend to include: * Report on Community ICT survey * DOT Force report & process * Telecomms policy process * Global Development Gateway debate * Focus: AIDS & Telecentres * Interview: Peter Lebepe * WomensNet Organisation profile * Article on USA telecentre status * Telecentre notes (Gaseleka, N Province Cttee, NCRF) * Notices: Zandi Lesame, Stockholm Challenge * Listing of Community ICT in SA WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE AN ARTICLE / LETTER / INTERVIEW FOR THIS? The planned timetable is as follows: Announce process Today Copy deadline Monday, 9 April Final version Thursday, 10 April Printing & production Wed, 18 April Sending out Monday, 23 April So, please send you suggestions / articles / inputs by 6 APRIL. Cheers, Peter From peterb at orientation.com Mon Apr 9 15:09:12 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:07:35 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] New draft SA Telecomms Policy Message-ID: <200104091911.f39JBKf08025@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, In case you didn't see this, the new policy directives on telecommunications were issues by the Department of Communications at the end of March (http://docweb.pwv.gov.za/docs/policy/telpoldir.html) Below I include the parts directly relevant to universal access. Cheers, Peter UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to Universal Access and Universal Service: bridging the digital divide. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective on the date of its publication. 2. Universal access and universal service objectives 2.1 In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services. 2.2 Targets for access shall provide for accelerated access for differently abled persons to services including text and speech relay services, emergency speed dialling and specialised operator assistance. 3. Restructuring of the Universal Service Agency (USA) 3.1 The role of USA shall be to evaluate and monitor implementation of universal access projects. Institutional capacity to support effective evaluation and monitoring of attainment of targets is a priority. 3.2 A seven member board, one of whom will be the chairperson, will be appointed by the Minister to provide oversight. 4. Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) 4.1 Policy Direction No.3: Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (issue under Notice 775 of 1997) is hereby repealed with effect from April 2003. 4.2 In order to increase the size of the Fund, all telecommunication licensees shall from April 2003 contribute to the Fund a percentage of their turnover as prescribed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA): Provided that the prescribed percentage shall not exceed 0.5%. 4.3 The size of the Universal Service Fund shall be reviewed from time to time. 4.4 ICASA is hereby directed to amend the regulations issued under Government Notice R.730 of 1999 to give effect to this Policy Direction. EDUCATION RATE (E-RATE) 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the provision of telecommunication services to public education institutions. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act and, where appropriate, the South African Schools Act , 1996 (Act No.84 of 1996) 1.3 For the purposes of this Policy Direction the following meaning shall apply: "Public school" means any primary or secondary ordinary school or a public school for learners with special education needs that is funded by the state in terms of section 34 of the South African Schools Act, 1996. 1.4 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. E-rate 2.1 Telecommunication operators shall be required as part of their licence obligations to give a 50% discount on all Internet access calls made by any public school. 2.2 Registration of domain names by public schools shall be free of charge. UNDER-SERVICED AREAS 8.1 Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide telecommunication services including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the specific purpose of advancing universal access in geographic areas with a teledensity of less than 1% from 7 May 2002. 8.2 SMMEs and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide such services using their own or leased infrastructure. 8.3 A standard interconnection regime applicable to all SMMEs and co-operatives shall be developed by the network operators and approved by ICASA for implementation as from 7 May 2002. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the licensing of telecommunication services. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. Set aside for historically disadvantaged persons Pursuant to section 2(l) of the Act to encourage ownership and control of telecommunication services by persons from historically disadvantaged groups, the Minister directs as follows: 2.1 Anything up to 30% of shareholding in all new major telecommunication licences shall be set aside for persons from historically disadvantaged groups. 2.2 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shall ensure incorporation of this condition in all new major telecommunication licences. 2.3 In considering applications for other telecommunication licences, ICASA shall give due regard to applications from historically disadvantaged persons. Accordingly ICASA will be required to develop criteria that give priority to historically disadvantaged persons, SMME's, and cooperatives. 