Policy is essential for every organization for it lays down the guiding principles that govern its rules and regulations for the overall achievement of its goals and objectives.
Policy analysis helps to alleviate problems arising from scarcity. Seven stages or cycles are involved in its development: intelligence, promotion, prescription, invocation, application/implementation, appraisal and termination/amendment. Intelligence concerns with defining the problem and analyses of the issues at hand. It also lays out alternatives and forecasts the consequences of actions to be considered. Modeling plays an important role in this stage for it represents a scenario to the policy analyst in making a policy recommendation. Nonessential that cloud the problem must be strip away in order to expose the structural relationships among variables so that consequences of a particular policy choice may be predicted. After defining the problem and laying out the alternatives comes the promotion function where consultation among affected parties affected parties takes place. This is also the stage where data and information gathering fits in as the analyst comes into direct contact with the situation or the people concerned.
In defining policy it is important to make a distinction between similar terms as people tend to confuse policy with rules, regulations and even with laws. A policy is a body of principles to guide regulations, rules and actions as well as its implementations. It sets up boundaries around decisions including those that can be made and shutting out those that cannot. In this way it channels the thinking of the organizational members so that it is consistent with organization’s objectives.
Rules, on the other hand, are statements that a specific action must or must not be taken into a given situation. For instance, it is a hospital policy not to divulge any information about a patient’s identity and/or condition to any person with no direct relation or jurisdiction or authority to the patient. Thus, rules are set to carry out this policy, specifically stating that all patients’ information will be given in a need-to-know-who-wants-to-know basis, and that all related inquiries must be channeled through the top management.
There is also a difference between policy and law. Policy is both a mechanism use to implement laws and/or a guideline issued to solve a particular social problem. Some policies are translated into law although there are many policies that do not become laws. Policy is not always written down, although obviously, written policy is better because it offers guidelines.In relation to laws, policy is also often times think of as political in nature, something that has to do with the government. This is basically true because it is usually the government who decides what policies and laws are to be implemented. These policies, termed as public policy, are the course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a problem and are usually expressed in the body of laws, regulations, decisions and actions of government.
Policy is important in as much as the government is concerned for it is used as a tool to efficiently utilize the finite resources of the State for the common good. In the light of this discussion came the article on US Telecommunication Act of 1996. The inevitable question of whether to amend the Act to include new technologies brought about by the emergence of the Internet as an alternative tool in communication. As presented, the Act failed to anticipate the direction of telecommunications development with the key unanticipated change was the degree to which new communications technology have become a major competition for the traditional phone services. New technologies like emails, instant messaging and voice over IP (voIP) soared high in terms of market penetration in recent years. Given the consumer response to these new technologies and applications that competed directly than regulators acknowledge, it is apparent that concerns about sufficient competition in communication as supposed to be provided in the Act were unwarranted.
In a similar fashion, the Philippines also has its share of telecommunications problem as the country is not spared in harnessing the benefits of these new technologies. For instance, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), mandated to carry out the provisions of RA7925, the Telecommunications Act of 1995 which lays down the foundation for the administration, conduct and direction of the telecommunications industry in the country, is in the process of issuing new rules to govern both business and public use of voIP. Public telecom entities (PTEs), according to NTC’s interpretation of the Act, are allowed to offer voIP to public. However, it is not convinced whether the Act allows non-PTEs such as cable companies and internet service providers (ISPs) to offer voIP to public. The legal issue is whether non-PTEs have to obtain a legislative franchise and secure a copy of Certicficate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from NTC before they are allowed to provide telecommunication services such as voIP.
Major concern for both Acts is its lack of safety nets to safeguard new entrants to unfair competition. RA7925, for instance, has no explicit or forceful rules on access regulations. Instead it specifies that access charges and sharing arrangements between interconnecting carriers shall be negotiated between parties. In practice and theory, however, an incumbent (dominant player) is reluctant to give access to small players supplying the same product or service. If there is intense competition between telecoms interconnection agreements are less likely because of divergent interest.
Policy development entails looking at both sides of the interests of the affected parties and weighing which will be beneficial to the majority. In the case of telecommunications industry, it is clear that new technologies will dictate the state of competition in the future. Policies for future telecommunications legislation should consider the strong acceptance by the consumers of new and expanding forms of communication made available by the digital revolution.
