broadband strategies handbook.pdf - Khazar University

A good plan should aim to promote efficiency and equity, facilitatedemand, and help to support the social and economic goals of the country.The most successful plans will start with a clear vision of what broadbanddevelopment should be and contain well-articulated goals that can beused to develop specific strategies to achieve success. Such frameworkscan launch or revise ambitious national broadband visions, including definitionsof broadband, service goals (including national and rural coverage),transmission capacity, service quality, and demand-side issues suchas education and skills development. The government of the Republic ofKorea, for example, was one of the early broadband leaders. It has developedsix plans since the mid-1980s that have helped to shape broadbandpolicy in the country. The Korea example shows that policy approachescan effectively move beyond network rollout and include research, manufacturingpromotion, user awareness, and digital literacy. It also highlightsthe possibilities for sector growth based on long-term interventionsfocused predominantly on opportunity generation rather than on directpublic investment.For many countries, the development of an extensive national broadbandplan or strategy is an important step toward elaborating more specificbroadband development policies. The countries highlighted in table 2.1have national broadband strategies containing specific broadband developmentgoals.As table 2.1 shows, however, countries differ in their approach to settingtargets and goals. Some focus on improving access, while others set specifictargets for data transfer speeds.But policies and programs to spur broadband development have not beenconfined to developed countries. Other countries have also sought todevelop national broadband strategies, as shown in box 2.2.Allow Ample Opportunity for Stakeholder Input on Plans and PoliciesThe development of broadband plans should involve the participation of allrelevant stakeholders, both public and private. As such, governmentsshould provide for a public consultation process that allows ample opportunitiesto obtain input from the private sector, consumers, and other relevantstakeholders. Given the complexity, varied issues, and broad impact ofbroadband, these transparent discussions are an important part of bringingstakeholders to the table in an open, objective, and neutral manner so as tomaximize cooperation between the public and private sectors. Such servicesmake it much easier for all parties, but particularly ordinary citizens,to learn about and comment on the issues being considered. A variety ofmechanisms can be used to foster stakeholder input—presentation of filingsPolicy Approaches to Promoting Broadband Development 45