Policy & regulatory governance

Emerging approaches of the digital regulator

21.09.2020

Australia’s Digital Platforms Inquiry As digitalization progresses, governments around the world are increasingly reviewing how digital services fit into their existing frameworks and whether new ones are necessary. From social media platforms to offering linear broadcasting content online, many governments are seeking to reimagine the sector. Thus, an increasing number of governments are asking which regulatory mechanisms should be used to affect digital services, whether new regulations should be created, and under which regulatory body do these services fall? Efforts to answer these questions are already underway in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. This section examines how Australia is…

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Norway: experiences in regulatory collaboration

23.09.2020

Regulatory collaboration among sectoral regulators Source: Bergen, Norway. Photo by Mikita Krasiou on Unsplash According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Benchmark of Fifth Generation Collaborative Regulation (G5 Benchmark), Norway is the world’s leading G5 regulator (ITU 2020). The ITU also ranks Norway as one of the top countries in terms of harnessing the value of collaboration in digital markets regulation. This position is shared with Botswana, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Accordingly, Norway’s mature ICT regulatory framework and its ability to consistently develop synergies between digital services and cross-sectoral collaboration have led the ITU to identify Norway as a…

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Singapore: Regulatory collaboration in support of the Smart Nation program

23.09.2020

Regulatory collaboration among sectoral regulators Singapore is one of the world’s fifth-generation (G5) regulatory champions with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) identifying the country as a digital leader with a mature ICT framework. Singapore has been able to transform the country’s industry and government institutions, harnessing technology and attaining the benefits of digitalization and cross-sector, collaborative regulation. Particularly, regarding collaboration, Singapore leads the ITU G5 benchmark, together with countries such as Botswana, Norway, and the United Kingdom (ITU 2020). Heading towards digital transformation As early as 1980, Singapore started its transformation towards digitalization with the recognition of ICTs as a…

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Case Study: Regulatory Sandbox Framework in Colombia

24.02.2021

Source: CRC 2020 In May 2020, Colombia’s Regulation Communications Commission (CRC) adopted Resolution No. 5980 of 2020, which introduced a regulatory sandbox for communications services that created a more relaxed regulatory framework. The regulatory sandbox is intended to enable telecommunications network and service providers, as well as content and application providers, to test new business models while under the CRC’s supervision. (CRC 2020). Purpose The CRC aims to foster innovation and increase the pace of adapting Colombia’s regulatory framework to technological advances. In the resolution, the CRC identified the regulatory sandbox as an alternative regulatory mechanism that allows testing of…

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Deep Dive: Collaboration between competition and ICT authorities

25.08.2025

Importance of ICT regulator and competition authority collaboration As noted in Intragovernmental Collaboration, a common area of overlap between vertical and horizontal regulatory approaches is competition in the ICT sector. As such, competition and ICT regulators often work together to achieve common goals in line with their mandates. In some cases, cooperation tools are envisaged in legislation, other times agencies frame them in formal agreements, such as MOUs/MOAs, and in other cases regulators choose to cooperate informally. Often, informal cooperation is the precursor to future – and formal – cooperation. Collaboration between ICT and competition regulators is a common and…

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Deep Dive: Common elements of collaboration agreements between agencies

25.08.2025

An inter-agency collaboration agreement is a written agreement between two or more parties, outlining the terms of collaboration or cooperation to reach one or more common objectives. Such agreements, frequently drafted as an MOU or a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), establish a legal basis for collaboration and outline participants’ roles and functions; responsibilities; allocation of funds; and short-, medium- and long-term goals. Typical provisions might also include processes for inter-agency information-sharing, investigations, enforcement, training, and external outreach (DHS 2006). MOUs or MOAs used by ICT regulators can include the following components: an introduction to the specific policy problem addressed by…

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Deep Dive: Industry codes of practice

25.08.2025

Intended as a complement to rules-based regulatory models, industry codes of practice can help establish clear regulatory goals and best practices. According to the Kenya Communications Authority‘s (CA) approach to developing codes of practice, the mechanism is defined as “a set of professional standards or written guidelines agreed on by members of a particular profession, or written guidelines issued by an official body or a professional association to its member, to help them comply with its ethical standards” (ITU 2023). The Kenya Communications Authority’s approach to developing codes of practice Source: ITU, Collaborative regulation for digital transformation in Kenya: A…

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National approaches to RIA: Australia, Brazil and United Kingdom

01.09.2025

Theme: Regulatory governance Type: Section Date: 2025-08-26 As with policy initiatives and regulatory regimes, there is no “one size fits all” approach to conducting RIAs. While basic principles and processes apply in all cases, each country adapts these practices to their own unique needs, capacities, and legal frameworks. The following case studies from Australia, Brazil, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom showcase the similarities, difference, and outcomes of RIA processes around the world. In each instance, governmental authorities have published written, comprehensive guides, procedural rules, or statutory instruments requiring RIAs specifically (and potentially EBDM more broadly). Whether adopting government-wide or agency-specific…

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Country case studies: Good practices in EBDM

01.09.2025

Theme: Regulatory governance Type: Section Date: 2025-08-26 To provide further insight into how policymakers and regulators may incorporate EBDM and RIAs into their decision-making processes, five country case studies are highlighted below as they represent good practices. Canada and South Africa provide examples of good EBDM practices while Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom show how regulators may approach RIAs. EBDM case studies: Canada and South Africa Canada and South Africa have taken an “all-of-government” approach to implementing EBDM across sectors by adopting regulations that apply to all ministries and regulators. The fundamental principles represented in the national regulations on…

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