L I R N E . N E T

On 23 June in Ottawa, Canada, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies (LIRNE.NET) network held a meeting with researchers from the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI), LIRNEasia, the LINK Centre and Research ICT Africa (RIA!), Comunica, and from the LIRNE network in Europe - Center for Communication, Media and Information Technologies (CMI) at Aalborg University, and the Center for Information and Communication Technologies (CICT), at the Technical University of Denmark. The intention of this event, in addition to presenting research, was to have a conversation with the invited participants and amongst ourselves. The four sessions of this day-long event were constructed in such a way as to provide opportunity for dialogue and creative reflection on the work of the network, why we do what we do, how we engage ICT regulatory research effectively and ensure impact.

Continue to the rest of this entry for presentation downloads and meeting information.

Click here to see photos of this event.
Click here to read the LIRNEasia report on this event.

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The LIRNE Events and Links page has two new resources: competition authority resources and a calendar of upcoming events.

In recognition of the increasing the role of competition regulation in ICT sector, we are beginning to collect resources from national competition regulators. This information is presented in the same manner as our tables of national telecom regulators and links to their statistical resources and sector reports. The intrepid LIRNE assistant researcher, Alejandra Davidziuk, is tracking down all of these links and keeping them up-to-date.

Another new feature is the Google calendar of upcoming ICT regulation and policy related conference, workshops, seminars and courses. The calendar entries are colour coded and organised by region, and (by clicking on full details/mas detalles) include a full record of the event including links to the conference website and deadlines for important dates. The Google calendar also has other functionalities such as being able to export entries to your own calendar.

The downloadable .pdf version of the upcoming events is also maintained for people who prefer that format.

Please use our Contact page to suggest events that should be included on the calendar.

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Bruce Girard, director of Comunica, will participate in a panel entitled, “New digital scenes: Real support to the development, the education and the professional update?” at the Congreso Comunicación y Transmisión Digital (Digital Communication and Broadcasting Congress) in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Click here to go to the conference website, or here for the English version.

The event is organised by the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA) and the Radio Nederland Training Centre (RNTC) with the objective to create an arena to present, analyze and discuss – from educational, commercial and institutional angles – the implications of the new information and communication (NITCs), the transition toward digitization and media convergence in order to modernize and develop technological infrastructure in Central America and the Caribbean.

Issues to be addressed include:

• New digital information and communication technologies as tools to encourage citizen participation and to support professional / vocational training and upgrading.
• Current standards for digital broadcasting and reception.
• Systems and tools for production, digital post-production, and e-business. High-definition audio and video (HDTV – HDR) systems.
• Producing audiovisual contents for educational and cultural purposes.
• Freedom of speech and cultural diversity in the digital age.

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Congreso Comunicación y Transmisión Digital - 16 -19 de junio de 2008, San José, Costa Rica- el Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA) y Radio Nederland Training Centre (RNTC) organizan este evento que tiene como objetivo ser un punto de encuentro entre la ciudadanía y los especialistas para resaltar la importancia del uso de la tecnología de información y comunicación (NTIC) en la producción de contenidos mediáticos y educativos.

Algunos de los temas que se abordarán son:

• Las nuevas tecnologías digitales de información y comunicación como herramientas para el fomento de la participación ciudadana y de apoyo para la capacitación y actualización profesional.
• Normas actuales para la transmisión y recepción digital.
• Sistemas y herramientas para producción, posproducción digital, y comercio electrónico.
• Sistemas digitales para radio y televisión.
• Producción de contenidos audiovisuales con fines educativos y culturales.
• Libertad de expresión y diversidad cultural en la era digital.

The Radio 2.0 for Development blog is intended as a space for practitioners and researchers to share experiences and ideas about combining radio and other information and communication technologies. Community triple play is an example of the types of community-driven solutions that are emerging in many parts of the world, and which are designed to extend networks to communities bypassed by traditional telecom networks and provide ICT services that meet the specific needs of poor and rural communities.

For this particular model, these networks in conjunction with a local community radio can offer “community triple play”, locally-owned and managed operations providing radio, internet access, and voice over IP telephony. “Evidence shows that when regulatory and other hurdles are removed, business models emerge that provide sustainable modern communication capabilities to poor and remote communities.”

Go to the Radio 2.0 for Development blog.
Read the full post, Community radio, new technologies and policy: enough watching, it’s time for doing.

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[13-14 March] Bruce Girard, Director of Comunica will present a paper on “Broadcasting Policy Exchange: A platform for knowledge sharing, networking and mutual advice on good practice in broadcasting policy, law and regulation” at the Foro Regional para el Desarrollo de Medios, Capítulo Latinoamérica (Global Forum for Media Development, Latin American Chapter). The event will take place at the Hotel Almirante Estelar, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Go to the website for la Fundación para un Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (FNPI).
Go to the website for the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD).

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