2.4 ICASA must investigate and develop regulations on social obligations for all operators, service providers, equipment suppliers and vendors on their contributions to the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. These shall be incorporated into licence conditions of the service providers. 2.5 ICASA shall report annually to the Minister on the overall status and improvement of the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the ICT sector. 2.6 Regulations and licence conditions shall provide that no reduction in the level of shareholding of historically disadvantaged persons in all major telecommunication licences shall be permitted without ICASA's approval. --------------------------------------------- think globally, search locally - Orientation South Africa Email. http://za.orientation.com From peterb at orientation.com Thu Apr 12 08:56:46 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:07:35 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] Comments on US/UA Policy Directives Message-ID: <200104121258.f3CCwwH00425@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, Below are some comments on the recent Department of Communications Policy Directives for Telecommunications, looking at some of the Universal Access / Service issues. Any comments? Cheers, Peter ============================= Overall, we welcome the proposals for increasing universal service and access in the country. The greater contributions to the USF are especially positive. In the section on Universal Access, point 2.1 states that "In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services." We fully support this, though would urge that the the body responsible for setting these targets be made more explicit. Whether the Department of Communication, ICASA or the USA should be responsible for setting these targets should be spelled out. As a suggestion, a national conference should be held annually to review progress for that year and set targets for the next year, called jointly by DoC, ICASA and the USA. The USA is then responsible for monitoring the progress on those targets, publicly publishing the findings, and submitting suggestions to the following year's conference. Similarly we welcome the setting up of a board for the USA, and agree that it should be appointed by the Minister. While understanding the difficulties of apportioning seats, we would strongly support representation on the board to include elected representatives of telecentres and other community ICT projects. The increase in the ceiling for the USF to 0.5% of turnover of all telecomms licensees is strongly supported. However, the date for implementation is suggested as April 2003. It is clear there will need to be restructuring of the USF and USA to efficiently manage the increased resources, but 2003 seems a little far off. We would support a date of April 2002. The E-Rate discount of 50% is strongly supported. We would also support a discount of around 30% being available to community provision, such as telecentres. This would be similar to what is currently offerred by Vodacom to their phoneshops. The telecentres that currenlty use Telkom have a very small rate of profit (around 4%) and are finding it very difficult to survive, without increasing prices to customers which goes against providing affordable universal access. Those organisations that would qualify for the 'C-Rate' (Community) could be approved by the USA: We strongly support the provision allowing SMMEs and co-operatives to provide telecomms services in underserviced areas. The policy directive defines this as applying to geographical areas with under 1% teledensity. It will require a level of data co-ordination not yet acheived to develop the Geographical Information System required to produce this information. Some issues of definition will also have to be clarified: · Are we referring to fixed line phones only? Much of the growth in phones in disadvantaged areas is cellular (two-thirds are indicated by the Telecentre 2000 study, Benjamin and Stavrou 2000). So leaving cellular out could greatly misrepresent true telephone usage. However including it is also problematic, as cellphones cater to a specific population (and can leave the area easily). · Getting the data. The operators certainly have the data needed, but so far they have shown themselves unwilling to share it in a useable way. This will probably require specific directives from the Minister working with ICASA to oblige timeous and accessible release of electronic data in a form that can be compared and utilised. While commercial sensitivity should be respected and this information not made public domain, it is entirely necessary to collect this information, presumably by the USA. · What measure of population will we use? Teledensity is a measure of telephone lines against population, and the most recent reliable data for most areas of the country is the 1996 Census, and many population changes have occured since then. · Size of analysis. The size at which 1% teledensity is calculated must also be defined. Clearly the individual household level is too small (one house with 0% teledensity, the next with 100%). But the level that is possibly most obvious (local authority boundary) might be too high. For example that would mean that specific areas of disadvantage (such as Alexandra) in a richer local authority (Greater Johannesburg) could not be defined as an 'Under-serviced area'. A related consideration is that the area defined 'under serviced' must be large enough