Digital Infrastructure: Overcoming the digital divide in China and the European Union. CEPS Research Report, November 2017

This study is the result of collaboration among a group of researchers from CEPS and Zhejiang University (ZJU), who decided to team up and analyse the experience of China and the EU in bridging the digital divide. While acknowledging that both China and Europe have undertaken major efforts to reduce socio-economic and geographical disparities by providing network access to ever more citizens, the authors found that investing in physical access alone is not sufficient to enhance inclusion in the information society. They argue that public authorities should also adopt corollary policies to spur social and economic cohesion through innovations that enable disadvantaged regions to catch up with more developed urban areas. In this context, the report calls upon governments to promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship, foster coordinated efforts and adapt their educational systems to the changing labour market

Essays on optimal spectrum management for expanding wireless communications

Wireless communications are experiencing an unprecedented expansion. The increasing mobility of the communication society and the pace of technological change are growing pressure for more spectrum to support more users, more uses and more capacity. Thus, spectrum management has become an extremely important part of wireless communications. A few regulators are changing their traditional ‘command and control’ approach. Nevertheless, many features of optimal spectrum management are still widely discussed. This work is aimed at contributing to that discussion. The key insight is that spectrum management can benefit from more liberal spectrum sharing. This work set out to answer three main research questions: (i) whether there is a theoretical framework which can be used to analyze and guide spectrum policy reform, when moving from a traditional ‘command and control’ regime to a market-inspired one; (ii) whether it is possible to design a plausible mechanism which can promote efficient allocation and assignment of spectrum commons; (iii) whether (and how) technological developments could enable band sharing methods outside the traditional management framework and without harmful interference. The literature on transition economics and policy was used to help answer the first research question. Evidence from liberalizing countries was positively analyzed to discuss reforms of spectrum allocation and assignment methods. Most countries have adopted strategies that gradually change their spectrum policies and started by using more liberal methods to assign spectrum. It is also argued that future spectrum reforms might benefit from insights presented in the transition economics literature. A translation of a model on cartel quotas under majority rule is proposed to answer the second research question. The work verifies, firstly, that an analogous set of properties is satisfied under our assumptions and that the median-index theorem applies, mutatis mutandis, to our setting. Thus firms bidding to acquire spectrum commons contribute a minimum amount of their wealth; the sum of contributions offered is then compared to other bids for the same spectrum, which is allocated to the highest bidder. The last research question considers novel ways of spectrum sharing that might be enabled by technological developments. The work explores contributions, from various research areas, regarding management of scarce resources. Those contributions are discussed with respect to shared spectrum access. It is suggested that spectrum management might benefit from methods which enable the management of pooled (intermittent) demands for access, especially methods in line with fair sojourn protocols

Between risk mitigation and labour rights enforcement: Assessing the transatlantic race to govern AI-driven decision-making through a comparative lens

In this article, we provide an overview of efforts to regulate the various phases of the artificial intelligence (AI) life cycle. In doing so, we examine whether—and, if so, to what extent—highly fragmented legal frameworks are able to provide safeguards capable of preventing the dangers that stem from AI- and algorithm-driven organisational practices. We critically analyse related developments at the European Union (EU) level, namely the General Data Protection Regulation, the draft AI Regulation, and the proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions in platform work. We also consider bills and regulations proposed or adopted in the United States and Canada via a transatlantic comparative approach, underlining analogies and variations between EU and North American attitudes towards the risk assessment and management of AI systems. We aim to answer the following questions: Is the widely adopted risk-based approach fit for purpose? Is it consistent with the actual enforcement of fundamental rights at work, such as privacy, human dignity, equality and collective rights? To answer these questions, in section 2 we unpack the various, often ambiguous, facets of the notion(s) of ‘risk’—that is, the common denominator with the EU and North American legal instruments. Here, we determine that a scalable, decentralised framework is not appropriate for ensuring the enforcement of constitutional labour-related rights. In addition to presenting the key provisions of existing schemes in the EU and North America, in section 3 we disentangle the consistencies and tensions between the frameworks that regulate AI and constrain how it must be handled in specific contexts, such as work environments and platform-orchestrated arrangements. Paradoxically, the frenzied race to regulate AI-driven decision-making could exacerbate the current legal uncertainty and pave the way for regulatory arbitrage. Such a scenario would slow technological innovation and egregiously undermine labour rights. Thus, in section 4 we advocate for the adoption of a dedicated legal instrument at the supranational level to govern technologies that manage people in workplaces. Given the high stakes involved, we conclude by stressing the salience of a multi-stakeholder AI governance framework

