Implementation of National Broadband Plans: Agreed Regulatory Principles and Their Evolution

Abstract

In a number of different fora (particularly the OECD and the ITU) governments have adopted a set of principles which are intended to guide the roll-out of national broadband networks. These principles include, but are not limited to, effective competition, technological neutrality, and the existence of an independent telecommunications regulator, to name just three.The WTO Agreement also contains a set of principles and rules that apply to the supply of services in the telecommunications sector, which also apply to national broadband networks.Since these principles and rules were adopted in the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s, numerous governments have moved ahead with the conceptualization and implementation (roll-out) of their national broadband plans, with varying degrees of adherence to the principles and rules initially agreed upon.This paper discusses the underlying context of national broadband plans as well as the various stakeholders and interests involved in their formulation and adoption. It then discusses some of the most important principles have been agreed shall govern the roll-out of these plans before analyzing how the plans of three governments in particular - Australia, Singapore and the United States - have fared in adhering to these principles. It concludes with a discussion of the possible implications of any deviations from the agreed principles where these may have occurred.