In this paper for the CCIA, Brian Williamson argues that :
Communications policy and regulatory objectives are wide ranging and complex. Countries seek affordable, diverse, widely available and used services of a high quality, but virtually all regulatory decisions involve trade-offs between these objectives. A given decision may support one policy objective, but perhaps impede another, or come at a cash cost to be borne by the treasury.
Communications Chambers worked with the WEF and Vodafone to understand such trade-offs, and to develop an online 'spirit level' tool to map of how countries around the world are striking different balances between telecoms objectives.
The tool and the associated paper are available here
The Online Harms White Paper is a wide-ranging, ambitious and systematic response to growing anxiety about online platforms’ handling of harmful and illegal content. However, commentators have raised a number of concerns about the Government’s proposals, highlighting potential unintended consequences and risks that may undermine the effectiveness of the proposed regulatory regime.
The complex challenges posed by online content regulation require a regulatory scalpel rather than a sledgehammer. Given the political sensitivities and implications for rights of regulation in this space, we suggest further work is needed to describe and consult on the regulatory regime before moving to legislation. The goal should be a framework that incentivises agile, balanced, accountable responses by companies to the particular problems each faces. Prescriptive, one-size-fits-all rules would make this harder rather than easier.
Our submission considers how such a framework may be developed to promote proportionate, effective regulation.
Platforms, Regulation | tagged Regulation, online harms, platforms | Share Article | Email Article