Public Policy Blog

We have identified three priority areas that regulators and policymakers will need to pay particular attention to during these months ahead. To be effective, any policy must allow sufficient flexibility at a national level, as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach will be unlikely to succeed.

Many are the predictions those days in the Net concerning our sector and its perspectives for 2012, from how the telecom sector will evolve, to which services and technological trends will be the winners for next year, or how social networks will be positioned, what will be the IT “super themes” for 2012, etc…
This is a difficult and somersault exercise in a very dynamic and evolving sector such as the ICT & Telecom one. However, it is sure that some trends could be already detected.

Concerning the ICT public policy area, we could see the following issues as relevant as they are present in several international and public institutions agendas for 2012. Here are some of them:

On december 12th the new issue of “Regulatory and Economic Policy in Telecommunications”, the Regulatory Journal of Telefónica, was presented in District Telefónica, and as usual a workshop was held where contributors had a chance to present their articles and debate, this time around the theme “Reviewing the Economic Foundations of Regulation in ICT markets”.

Throughout the debate it became clear that Regulators, confronted with a growing concern that the current European regulatory model might be hindering private investment and innovation in broadband coverage and applications, must adapt their strategy to a new environment, and device incentive schemes that are not easily compatible with their overarching goal, which arguably remains preserving a very large number of alternatives for end users.

Mid November, I attended The DigiWorld Summit 2011 where an overview of the key factors for the future Internet world was presented, focusing on the role of devices, networks, content and user behaviour. Different views on Net neutrality debate were also covered. Here is a brief overview.

On 12th May the IGF Spain´s annual conference took place in Madrid. This event is the main platform for debate among all stakeholders on Internet Governance in Spain and provides a way for all interested parties to exchange views. This year it focused on public policy issues in relation to the sustainability and robustness of the Internet.

Since the Internet is increasingly playing an important role in the life of citizens and for our economy and business, it is not surprising that it is in the spotlight also of Public Policy activities. How to encourage investment and innovation, how to establish a level playing field for competition, and how to set the right model to govern consumer and user rights are some of the challenging questions that governments and regulators have to answer today.

On Thursday 14 April 2011, the Auditorium in the Telefónica Flagship Store in Madrid will host the public meeting presenting the basic issues that will be dealt with in the annual event of the Internet Governance Forum in Spain (IGF Spain) on the next 12 May in Madrid.

It is well known that President Obama is a firm believer in the crucial role that innovation can play in improving U.S. competitiveness and the quality of life of U.S. citizens. From his statement on Technology and Innovation while still a candidate for President, to the Strategy for American Innovation laid out by the Executive Office in September 2009, to his recent State of the Union speech, President Obama has been consistent with his message about the benefits of innovation as a driver for sustainable growth and job creation.