Friday, 24 February 2012
Weekend review
I would be interested to know how you are getting on with the issue of Regulators and Commissioners and which you find most appropriate in your jurisdiction. Any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at d.mellor@soton.ac.uk Have a good weekend and look forward to receiving your theme reports on Monday week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm afraid that I've nothing to add on this one, as I haven't focussed on this part of the question! I do look forward to hearing people's views, though.
ReplyDeleteIn our jurisdiction,{Tonga}, the regulator is the Ministry of Information and Communication, MIC. "The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is Tonga's government agency whose main roles are to regulate broadcasting, radio communications and telecommunications, and to represent Tongan interests in international communications matters. It also has a role in regulating Internet content standards." MIC website.
ReplyDeleteBecause of its powers over broadcasting, radio and television, the Minister has control over who can be issued a license to operate a broadcasting station that may be subject to political considerations.
In terms of the culture, as David said in his lecture, it may be acceptable to have a Minister as the regulator, as long as the Government is not a majority owner in one of the service providers. The incumbent, Tonga Telecommunications Corporation is fully owned by the Govt., so an independent body headed by a Commissioner might be more appropriate.