High-speed Internet access for all South Africans was emphasised as a national priority by the South African National Broadband Forum (SANBF), which said that it would hand over a proposed broadband policy framework to the new Minister of Communications at the first sitting of Parliament after the elections.

It was felt that the election of a new government provided an opportunity to consider the policy framework with a fresh approach.

The forum hoped to see the new government consult with all stakeholders in developing a national broadband strategy with a clear goal, a set of objectives and targets that could be measured. One way of doing this, said the forum, would be for government to establish a consultative process involving stakeholders in working groups on key objectives of the broadband strategy such as infrastructure, content, egovernance, ecitizenship, education and health.

It said that high-speed broadband access would stimulate the creation of commerce and digital broadband content by content providers, such as educators, so that government’s mandate of affordable learning and teaching could be fully realised. Other sectors, such as healthcare, government services and job creation would also benefit.

Department of Communications spokesperson Joe Makhafola told Engineering News Online that the Department was currently drafting a national broadband policy, and drew attention to a recent workshop on implementing information and communication technologies in provinces and municipalities, held by the Department in Durban.

The forum seeking more consultation is a coalition of four organisations - the Shuttleworth Foundation, SANGONeT, South Africa Connect, and the Association for Progressive Communications - with the common goal of creating affordable access for South African citizens.

The SANBF said that the draft framework was developed with input from business, nonprofit and education stakeholders, and was a foundation on which to build a comprehensive all-inclusive broadband strategy to boost economic and social development, and, in particular, education in South Africa.

“Unfortunately, for the last five years, the telecommunications industry has provided very little growth in the economy because the South African government has failed in its liberalisation efforts. Progress was marred by politics, cronyism and infighting, which stifled competition at the cost of the consumer,” said Shuttleworth foundation telecommunications fellow Steve Song.

“As we transition into a new government, we see the opportunity to mobilise public opinion of all sectors of society to communicate that broadband is a critical requirement for South Africa’s development,” he added.

The forum proposed that current fibre and wireless broadband infrastructure in urban and rural areas should be maximised in an equitable and environmentally responsible manner by operators.

The SANBF aimed to see affordable broadband access in every town and village in South Africa by 2014, to claim its place as number one in terms of broadband penetration on the continent.

“All South Africans should have affordable broadband access to the Internet. In fact, broadband should be recognised as an essential right, in line with other basic infrastructure such as water, sewerage and electricity,” emphasised Song.

A 2009 World Bank report analysed the impact of broadband on growth in 120 countries from 1980 to 2006, showing that each ten percentage points of broadband penetration resulted in a 1,21% increase in per capita gross domestic product growth in developed countries, and a 1,38% increase in developing countries.  Investing in broadband was viewed as an investment in economic growth and development.

The forum was inviting organisations and individuals to view the proposed document, which would be handed to the new Minister, who would be appointed after the elections.