to make a small telecomms SMME / Co-op viable. This will require further feasability study and market testing. None of these issues posses real difficulties, and the aim of the policy directive is fullly supported. However consideration to the above points will have to be given before the policy can be properly implemented. There is a separate point that we would like the Minister to consider. One of the barriers to Internet access in rural areas is that it is necessary to make a long distance phone call to the Internet Service Provider (ISPs). This is because most ISPs are based in cities. While some ISPs do have wider access points (known as Points of Prescence POPs), the POPs also tend to be in the provincial towns and most ISPs do not have these networks. Therefore it is consideraby more expensive to access the Internet from rural areas in South Africa, another element of the Digital Divide. This makes email access more costly, and web browsing almost prohibitively expensive. From peter at sn.apc.org Sun Apr 1 21:39:41 2001 From: peter at sn.apc.org (peter@sn.apc.org) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:11:19 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] CommUnity Newsletter 5: call for articles Message-ID: <200104011939.VAA32745@brain.sn.apc.org> Dear all, We are planning to produce another edition of CommUnity, the newsletter that is sent out to all known Community ICT projects (around 500) and interested 9individuals and organisations. This message is to ask advice on what articles we should include, and if anyone wants to write an article / letter for this edition. The aim of the newsletter is to write information of use and interest to people running Community ICT projects, such as Telecentres, Multi-Purpose Community Centres, Digital Villages etc. It usually is around 16 pages long, with a printrun of 1,000 (700 posted out), and distributed through email lists and on the website. Thhese are the articles we intend to include: * Report on Community ICT survey * DOT Force report & process * Telecomms policy process * Global Development Gateway debate * Focus: AIDS & Telecentres * Interview: Peter Lebepe * WomensNet Organisation profile * Article on USA telecentre status * Telecentre notes (Gaseleka, N Province Cttee, NCRF) * Notices: Zandi Lesame, Stockholm Challenge * Listing of Community ICT in SA WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE AN ARTICLE / LETTER / INTERVIEW FOR THIS? The planned timetable is as follows: Announce process Today Copy deadline Monday, 9 April Final version Thursday, 10 April Printing & production Wed, 18 April Sending out Monday, 23 April So, please send you suggestions / articles / inputs by 6 APRIL. Cheers, Peter From peterb at orientation.com Mon Apr 9 15:09:12 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:11:19 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] New draft SA Telecomms Policy Message-ID: <200104091911.f39JBKf08025@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, In case you didn't see this, the new policy directives on telecommunications were issues by the Department of Communications at the end of March (http://docweb.pwv.gov.za/docs/policy/telpoldir.html) Below I include the parts directly relevant to universal access. Cheers, Peter UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to Universal Access and Universal Service: bridging the digital divide. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective on the date of its publication. 2. Universal access and universal service objectives 2.1 In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services. 2.2 Targets for access shall provide for accelerated access for differently abled persons to services including text and speech relay services, emergency speed dialling and specialised operator assistance. 3. Restructuring of the Universal Service Agency (USA) 3.1 The role of USA shall be to evaluate and monitor implementation of universal access projects. Institutional capacity to support effective evaluation and monitoring of attainment of targets is a priority. 3.2 A seven member board, one of whom will be the chairperson, will be appointed by the Minister to provide oversight. 4. Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) 4.1 Policy Direction No.3: Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (issue under Notice 775 of 1997) is hereby repealed with effect from April 2003. 4.2 In order to increase the size of the Fund, all telecommunication licensees shall from April 2003 contribute to the Fund a percentage of their turnover as prescribed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA): Provided that the prescribed percentage shall not exceed 0.5%. 4.3 The size of the Universal Service Fund shall be reviewed from time to time. 4.4 ICASA is hereby directed to amend the regulations issued under Government Notice R.730 of 1999 to give effect to this Policy Direction. EDUCATION RATE (E-RATE) 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the provision of telecommunication services to public education institutions. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act and, where appropriate, the South African Schools Act , 1996 (Act No.84 of 1996) 1.3 For the purposes of this Policy Direction the following meaning shall apply: "Public school" means any primary or secondary ordinary school or a public school for learners with special education needs that is funded by the state in terms of section 34 of the South African Schools Act, 1996. 