Learning in doing: the social anthropology of innovation in a large UK organisation

In the face of increasingly dynamic market environments, firms are being urged to develop learning and innovation capabilities if they wish to secure competitive advantage and long-term growth. A bank of work written from numerous theoretical perspectives has converged on the view that knowledge underpins the formation of such capabilities. While much of this literature emphasises the importance of cognitive knowledge, a new approach grounded in techniques from social anthropology suggests that learning is a non-cognitive practice, drawing on embodied exploration, everyday sociality, and a communitarian infrastructure of human and non-human actants. This thesis aims to consolidate the current literature on 'possessed' knowledge by clarifying the relationship between cognition and learning, and to advance understanding of innovation practices within firms by examining the role of non-cognitive mechanisms in the development of organisational capabilities. Drawing on a nine-month period of ethnographic research, this thesis describes the on-the-ground processes of learning and innovation within the marketing department of a large UK organisation. This evidence is used to investigate critically the theoretical claims regarding the role of both cognitive and non-cognitive forms of knowledge. Based on the empirical findings, three interrelated arguments are proposed: the design and governance of strategic learning devices involve non-cognitive practices; informal mechanisms of learning underpin the formation of new capabilities; and communitarian theories of learning overemphasise the social construction of knowledge, while neglecting the agency of the materiality of context

Greening IT : How greener it can form a solid base for a low-carbon society

272 p.Libro ElectrónicoInformation Technology is responsible for approximately 2% of the world's emission of greenhouse gases. The IT sector itself contributes to these greenhouse gas emissions, through its massive consumption of energy - and therefore continuously exacerbates the problem. At the same time, however, the IT industry can provide the technological solutions we need to optimise resource use, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We call this Greening IT. This book looks into the great potential of greening society with IT - i.e. the potential of IT in transforming our societies into Low-Carbon societies. The book is the result of an internationally collaborative effort by a number of opinion leaders in the field of Greening IT. Tomado de http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8791936020The Greening of IT is a symptom of a much larger challenge for humankind - transitioning from economic childhood into maturity. Despite the emergence of large regional alliances such as the EC, humankind remains incredibly fragmented; and yet the need for global climate and energy policies is pressing. IT offers tantalizing technical solutions to our emissions and growth dilemma: it can grow greener and help with the greening of other industries. This book explores this potential.AcknowledgementsDisclosure1 Prologue2 Our Tools Will Not Save Us This Time - by Laurent Liscia3 Climate Change and the Low Carbon Society - by Irene N. Sobotta4 Why Green IT Is Hard - An Economic Perspective - by Rien Dijkstra5 Cloud Computing - by Adrian Sobotta6 Thin Client Computing - by Sean Whetstone7 Smart Grid - by Adrian Sobotta8 How IT Contributes to the Greening of the Grid - by Dr. GeorgeW. Arnold9 The Green IT Industry Ecosystem - by Ariane Rüdiger10 Out of The Box Ways IT Can Help to Preserve Nature and Reduce CO2 - by Flavio Souza11 From KPIs to the Business Case - Return on Investment on Green IT? - by Dominique C. Brack12 Computing Energy Efficiency - An Introduction - by Bianca Wirth13 A Future View: Biomimicry + Technology - by Bianca Wirth14 Greening Supply Chains - The Role of Information Technologies - by Hans Moonen15 EpilogueReferencesInde

Shaping the telecoms network market structure in South Africa, 2000-2003: the role of policy and regulation

