Is broadband now a public utility? A conversation with Scott Wallsten on June 11, 2020

All I can say is, "Wow! I never expected that!" I thought the days of telecommunications being considered a public utility were far behind us. Then came the pandemic! Suddenly broadband seems as important as electricity. And some people believe that hands-on, utility style regulation will do a better job than competition for delivering needed [...]

Next Practices Live: Keeping Customers Connected on June 4, 2020

Ensuring broadband access during and after the pandemic: A conversation with Nneka Chiazor and Frans Vandendries Broadband has proven to be quite important for households and businesses during lockdowns. But making broadband financially viable for operators has proven to be difficult when customers cannot afford broadband. How are countries resolving this challenge? I interviewed Nneka [...]

Next Practices Live: ICT Working Group – Assessing the Impacts of Net Neutrality on May 28, 2020

Lessons from the pandemic are uncovering flaws in some regulatory thinking. Some claim that net neutrality regulations have led to poor network performance. Others think that such constraints on networks are more important than ever. What's the reality? We were excited to talk with two international experts on this topic. Dr. Roslyn Layton has written [...]

Leadership Working Group with Marty Linsky on May 26, 2020

Leadership is hard, especially now. People want easy answers and quick solutions. But does true leadership promise to minimize harsh realities? Harvard Professor Marty Linsky describes the challenge this way: “You place yourself on the line when you tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.” And he describes [...]

Next Practices Live: ICT Working Group – How will the Pandemic Change Telecoms Regulation on May 21, 2020

We spend a lot of time talking about how the pandemic affects customers and service providers. But what about regulation? Is the pandemic teaching us things? Is it permanently altering policies, roles and relationships? John Reid, the former CEO of Cable & Wireless (C&W), explored these issues in Next Practices Lives. John has about 30 [...]