South Africa Connect

A World Café discussion in action

In the final session of the National Broadband Strategy Forum, facilitator Steve Song invited attendees to comment, add to and generally edit the draft framework which had informed most of the day’s proceedings. “Think of it as policy haiku,” he said, “the best possible scenario for today is that a better version of the framework is written, rather than expanding upon the current content.”
This led to quite a complex and interesting discussion, with various participants raising questions around who exactly the stakeholders referred to in the document are, and whether this document reflected policy or was simply a framework document.

A general consensus was reached on the fact that the draft was not a policy document, but a framework document, and that it needed to be discussed now, so that the opportunity to make representation to government before the elections could be exploited. It was also acknowledged that more richness in the content of the framework could be developed by having broad consensus on the general principles, which could be supplemented by different groups (e.g. the Telecoms Workers Union) at a later point.

Much of the conversation revolved around the actual possibility of making a successful submission, and what that would entail in concrete terms. Detailed road maps and concrete targets were agreed to be the most effective tools, as they’re the most measurable by government, and are useful for holding people accountable when goals are not met. The environmental movement has used conservative targets very successfully in the past, and it was suggested the group look to that model for guidance.

These deliverables could be broken out into short, medium and long-term goals. Some things are easier to do than others, and it would be a good idea to set them now because the new government will be under pressure to deliver something substantial in terms of service delivery. Submissions that bring with them the promise of dramatic change will therefore be appealing to government far more immediately.

The participants in the Sunnyside Park Hotel ballroom.

These suggestions were met with general agreement, but actually nailing down these achievable goals proved to be more difficult. The devil, as always, is in the details, and there was much discussion as to when would be a good target for meeting these goals. 2014 was suggested, as it dovetails with some of the markers for the Millennium Development Goals, as well as marking the 20th year of democracy in South Africa.

In terms of targets, it was proposed that South Africa aim to regain it’s status as the ‘number one’ African country in terms of broadband access, and leapfrog over Kenya and Nigeria, both of whom have risen above us. But the nitty-gritty details of what this would mean in terms of measuring the connectivity of homes, municipal wards or towns was debated. Using another country like Kenya as a benchmark was also discussed, as was the possibility of using other countries that are development partners, like India or Brazil.

The Draft Framework will be reviewed based on the discussions held at the Forum and will be made available online shortly.

Several participants raised the issue that there is a risk of falling into the “broadband for broadband’s sake” trap, and suggested that the framework document also look at the application of ICTs as a measurable goal, as well as looking at the issue of energy. Energy and broadband will always be an issue, especially now, and if an inclusion was made for this in the document, it might have more traction with government as well as with other stakeholders.

By the end of the session it was generally agreed that there isn’t enough time between now and the election to really revise the targets in the framework document. Rather, it was suggested, use the existing indices and ensure that separate stakeholder groups have the opportunity to work on specific targets (like content policy and job creation) for the future.