1.4 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. E-rate 2.1 Telecommunication operators shall be required as part of their licence obligations to give a 50% discount on all Internet access calls made by any public school. 2.2 Registration of domain names by public schools shall be free of charge. UNDER-SERVICED AREAS 8.1 Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide telecommunication services including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the specific purpose of advancing universal access in geographic areas with a teledensity of less than 1% from 7 May 2002. 8.2 SMMEs and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide such services using their own or leased infrastructure. 8.3 A standard interconnection regime applicable to all SMMEs and co-operatives shall be developed by the network operators and approved by ICASA for implementation as from 7 May 2002. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the licensing of telecommunication services. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. Set aside for historically disadvantaged persons Pursuant to section 2(l) of the Act to encourage ownership and control of telecommunication services by persons from historically disadvantaged groups, the Minister directs as follows: 2.1 Anything up to 30% of shareholding in all new major telecommunication licences shall be set aside for persons from historically disadvantaged groups. 2.2 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shall ensure incorporation of this condition in all new major telecommunication licences. 2.3 In considering applications for other telecommunication licences, ICASA shall give due regard to applications from historically disadvantaged persons. Accordingly ICASA will be required to develop criteria that give priority to historically disadvantaged persons, SMME's, and cooperatives. 2.4 ICASA must investigate and develop regulations on social obligations for all operators, service providers, equipment suppliers and vendors on their contributions to the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. These shall be incorporated into licence conditions of the service providers. 2.5 ICASA shall report annually to the Minister on the overall status and improvement of the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the ICT sector. 2.6 Regulations and licence conditions shall provide that no reduction in the level of shareholding of historically disadvantaged persons in all major telecommunication licences shall be permitted without ICASA's approval. --------------------------------------------- think globally, search locally - Orientation South Africa Email. http://za.orientation.com From peterb at orientation.com Thu Apr 12 08:56:46 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:11:19 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] Comments on US/UA Policy Directives Message-ID: <200104121258.f3CCwwH00425@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, Below are some comments on the recent Department of Communications Policy Directives for Telecommunications, looking at some of the Universal Access / Service issues. Any comments? Cheers, Peter ============================= Overall, we welcome the proposals for increasing universal service and access in the country. The greater contributions to the USF are especially positive. In the section on Universal Access, point 2.1 states that "In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services." We fully support this, though would urge that the the body responsible for setting these targets be made more explicit. Whether the Department of Communication, ICASA or the USA should be responsible for setting these targets should be spelled out. As a suggestion, a national conference should be held annually to review progress for that year and set targets for the next year, called jointly by DoC, ICASA and the USA. The USA is then responsible for monitoring the progress on those targets, publicly publishing the findings, and submitting suggestions to the following year's conference. Similarly we welcome the setting up of a board for the USA, and agree that it should be appointed by the Minister. While understanding the difficulties of apportioning seats, we would strongly support representation on the board to include elected representatives of telecentres and other community ICT projects. The increase in the ceiling for the USF to 0.5% of turnover of all telecomms licensees is strongly supported. However, the date for implementation is suggested as April 2003. It is clear there will need to be restructuring of the USF and USA to efficiently manage the increased resources, but 2003 seems a little far off. We would support a date of April 2002. The E-Rate discount of 50% is strongly supported. We would also support a discount of around 30% being available to community provision, such as telecentres. This would be similar to what is currently offerred by Vodacom to their phoneshops. The telecentres that currenlty use Telkom have a very small rate of profit (around 4%) and are finding it very difficult to survive, without increasing prices to customers which goes against providing affordable universal access. Those organisations that would qualify for the 'C-Rate' (Community) could be approved by the USA: We strongly support the provision allowing SMMEs and co-operatives to provide telecomms services in underserviced areas. The policy