February 15, 2008

Telecommunications Council Consulted on Comprehensive Legal System for Communications and Broadcasting

MIC today consulted the Telecommunications Council (Chair: SHOYAMA Etsuhiko, Chairman of Board, Hitachi, Ltd.) on a comprehensive legal system for communications and broadcasting.

1. Reasons for the consultation
In Japan, concerted efforts of the government, industry and academia have been made to develop a ubiquitous network society. MIC envisages that high-speed or ultra-high-speed broadband access will become available to all people across Japan by 2010. Meanwhile, given the progress in digital multi-channel broadcasting, digitization of all broadcasting services is expected to be completed by 2011, when terrestrial TV broadcasting will be fully digitized.

With the development of broadband networks and digitization of broadcasting services, the structure of the information and communications society has been changing. Key changes include: infrastructure sharing between communications and broadcasting, provision of broadcast programs via broadband networks, emergence of terminals that can be used for both communications and broadcasting, and capital alliance between communications and broadcasting fields. Upon completion of the world's most advanced information and communications infrastructure in 2011, the services that converge communications and broadcasting will be developed further, and legal systems responding to such changes must be established.

With a view to submit a bill to the Diet in 2010 following a comprehensive study on legal systems for communications and broadcasting, as stated in the Process Program for the Reform of the Communications and Broadcasting Field (released in September 2006), MIC consulted the Council on specific ideal legal systems for the convergence of the two fields.

2. Matters to be reported by the Council
Specific ideal systems responding to the convergence of communications and broadcasting, in relation to the comprehensive legal systems for communications and broadcasting

3. Expected due date of the report
Around December 2009

4. Deliberation
It was decided to deliberate this matter at the Committee on Comprehensive Legal System for Communications and Broadcasting that is to be established under the Telecommunications Policy Sub-Council of the Telecommunications Council.

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International Policy Division,
International Affairs Department
Telecommunications Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5920 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924