Governments like subsidies. We do not mind, as long as they do not harm competition and are deployed intelligently. One big complaint we had about the Indian Universal Service Fund was that it was not being used (as was the even bigger fund accumulated by Brazil). The Indian government responded with a USD 4 billion plus plan to roll out fiber to village cluster level. That will be among the policy initiatives that will be discussed at ITU Telecom World Forum, 21 November 2013 in Bangkok.
PSJ1 : Balancing Competition and Subsidies in Broadband Promotion
Thursday, 21 Nov 2013, 16:15 – 17:45, Jupiter 8
The positive impacts of broadband for national economies are well known. Governments around the world are focusing on broadband promotion. What is the role of competition, the primary driver of the mobile voice success story? Are the subsidies that are being deployed as elements of the strategies efficient? What is the appropriate balance between infrastructure deployment and stimulation of demand? A range of country experiences as well as the possibility of “leapfrogging” to broadband deployment in countries with low overall connectivity such as Myanmar will be discussed.
Moderator
Dr Rohan Samarajiva, Founding Chair and CEO, LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka
Panellists
Mr Pham Hong Hai, Director General, Viet Nam Telcommunications Authority (VNTA), Viet Nam
Mr Tsuyoshi Kawashima, President and CEO, NTT Communications, Thailand
Ms Helen Lai, Head of Regulatory Division, Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), Hong Kong, China
Mrs Suvi Linden, ITU Special Envoy to the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, Government of Finland – Former Minister of Communications, Finland
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