Telecommunications Policy Review Panel

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Telecommunications Policy Review Panel October
Policy Forum Elliot Noss
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Table of Contents

• Who am I?
• Who am I not?
• The market was and is.
• What to do?

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Who am I?

• President, Ceo Tucows
• Supplier and partner to service providers for
  over ten years
• Icann involvement

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Who I am not?

• Someone with a specific business interest in
  these matters

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How independent will telecommunications network
infrastructure, the 'transport layer' be .
.. from applications or the 'services layer',
in the future?
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They always were

• 1995

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They never were

• 1999

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The access guys
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Are not selling other services
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Market Dynamics
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What does this mean?

• Network infrastructure and applications markets
  behave differently
• Networks are infrastructure like electricity or
  roads
• Applications markets are services and behave like
  architects or restaurants
• They live at the edge which is of most value for
  local communities and businesses
• They need networks to help them grow

Applications need networks and communities need
applications
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So what is a regulator to do?
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What hasnt worked?

• Unbundling suffers from enforcement challenges

vs
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Why?

• They have more money
• They have more at stake
• They are good at it!

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Then what?

• Dont pick winners, let markets do it
• Solutions are local
• Markets are global

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Specifically
Policy should

• Support community networks
• Support open spectrum
• Support access to public facilities
• Recognize the global/local nature of the Internet

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Specifically
Policy should not

• Pick technology winners
• Engage in allocation strategies
• Reinforce existing monopolies

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Summary

• Applications and networks have always been
  separate
• Applications need networks
• Attempts at regulation have not worked (access,
  allocation)

Solutions are local Markets are global
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Questions? Comments?