Communications Commission member Ekaterine Imadedze took part in the international forum for regulators organised by the International Institute of Communications (IIC). Within the framework of the event, a panel discussion was held on the subjects of “Structures and Models of Future Regulators” and “Global Progress.” Chairman of the Council of the Belgian Institute of Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) Michel van Bellinghen, Commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Geoffrey Starks and Director International at the British Office of Communications (Ofcom) Camilla Boustani took part in the panel discussion. 

Based on the example of ComCom, Ekaterine Imadedze discussed the strengths and challenges facing organisations that regulate both the telecom and media sectors, and have a high degree of independence along with a broad function. Furthermore, she highlighted the role of regulators in the new digital reality: “We are following the path of the European Union. Dynamic convergence with the EU’s legal and regulatory framework gives us a sense of security and additional flexibility, which in turn gives us additional time. On the other hand, technology does not wait. It is therefore important to have a clearer regulatory model where digital markets and relevant regulatory competences are clearly identifiable,” Ms Imedadze stated. 

During the meeting, Ekaterine Imedadze also drew attention to the mandate of sectoral regulators in Georgia and the Eastern Partnership region, operational models and the necessary prerequisites for the development of those models in the new digital reality: “Each country’s path and pace of European integration is different, and so are the models of institutional governance. Therefore, certain difficulties arise when working on regional projects. However, all of this allows us to devote more time to understanding the models of our partner countries and consulting on the fusion of EU and Eastern Partnership approaches.” 

Among other things, the panel session discussed how the role of regulators is growing both in terms of the development of digital media platforms and the need for a secure and sustainable digital ecosystem. 

The forum of regulators was held within the framework of the annual week-long event of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), which is dedicated to the issues of communication policy and regulation, and was attended by representatives of regulatory bodies from around 40 countries. The event was held with the support of the German Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Posts and Railways (BNetzA).