directive defines this as applying to geographical areas with under 1% teledensity. It will require a level of data co-ordination not yet acheived to develop the Geographical Information System required to produce this information. Some issues of definition will also have to be clarified: · Are we referring to fixed line phones only? Much of the growth in phones in disadvantaged areas is cellular (two-thirds are indicated by the Telecentre 2000 study, Benjamin and Stavrou 2000). So leaving cellular out could greatly misrepresent true telephone usage. However including it is also problematic, as cellphones cater to a specific population (and can leave the area easily). · Getting the data. The operators certainly have the data needed, but so far they have shown themselves unwilling to share it in a useable way. This will probably require specific directives from the Minister working with ICASA to oblige timeous and accessible release of electronic data in a form that can be compared and utilised. While commercial sensitivity should be respected and this information not made public domain, it is entirely necessary to collect this information, presumably by the USA. · What measure of population will we use? Teledensity is a measure of telephone lines against population, and the most recent reliable data for most areas of the country is the 1996 Census, and many population changes have occured since then. · Size of analysis. The size at which 1% teledensity is calculated must also be defined. Clearly the individual household level is too small (one house with 0% teledensity, the next with 100%). But the level that is possibly most obvious (local authority boundary) might be too high. For example that would mean that specific areas of disadvantage (such as Alexandra) in a richer local authority (Greater Johannesburg) could not be defined as an 'Under-serviced area'. A related consideration is that the area defined 'under serviced' must be large enough to make a small telecomms SMME / Co-op viable. This will require further feasability study and market testing. None of these issues posses real difficulties, and the aim of the policy directive is fullly supported. However consideration to the above points will have to be given before the policy can be properly implemented. There is a separate point that we would like the Minister to consider. One of the barriers to Internet access in rural areas is that it is necessary to make a long distance phone call to the Internet Service Provider (ISPs). This is because most ISPs are based in cities. While some ISPs do have wider access points (known as Points of Prescence POPs), the POPs also tend to be in the provincial towns and most ISPs do not have these networks. Therefore it is consideraby more expensive to access the Internet from rural areas in South Africa, another element of the Digital Divide. This makes email access more costly, and web browsing almost prohibitively expensive. From peter at sn.apc.org Sun Apr 1 21:39:41 2001 From: peter at sn.apc.org (peter@sn.apc.org) Date: Wed May 23 10:56:48 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] CommUnity Newsletter 5: call for articles Message-ID: <200104011939.VAA32745@brain.sn.apc.org> Dear all, We are planning to produce another edition of CommUnity, the newsletter that is sent out to all known Community ICT projects (around 500) and interested 9individuals and organisations. This message is to ask advice on what articles we should include, and if anyone wants to write an article / letter for this edition. The aim of the newsletter is to write information of use and interest to people running Community ICT projects, such as Telecentres, Multi-Purpose Community Centres, Digital Villages etc. It usually is around 16 pages long, with a printrun of 1,000 (700 posted out), and distributed through email lists and on the website. Thhese are the articles we intend to include: * Report on Community ICT survey * DOT Force report & process * Telecomms policy process * Global Development Gateway debate * Focus: AIDS & Telecentres * Interview: Peter Lebepe * WomensNet Organisation profile * Article on USA telecentre status * Telecentre notes (Gaseleka, N Province Cttee, NCRF) * Notices: Zandi Lesame, Stockholm Challenge * Listing of Community ICT in SA WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE AN ARTICLE / LETTER / INTERVIEW FOR THIS? The planned timetable is as follows: Announce process Today Copy deadline Monday, 9 April Final version Thursday, 10 April Printing & production Wed, 18 April Sending out Monday, 23 April So, please send you suggestions / articles / inputs by 6 APRIL. Cheers, Peter From peterb at orientation.com Mon Apr 9 15:09:12 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Wed May 23 10:56:48 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] New draft SA Telecomms Policy Message-ID: <200104091911.f39JBKf08025@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, In case you didn't see this, the new policy directives on telecommunications were issues by the Department of Communications at the end of March (http://docweb.pwv.gov.za/docs/policy/telpoldir.html) Below I include the parts directly relevant to universal access. Cheers, Peter UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to Universal Access and Universal Service: bridging the digital divide. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective on the date of its publication. 