1. Presentation To The Portfolio Committee On Communications By Law, Communications, Consumer Protection And Council Support
By: Jayshree Naidoo
Date: 8 October 2004

2. Outline of Presentation
Mandate
Strategic Objectives
Past Achievements
Major Deliverables 2004 / 2005
Challenges
Conclusion

3. Mandate To provide an efficient Legal support service to ICASA.
To communicate information and brand ICASA.
To protect consumers by increasing awareness and setting operator standards.
To support Council : secretarial and logistical support, and manage ICASA’s international and regional relations.

4. Strategic Objectives LEGAL
Defend ICASA decisions from legal challenge by managing litigation
Maintain updated and resourceful legal research material
Provide opinions to ensure legally compliant decisions
Support the regulation making process to ensure certainty of the regulatory framework

5. Strategic Objectives COMMUNICATIONS Market and brand ICASA
Media liaison and monitoring
Manage information: website and stakeholder liaison
Attend to enquiries
Facilitate Internal Communications
Industry exhibitions

6. Strategic Objectives CONSUMER PROTECTION
Public education and awareness
Consumer research
Involvement of public in policy formulation
Road Shows / Outreach programmes
Complaints handling
Ensure telecommunications services rolled out to all areas and special needs of people are catered for.

7. Strategic Objectives COUNCIL SUPPORT AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Secretarial / logistical support to Council
Co-ordinate the Council calendar
Record meetings/ensure decisions are implemented
Manage participation / contribution in regional / international fora.
Benchmark ICASA activities with international best practices
Host other regulators for information sharing

8. Past Achievements Sound regulatory framework
Increased media coverage on projects
Guidelines set for operator codes of conduct
Meaningful partnerships created with consumer departments of DTI,GCIS and FXI
Translation of material into all official languages
Road shows conducted in Northern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape
MoU on resolution of complaints signed with operators

9. Past Achievements
Committees formed to conduct hearings on public pay phones, installation complaints against Telkom and ADSL services.
Committee for people with disabilities established and code of conduct drafted.
Active participation in TRASA (head 3 specialist committees); ITU; RIARC ( presently chairing); ATU; SABA and IIC.
Regular hosting of regulators from SADC and East African regions

10. Major Deliverables for 2004/2005
Support Council to ensure compliant decisions to minimize litigation
Support the implementation of the policies of liberalization and the Convergence Bill by drafting regulations
Set up Call centre for enquiries
Create interactive content on website
Agree on Code of Conduct with operators and publicize
Conduct road shows in KZN and Venda

11. Major Deliverables for 2004/2005
Increase number of consumer groups and form consumer committee.
Implement code of conduct on service needs of people with disabilities.
Translation of all information material into all official languages
Set up consumer days for ICASA to dedicate to consumer issues

12. Challenges
Highly litigious environment - decisions subject to legal scrutiny
Motor vehicles required for education officers
Intensify outreach programmes
To strengthen human capacity
To increase stakeholder liaison
To enable ICASA staff to visit international regulators
To monitor social responsibility obligations and licence conditions of operators

13. Conclusion
The Division provides support to ensure that the vision, mission and strategic objectives of ICASA are achieved by providing efficient legal services and effective communications for all Departments; logistical support to Council and protection of consumers.