Abstract The South African government embarked on a liberalisation path of the telecoms sector in 1996 in order to establish a knowledge-based society and thus enhance all aspects of the economy to make South Africa globally competitive. Liberalisation of the telecoms sector was an integral part of its overall vision to improve the quality of life for all South Africans. Market-based reform was the central philosophy underpinning the growth strategy for South Africa. ICT was recognised as key to growth and development. To date, international telecoms reform has focused on managing the transition from traditional monopoly markets to effective competition. The key steps in this process have been the commercialisation and ultimate sale of state-owned assets, licensing competitors, setting sector-specific regulation by independent national regulatory authorities to implement the market reform policies and ensure public interest objectives are met. As a result of rapidly changing technology, the unanticipated rapid and pervasive uptake of mobile services, the influence of international financial advisors and suppliers of telecoms equipment who all stand to gain, the reform process in developing countries has been controversial. Also, often after the first phase of market liberalisation, entrenched private sector incumbents make further reform in developing countries difficult. The focus of this study is on the second-phase of reform in South Africa after the initial market liberalisation. The research analysed the changing configuration and structure of the South African telecoms network market during the transition from monopoly to competition (2000- 2003) within the framework of competition rules to determine how government’s “managed liberalisation” policy and regulatory decisions have shaped (and are shaping) the competitive dynamics of the South African market. The findings were utilised to analyse its implications for the development of South Africa’s information society and provide a framework for policy-makers and regulators on effectively shaping telecoms network markets in transition. This study contextualised the South African telecoms situation within the dynamics of an international market by examining the changing role of the market in telecoms policy formulation in both developed and developing countries. This research looks at the current debates on the information society and liberalising telecoms markets in order to assess the impact of policy and regulatory interventions in selected national markets deemed relevant to this investigation e.g., United States, United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, Morocco, Uganda and Sri-Lanka. Based on an information society paradigm, the study involved multiple methods incorporating primarily qualitative research to investigate the actual development on the ground of competition in South Africa since the start of the managed liberalisation process. Secondary statistical data was utilised to understand market development and dynamics. The analysis combined competition rules and regulatory principles based on international experience together with the South African experience with sector liberalisation derived from interviews, focus groups and data analysis of the market. The study uses market structure analysis, with specific reference to telecom network markets as the basic framework of analysis. This is further enhanced by analysing the broader dynamics of the business, communications, policy and regulatory environments and an analysis of the performance of infrastructure companies in the telecoms network market in South Africa. The analysis explains how the managed liberalisation policy of the South African government has constrained growth, allowed incumbent operators to entrench themselves, generally failed to meet the needs of most consumers and limited South Africa’s aspirations to join the global information society. Despite technically meeting the form of most international best practice standards on market reform, there has been a lack of commitment to the substance i.e. effective competition, inconsistent application of regulation, the absence of a clear strategic framework and failure to undertake detailed market analysis throughout the process. The result has been artificial barriers to investment and constrained growth in the telecoms sector. In particular, a pre-occupation with the narrow licensing of individual technologies and specifically defined service classifications has created an unnecessarily complicated implementation regime hindering market development. The lack of competition at the core infrastructure level has constrained growth and innovation at the upper levels of the telecoms sector value chain, i.e. network services, that are dependent on access to the fixed line network. The study provides recommendations to increase investment in the South African ICT sector which include: clarifying national policy objectives and reviewing the current licensing framework; implementing widespread market reform; instituting market and competition review processes; allowing for increased competition review processes and increasing independence and accountability of the regulator. The research outlines strategies to counter the effects of a weak competitive environment, infrastructure and resource shortages and the lack of strong administrative structures in South Africa that are applicable to most developing countries. It suggests the following measures to drive competitive markets and enhance ICT growth: ensuring political commitment to market liberalisation and market-driven macro-economic policies; focusing on licensing major operators; instituting technology neutral licensing; reducing the need for regulatory decisions by accelerating competition and harnessing regional skills to strengthen regulatory effectiveness. Finally, this study demonstrates that ICT market development and policy is rooted in and influenced by many factors and disciplines. Thus the research suggests an integrated and holistic approach for analysing network markets in transition

A common European Spectrum policy

This briefing note considers the European Commission\u2019s proposals for a common European spectrum policy through reviewing adopted legislation as well as recent communications and other initiatives. The report was produced against the background of the review of the regulatory framework for electronic communications and the recent World Radiocommunication Conference