2. Universal access and universal service objectives 2.1 In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services. 2.2 Targets for access shall provide for accelerated access for differently abled persons to services including text and speech relay services, emergency speed dialling and specialised operator assistance. 3. Restructuring of the Universal Service Agency (USA) 3.1 The role of USA shall be to evaluate and monitor implementation of universal access projects. Institutional capacity to support effective evaluation and monitoring of attainment of targets is a priority. 3.2 A seven member board, one of whom will be the chairperson, will be appointed by the Minister to provide oversight. 4. Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (Fund) 4.1 Policy Direction No.3: Contributions to the Universal Service Fund (issue under Notice 775 of 1997) is hereby repealed with effect from April 2003. 4.2 In order to increase the size of the Fund, all telecommunication licensees shall from April 2003 contribute to the Fund a percentage of their turnover as prescribed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA): Provided that the prescribed percentage shall not exceed 0.5%. 4.3 The size of the Universal Service Fund shall be reviewed from time to time. 4.4 ICASA is hereby directed to amend the regulations issued under Government Notice R.730 of 1999 to give effect to this Policy Direction. EDUCATION RATE (E-RATE) 1. Application of this Policy Direction 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the provision of telecommunication services to public education institutions. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act and, where appropriate, the South African Schools Act , 1996 (Act No.84 of 1996) 1.3 For the purposes of this Policy Direction the following meaning shall apply: "Public school" means any primary or secondary ordinary school or a public school for learners with special education needs that is funded by the state in terms of section 34 of the South African Schools Act, 1996. 1.4 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. E-rate 2.1 Telecommunication operators shall be required as part of their licence obligations to give a 50% discount on all Internet access calls made by any public school. 2.2 Registration of domain names by public schools shall be free of charge. UNDER-SERVICED AREAS 8.1 Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide telecommunication services including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the specific purpose of advancing universal access in geographic areas with a teledensity of less than 1% from 7 May 2002. 8.2 SMMEs and co-operatives shall be permitted to provide such services using their own or leased infrastructure. 8.3 A standard interconnection regime applicable to all SMMEs and co-operatives shall be developed by the network operators and approved by ICASA for implementation as from 7 May 2002. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS 1.1 This Policy Direction shall be applicable to the licensing of telecommunication services. 1.2 In this Policy Direction, unless the context indicates otherwise, all terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Act. 1.3 This Policy Direction shall become effective upon the date of its publication. 2. Set aside for historically disadvantaged persons Pursuant to section 2(l) of the Act to encourage ownership and control of telecommunication services by persons from historically disadvantaged groups, the Minister directs as follows: 2.1 Anything up to 30% of shareholding in all new major telecommunication licences shall be set aside for persons from historically disadvantaged groups. 2.2 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shall ensure incorporation of this condition in all new major telecommunication licences. 2.3 In considering applications for other telecommunication licences, ICASA shall give due regard to applications from historically disadvantaged persons. Accordingly ICASA will be required to develop criteria that give priority to historically disadvantaged persons, SMME's, and cooperatives. 2.4 ICASA must investigate and develop regulations on social obligations for all operators, service providers, equipment suppliers and vendors on their contributions to the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. These shall be incorporated into licence conditions of the service providers. 2.5 ICASA shall report annually to the Minister on the overall status and improvement of the empowerment of historically disadvantaged persons in the ICT sector. 2.6 Regulations and licence conditions shall provide that no reduction in the level of shareholding of historically disadvantaged persons in all major telecommunication licences shall be permitted without ICASA's approval. --------------------------------------------- think globally, search locally - Orientation South Africa Email. http://za.orientation.com From peterb at orientation.com Thu Apr 12 08:56:46 2001 From: peterb at orientation.com (Peter Benjamin) Date: Wed May 23 10:56:48 2007 Subject: [Communitysa] Comments on US/UA Policy Directives Message-ID: <200104121258.f3CCwwH00425@news1.orientation.com> Dear all, Below are some comments on the recent Department of Communications Policy Directives for Telecommunications, looking at some of the Universal Access / Service issues. Any comments? Cheers, Peter ============================= Overall, we welcome the proposals for increasing universal service and access