Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

BOX 2-3The communications market in the European Union was completelyderegulated in 1998. From that time on, a rapprochement ofcommunications technology and broadcasting via digitalizationin the European Union forced the redrawing of organisationalborders to include “all internet communications and services” in anew organisational framework which came into force in July, 2003.In less than five years this framework was reviewed and broughtup to date.Principal Goals of the Organisational Framework for 2003:Decreasing organisational burdens on companies that provideservices to the information societyMaking sure that all clients, including those with disabilities,have the right to all basic services at reasonable prices(telephone, fax, internet access)Encouraging competition through deregulation of the marketand of the monopoly by some national companies that offerservices like high-speed internetThe reorganisation that the European Commission launchedat the end of 2007 aims at simplifying and systematizing laws byestablishing a single unified European agency to undertake theseregulatory tasks.The European Union is determined to guarantee that citizensand companies benefit from the knowledge society. In 2006 theCommission worked to limit the unwarranted rise in prices for theuse of mobile telephones during travel in other E.U. countries, andit reduced what are known as ‘roaming’ charges by more than sixtyper cent in 2007, followed by further reductions in 2008 and 2009.In the long range, it gives priority to eradicating the “digitalSource: the website of the European Commission: Europe’s Information Societyhttp//ec.europa.eu//information_society/Europe/i2010/ict_and_Lisbon/index_en.htmThe Legal Framework for the European Uniongap.” The E.U. also has numerous initiatives of providing highspeed broadband connections, expanding e-commerce and businessservices to companies, putting public services on the web, andsupporting competence and the competitive potential of all sectorsof industry and service.There are three priorities:Providing companies and citizens access to a large group ofhigh-quality, moderately priced services and utilities of thecommunications infrastructureProviding every citizen the skills necessary to live and work inan information societyProviding life-long access to learning as a fundamental part ofthe European social modelThe organisational authority is an inseparable part of theorganisational framework of electronic communications in theEuropean Union and it takes on its shoulders the reform processwhich must be implemented before the end of 2009.As for the national organisational authorities, among theirfundamental tasks are:Encouraging competition in the domain of electroniccommunications networks and servicesGuaranteeing users the benefit of the greatest degree ofchoice, price, and qualityEncouraging investment in infrastructure development andencouraging innovationEncouraging the active use of wireless and digitalizingresourcesArab legislationremains, forthe most part,insufficient toaddress thequestions andissues of theknowledge societythe legal framework that endows themwith the foundations that guarantee theircontinuity and make them viable in society.The task of legislation is also to provideinstitutions with the tools that allow forself-scrutiny and accountability and thusimpart transparency.The reality, however, is that Arablegislation remains, for the most part,insufficient to address the questionsand issues of the knowledge society,whether by protecting them, as in thecase of property rights, or by supportingthem, or in drafting guidelines fortheir continuity and development. Forexample, Arab countries’ positions varywidely as regards the law of freedomof information published by PrivacyInternational. Some of them findthemselves in the list of countries withan inferior level of laws guaranteeingthis freedom; a large number fall intothe category of countries that have notmade laws governing information; andthree Arab countries are still waiting toimplement these laws, laws which havecome to be taken for granted in free anddeveloped countries.It is incumbent on us to make use ofthis aspect of the experience of moredeveloped countries. In Europe, theLegal Framework for the InformationSociety (LEFIS), was established by theEuropean Union as an internationalresearch project under the “Sixth Frame”programme. The project has more thansixty members, including academic andresearch institutions, companies, lawyers,and European Union public administrationexperts.LEFIS proposes standards forinformation technology and communicationsin schools and law faculties, promotes thestudy of laws and by-laws, and practicesin applied arts centres. The project hasalso applied itself to devising teaching88 ARAB KNOWLEDGE REPORT 2009