William E. Kennard

Remarks

for the

Signing Ceremony

of the

# Work Program

Between

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and

The South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

Johannesburg, South Africa

August 17, 1999

1.  Good Afternoon. I would also like to welcome you to the signing
    ceremony for the FCC/SATRA work program. *(Nape speaks first)*

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1.  Our two organizations have been friends for a long time; today we
    solidify our commitment to working together to enhance universal
    access in this great country.

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1.  This is a significant day for me as Chairman of the FCC because it
    is the second major step we have taken to execute the development
    initiative I announced at AFCOM 99 in June of this year.

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1.  Our first milestone was to release this publication titled
    "Connecting the

> Globe." This document is available on the Internet and highlights the
> major issues telecom regulators face in our time.

1.  My development initiative intends to include key countries in
    Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. We released this
    book first because it was the most concise and effective way of
    responding to the deluge of requests we receive every year to
    provide information and guidance on these issues.

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1.  I hope it will be a prime resource for those around the globe who
    are grappling with these difficult decisions for years to come.

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1.  I am proud to be the first FCC Chairman to travel to Africa -- the
    first destination of my development initiative.

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1.  I chose Africa to begin this initiative for the simple reason that
    the challenge to achieve universal access in Africa is most urgent.

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1.  And because courageously implementing the right regulatory
    procedures here stands to transform the lives of a greater number of
    people.

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1.  A people who risk losing their place in the global information
    society if these challenges are not met.

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1.  And as the first African American Chairman of the FCC, I cannot
    stand idly by and do nothing to advance the African Information
    Infrastructure.

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1.  As I have said previously, there can be no Global Information
    Infrastructure without an African Information Infrastructure.

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1.  The work program we sign today covers a one year period. It outlines
    the major issues the FCC and SATRA will collaborate on: regulatory
    process, universal access, competition, interconnection, licensing,
    spectrum management and general training.

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1.  We will begin workshops on some of these topics as early as
    tomorrow. I look forward to a lively and earnest discussion with
    SATRA and its staff.

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1.  We also anticipate that my initiative will complement President
    Clinton's Internet for Economic Development Initiative in the area
    of policy reform. This initiative targets several countries in
    Africa and elsewhere, notably South Africa, Ghana and Uganda, three
    of the ones I will work with.

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1.  Today begins a new chapter in FCC/SATRA relations. May our
    partnership be fruitful; may we advance in tangible ways our
    commitment to universal access.

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1.  May both organizations manage to learn from one another, and at the
    end of the day, may we be able to say that we responded to the
    unique challenge of our time with courage and tenacity, and that we
    succeeded in doing our part to make telecommunications services
    accessible to the largest number of people.

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1.  Thank you.