THE WORLD AS A WHOLE
Large countries and institutions such as the US and the European Union are world leaders in researching and developing regulatory policy for the digital economy. They also have an advantage in being able to apply rules across a large population and bring considerable resources to bear on pressing issues such as net neutrality and competition law, although as we see, policies can be slow to enact, as in the EU, and subject to drastic upheaval, as now in the US. In this edition of Intermedia, Rainer Schnepfleitner of Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority points out that the current agenda is even more challenging for smaller countries. He says they need better coordination among policymakers and regulators on both national and international levels, and more support in dealing with global forces such as the big internet players and ‘over the top’ issues. The IIC’s mission is exactly to cover these issues – and much more. Chris Chapman, president, IIC