Policy analysis helps to alleviate problems arising from scarcity. Seven stages or cycles are involved in its development: intelligence, promotion, prescription, invocation, application/implementation, appraisal and termination/amendment. Intelligence concerns with defining the problem and analyses of the issues at hand. It also lays out alternatives and forecasts the consequences of actions to be considered. Modeling plays an important role in this stage for it represents a scenario to the policy analyst in making a policy recommendation. Nonessential that cloud the problem must be strip away in order to expose the structural relationships among variables so that consequences of a particular policy choice may be predicted. After defining the problem and laying out the alternatives comes the promotion function where consultation among affected parties affected parties takes place. This is also the stage where data and information gathering fits in as the analyst comes into direct contact with the situation or the people concerned.
In defining policy it is important to make a distinction between similar terms as people tend to confuse policy with rules, regulations and even with laws. A policy is a body of principles to guide regulations, rules and actions as well as its implementations. It sets up boundaries around decisions including those that can be made and shutting out those that cannot. In this way it channels the thinking of the organizational members so that it is consistent with organization’s objectives.
Rules, on the other hand, are statements that a specific action must or must not be taken into a given situation. For instance, it is a hospital policy not to divulge any information about a patient’s identity and/or condition to any person with no direct relation or jurisdiction or authority to the patient. Thus, rules are set to carry out this policy, specifically stating that all patients’ information will be given in a need-to-know-who-wants-to-know basis, and that all related inquiries must be channeled through the top management.
There is also a difference between policy and law. Policy is both a mechanism use to implement laws and/or a guideline issued to solve a particular social problem. Some policies are translated into law although there are many policies that do not become laws. Policy is not always written down, although obviously, written policy is better because it offers guidelines.In relation to laws, policy is also often times think of as political in nature, something that has to do with the government. This is basically true because it is usually the government who decides what policies and laws are to be implemented. These policies, termed as public policy, are the course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a problem and are usually expressed in the body of laws, regulations, decisions and actions of government.
Policy is important in as much as the government is concerned for it is used as a tool to efficiently utilize the finite resources of the State for the common good. In the light of this discussion came the article on US Telecommunication Act of 1996. The inevitable question of whether to amend the Act to include new technologies brought about by the emergence of the Internet as an alternative tool in communication. As presented, the Act failed to anticipate the direction of telecommunications development with the key unanticipated change was the degree to which new communications technology have become a major competition for the traditional phone services. New technologies like emails, instant messaging and voice over IP (voIP) soared high in terms of market penetration in recent years. Given the consumer response to these new technologies and applications that competed directly than regulators acknowledge, it is apparent that concerns about sufficient competition in communication as supposed to be provided in the Act were unwarranted.
In a similar fashion, the Philippines also has its share of telecommunications problem as the country is not spared in harnessing the benefits of these new technologies. For instance, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), mandated to carry out the provisions of RA7925, the Telecommunications Act of 1995 which lays down the foundation for the administration, conduct and direction of the telecommunications industry in the country, is in the process of issuing new rules to govern both business and public use of voIP. Public telecom entities (PTEs), according to NTC’s interpretation of the Act, are allowed to offer voIP to public. However, it is not convinced whether the Act allows non-PTEs such as cable companies and internet service providers (ISPs) to offer voIP to public. The legal issue is whether non-PTEs have to obtain a legislative franchise and secure a copy of Certicficate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from NTC before they are allowed to provide telecommunication services such as voIP.
Major concern for both Acts is its lack of safety nets to safeguard new entrants to unfair competition. RA7925, for instance, has no explicit or forceful rules on access regulations. Instead it specifies that access charges and sharing arrangements between interconnecting carriers shall be negotiated between parties. In practice and theory, however, an incumbent (dominant player) is reluctant to give access to small players supplying the same product or service. If there is intense competition between telecoms interconnection agreements are less likely because of divergent interest.
Policy development entails looking at both sides of the interests of the affected parties and weighing which will be beneficial to the majority. In the case of telecommunications industry, it is clear that new technologies will dictate the state of competition in the future. Policies for future telecommunications legislation should consider the strong acceptance by the consumers of new and expanding forms of communication made available by the digital revolution.
