Session One | Oct 18

SESSION TITLE

Areas of regulation and policy in telecoms in general and Community Networks more specifically.

 

ABOUT THE SESSION

We will dive deep in this session to understand how the regulation of the telecoms infrastructure works and where we can intervene; especially under the frame of CNs . We will take a broad look at the main technical areas such as spectrum/fiber, licensing framework, backhaul, USF, and equipment.

ABOUT THE MENTORS

Claire Milne

Claire Milne has had a long and varied career with telecommunications policy as its central theme. Since 1989 she has worked as an independent consultant, providing policy and regulatory advice in dozens of countries on all continents, including recently in The Bahamas, Bhutan, Myanmar, Somalia and Iraq. In parallel she has served on several public bodies in the UK, including the premium rate service regulator Phone-paid Services Authority (then ICSTIS) and the Internet Watch Foundation. In 2015 she was awarded an MBE for services to the telecommunications sector. Her early career was with BT, where her responsibilities included network engineering, marketing strategy and regulation; she has degrees in Mathematics and Statistics. Since 2009 she has taught "policy for ICTs, development and society" to international students in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics.

Mariela Baladron

Mariela Baladron is a teacher and researcher at the Social Sciences School of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). She is a PhD candidate in Social Sciences (UBA), holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Industries (National University of Quilmes) and a BA in Social Communications (UBA). She is a participant of the Latin American Summit on Community Networks, which organized the last presential events in Argentina in 2018 and Colombia in 2019. She is also part of the Argentinian Summit on Community Networks, which has been working on advocacy strategies at the national level. She has written articles on community networks’ policies and regulation and participated at regional and national panels regarding internet governance and freedom of expression. She’s currently working at the communications’ regulatory authority in Argentina (Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones).