The 'blogocracy' of consumer-based interactive media transgresses traditional rules of broadcasting and is one of the most important arguments in favor of a converged regulation model, Malaysian Communications Minister Dr. Seri Lim Keng Yaik told ITU Telecom World yesterday.
Speaking at a forum session on converged regulation, Dr. Lim said that the exponential growth of blogs and podcasts had seen the new media forms 'reach and even wider audience than traditional media.'
'Broadcast rules do not apply to them due to their interactive nature, but these bloggers are a product of the liberal Internet environment and they are required to take into account societal norms and national laws,' he said. 'This phenomenon alone is one reason why we need a converged regulator.'
Dr. Lim outlined Malaysia's pioneering experience of converged regulation, with the formation of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in 1998 to reflect the national policy of developing the ICT industry, where broadcasting and telecommunications were increasingly converged.
Seven years on, he said the model had worked well, partly because it also included a degree of self-regulation of content standards, developed over four years to reflect the multi-racial and multi-religious nature of Malaysian society.
'Self-regulation has become increasingly important because no longer is it feasible for government to play a watchdog role - it must turn over the role of monitoring and enforcement to self-regulation,' Dr. Lim said.
'But having said that, the regulator has a role to play in maturing the industry in order to facilitate the self-regulation.'
In an industry sense, Dr. Lim said increased convergence had changed perceptions of bundling, 'which used to be looked on as a bad word' by regulators.
'Now it is being re-looked at in the light of its advantages from a technology investment and consumer perspective,' he said.
'It would be inadequate to address the regulatory aspects of the communications business in a narrow sector specifically, and these solutions are more effectively regulated within a holistic broader scope.'