An Open Letter to the Telecommunications Regulator of Samoa Regarding Universal Access / Universal Service
By: Citizens’ Coalition for Accountability in Telecommunications in Samoa (CCATS)
Submitted to Mr. John Morgan on 23 March 2007
Dear Mr. Morgan,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the subject of universal access to telecommunications services, recently afforded to the public and community organizations through the meeting of 13 March 2007. This is especially important for those in the rural areas - comprising 75% of the population of Samoa - who remain mostly unserved or underserved with basic telephony services. As a non-partisan coalition of concerned citizens we, Citizens' Coalition for Accountability in Telecommunications in Samoa (CCATS), would like to formally draw your attention to our published articles (attached hereby and made a part of this feedback). We do so because we believe any and all of the subjects covered in these articles are factually verifiable, relevant, and topical. In addition we would like to provide you with some brief comments/suggestions relating to the proceedings of the meeting:
- While it may be interesting, we do not see much relevance in comparing Samoa with other countries or island nations in terms of its telecommunications needs for the simple reason that Samoa enjoys a 100% digitized fibre optics backbone around and partially across its two main islands, bringing high-quality telecommunications infrastructure to within easy reach of virtually all communities - unlike any other developing country that we are aware of, island nation or not. The potential of such superior infrastructure has not been anywhere near maximised for communities around Samoa, but the availability of appropriate technology (e.g. microwave links) provides the opportunity to extend the reach of fixed line telephones - and all the services this implies, including voice, internet data and fax - at relatively low cost.
- Given these facts, we strongly believe that universal access should be defined as the opportunity for any family, school, church, organization and business anywhere in Samoa to acquire a fixed-line telephone or its equivalent for the same price, at a reasonable price and in a timely manner. In other words, where providers assert that fixed-line telephones are "uneconomic" to provide, consumers should be given the option of accessing the same services at the same prices in a technology-neutral manner. Mobile telephony services are acknowledged as an important additional "luxury" service, allowing consumers communicational flexibility and mobility - for which higher prices are justifiable - but not as a replacement for basic fixed-line services.
- There are assertions from the dominant telecommunications provider that fixed line service provision is "uneconomic" in certain areas, but no business plans, costing details or justifications for providing service in some areas over others have been made available for public consideration and debate. We note that the Community Services Obligations provisions under the Public Bodies (Performance and Accountability) Act 2001 were not utilised for telecommunications, and trust that the development of a Universal Access Policy and Fund under the Telecommunications Act 2005 will more effectively ensure that providers meet such obligations. The current HomeZone service provided by SamoaTel approximates a fixed-line replacement in that it provides relatively inexpensive voice access through GSM to "fixed wireless terminals". However, there are inherent technical limitations to this approach and it has not provided a true equivalent: quality and reliability are sub-standard, pricing for data access (until recently not available at all) is set at mobile rates, and there is no option to dial into an alternative internet service provider as would be possible from a fixed line telephone (thus creating a monopoly for internet access).
- We caution against the technology hype propelled by current telecommunications providers – e.g. the talk of near future availability of broadband internet in rural areas while at the same time the majority of Samoa’s population does not have access to basic telephony service. By creating a false milieu of forward-looking and presenting an ever-improving stance, it is easy to forgo immediate responsibilities.
- In order to gain further feedback from communities around Samoa, we suggest contacting the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development to see whether it is possible for this important issue to be discussed through the regular meetings of village pulenuu and women's committee presidents. We believe such discussions should be as inclusive and informed as possible, and not skewed by unsupported assertions such as that fixed-line services are "uneconomic".
We look forward to continuing dialogue and a universal access policy that reflects the true needs of Samoans and will contribute to social and economic development of the country in the modern world.
Best regards,
Citizens' Coalition for Accountability in Telecommunications in Samoa (CCATS)
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