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CITEL Celebrates XVII Permanent Consultative Committee Meeting II in Santo Domingo

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CICTEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS) celebrated its “XVII Permanent Consultative Committee Meeting II (PCC. II): Radiocommunication Including Broadcasting” from May 17 to 20 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the goal of continuing to serve as the sole regional forum where government representatives, the private sector and civil society meet periodically to jointly examine the issues that affect telecommunications in the Americas and generate recommendations through consensus among the parties.

The event gathered more than 200 delegates from 23 countries of the Americas, international observers and local guests. The inauguration of the meeting included the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dominican Telecommunication Institute (INDOTEL), David Pérez Taveras, who on behalf of the Dominican government addressed some words to the meeting’s participants. Also at the head table were members of the Board of Directors of INDOTEL, José Alfredo Rizek and Domingo Tavárez; its Executive Director, Joelle Exarhakos; the Alternate Chairman of the PCC. II, Franklin Merchán, from Colombia; its Vice Chairman, Hector Bude, from Uruguay; and Clovis Baptista, CITEL’s Executive Secretary.

The meeting emphasized the need to identify a wider spectrum of frequencies for use in broadband services, the demand for which has grown enormously, as well as for other services that use the same wavelength space, such as air, sea, and scientific research services, among others.

During the inauguration, on May 17, a celebration was held for the “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,” in remembrance of the date on which the International Telecommunication Union was founded in 1865. By United Nations Decree, that day is celebrated annually with the goal of taking action so that the peoples of the world can benefit from the potential of the revolution in information and communications technology.

At the meeting, high-level decisions were also made regarding the preparation of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12), to be held at the Headquarters of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland.

Among CICTEL’s objectives are to stimulate and promote the development of telecommunication and information and communication technology services and infrastructure in the Americas, taking into consideration the constant development of technology and its impact on the political, legal and regulatory framework of the countries in the region. For these purposes it is fundamental to promote, among the Member States of the OAS, adequate planning of the use of spectrum frequencies and geostationary satellite orbits and their harmonization, as a way of ensuring the adequate use of diverse wireless services offered to the population, as is the case with cellular mobile services and broadcasting of television signals by satellite, among others.

Reference: E-684/11