29 March 2002

Text: U.S. Commissioner Urges Competitiveness in World Telecoms

A competitive and transparent regulatory environment will bring developing countries more and cheaper telecommunications services, a U.S. Federal Communications Commissioner says.

Speaking at the 2002 World Telecommunications Development Conference which concluded March 27 in Istanbul, Commissioner Kevin Martin encouraged developing countries to "seize digital opportunities" to bring the educational, health and economic benefits of telecommunications to their citizens.

According to a March 29 State Department statement, the "Istanbul Action Plan" adopted at the end of the conference seeks to improve coordination of the international telecommunications sector, increase private sector involvement and foster information sharing among countries.

Following is the text of the statement:

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Action Plan for Global Telecommunications Development

The 2002 World Telecommunications Development Conference concluded March 27 by adopting the "Istanbul Action Plan" to facilitate global telecommunications development.

U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy David A. Gross led the U.S. delegation, which included Federal Communications Commissioner Kevin J. Martin, representatives from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and other government agencies as well as the private sector. In his address to the Conference, Mr. Gross advocated four principles that would allow people in developing countries to realize fully the benefits of information technology: building human capacity through training and education, ensuring involvement of local communities, promoting private sector leadership, and establishing predictable and transparent administrative and economic systems. The United States offered practical tools to help achieve these principles through such means as a new cooperative training arrangement between the United States Telecommunications Training Institute and the International Telecommunications Union. Mr. Gross also highlighted the New Compact for Global Development that President Bush announced at the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico.

Commissioner Kevin J. Martin addressed a Special Session on "Bridging the Digital Divide" on the opening day of the Conference. He encouraged all countries to "seize digital opportunities" to bring the educational, health, and economic benefits of telecommunications development to their citizens. Commissioner Martin concluded that "a pro-competitive and transparent regulatory environment combined with a commitment to national enforcement delivers new services, greater access, and lower prices for consumers everywhere."

The International Telecommunications Union holds a World Telecommunications Development Conference every four years. Turkey hosted the 2002 Conference from March 18th to 27th in Istanbul. The United States achieved its goals in the "Istanbul Action Plan" adopted at the conclusion of the Conference. The "Istanbul Action Plan" takes measures to: improve coordination by the International Telecommunications Union Development Sector, increase involvement by the private sector, and foster information sharing among countries and between the public and private sector. The United States helped shift the focus to the implementation of widely shared national telecommunications policies, such as transparency and competition, to build telecommunications infrastructure for the benefit of all the world's people.

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