in the country. The greater contributions to the USF are especially positive. In the section on Universal Access, point 2.1 states that "In furtherance of the objective of universal service, improving access to telecommunication services is an important short-, medium- and long term priority. The targets for universal access have to be re-defined in terms of services for access to include advanced services such as Internet multimedia. In particular, account shall be taken of special needs of differently abled persons and the equitable geographical spread of services." We fully support this, though would urge that the the body responsible for setting these targets be made more explicit. Whether the Department of Communication, ICASA or the USA should be responsible for setting these targets should be spelled out. As a suggestion, a national conference should be held annually to review progress for that year and set targets for the next year, called jointly by DoC, ICASA and the USA. The USA is then responsible for monitoring the progress on those targets, publicly publishing the findings, and submitting suggestions to the following year's conference. Similarly we welcome the setting up of a board for the USA, and agree that it should be appointed by the Minister. While understanding the difficulties of apportioning seats, we would strongly support representation on the board to include elected representatives of telecentres and other community ICT projects. The increase in the ceiling for the USF to 0.5% of turnover of all telecomms licensees is strongly supported. However, the date for implementation is suggested as April 2003. It is clear there will need to be restructuring of the USF and USA to efficiently manage the increased resources, but 2003 seems a little far off. We would support a date of April 2002. The E-Rate discount of 50% is strongly supported. We would also support a discount of around 30% being available to community provision, such as telecentres. This would be similar to what is currently offerred by Vodacom to their phoneshops. The telecentres that currenlty use Telkom have a very small rate of profit (around 4%) and are finding it very difficult to survive, without increasing prices to customers which goes against providing affordable universal access. Those organisations that would qualify for the 'C-Rate' (Community) could be approved by the USA: We strongly support the provision allowing SMMEs and co-operatives to provide telecomms services in underserviced areas. The policy directive defines this as applying to geographical areas with under 1% teledensity. It will require a level of data co-ordination not yet acheived to develop the Geographical Information System required to produce this information. Some issues of definition will also have to be clarified: · Are we referring to fixed line phones only? Much of the growth in phones in disadvantaged areas is cellular (two-thirds are indicated by the Telecentre 2000 study, Benjamin and Stavrou 2000). So leaving cellular out could greatly misrepresent true telephone usage. However including it is also problematic, as cellphones cater to a specific population (and can leave the area easily). · Getting the data. The operators certainly have the data needed, but so far they have shown themselves unwilling to share it in a useable way. This will probably require specific directives from the Minister working with ICASA to oblige timeous and accessible release of electronic data in a form that can be compared and utilised. While commercial sensitivity should be respected and this information not made public domain, it is entirely necessary to collect this information, presumably by the USA. · What measure of population will we use? Teledensity is a measure of telephone lines against population, and the most recent reliable data for most areas of the country is the 1996 Census, and many population changes have occured since then. · Size of analysis. The size at which 1% teledensity is calculated must also be defined. Clearly the individual household level is too small (one house with 0% teledensity, the next with 100%). But the level that is possibly most obvious (local authority boundary) might be too high. For example that would mean that specific areas of disadvantage (such as Alexandra) in a richer local authority (Greater Johannesburg) could not be defined as an 'Under-serviced area'. A related consideration is that the area defined 'under serviced' must be large enough to make a small telecomms SMME / Co-op viable. This will require further feasability study and market testing. None of these issues posses real difficulties, and the aim of the policy directive is fullly supported. However consideration to the above points will have to be given before the policy can be properly implemented. There is a separate point that we would like the Minister to consider. One of the barriers to Internet access in rural areas is that it is necessary to make a long distance phone call to the Internet Service Provider (ISPs). This is because most ISPs are based in cities. While some ISPs do have wider access points (known as Points of Prescence POPs), the POPs also tend to be in the provincial towns and most ISPs do not have these networks. Therefore it is consideraby more expensive to access the Internet from rural areas in South Africa, another element of the Digital Divide. This makes email access more costly, and web browsing almost prohibitively expensive.