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Industry Regulators and Trade Associations

Communications and Information Industries' (CII) Directorate Part of the UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) this site principally covers regulatory issues, with papers on areas such as carrier pre-selection and number portability. It provides a number of industry links, particularly to relevant European Union (EU) sites.

European Union Information Society Directorate-General The Information Society of the EU claims to cover 'Telecoms, Markets, Technologies - Innovation and Exploitation of Research'. On the site the EU's current position on a number of communications issues is given. Relevant speeches made by Commissioners and other officials are also provided, together with press releases. For information geared more specifically to telecoms there is also a page called Information Society and Telecommunications

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) The FCC is undoubtedly one of the key organisations in the world of communications. It has a comprehensive site which provides information on its latest initiatives such as Broadband Internet Access and assisting consumers' understanding of the complexities of the industry. Most of the speeches given by individual Commissioners are reproduced. Under the 'Resources' heading you can find sections on Industry Statistics and Economic Information.

Federation of the Electronics Industry (FEI) This is the official site of the UK Trade Association for companies in the Information Technology, Communications and Electronics Industries. It includes news and a chronological list of the organisation's position papers on such issues as mobile phone safety and the 'Convergence of the Telecommunications, Media and Information Technology Sectors and the Implications for Regulation'.

Free Edgar This is a useful and user friendly site for accessing companies' official submissions to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US. By law all public companies must submit documentation such as annual reports (Form 10K) and quarterly updates (Form 10Q). Within these documents companies have to be rigorous in explaining their business strategy and the likely risks. This often makes very different reading from the type of information typically contained within the same companies' official press releases.

OECD - Information and Communication Policy (ICP) This part of the OECD site provides a number of useful resources on telecoms and the Internet economy. Many of the OECD's official papers dealing with these areas are available for downloading on the site.

OFTEL This is the official regulator or 'watchdog' which is responsible for the UK telecoms industry. The site is searchable and covers areas such as consumer advice, industry guidelines, press releases and speeches by OFTEL officials. A number of its reports into the UK telecoms industry (fixed and mobile) are also available on-line. A link is provided to Comparable Performance Indicators (CPI) which publishes comparisons for a range of telecoms services.

The Radiocommunication Agency An Executive Agency of the DTI this body is responsible for the allocation, maintenance and supervision of the UK's Radio Spectrum. The site includes an archive, an extensive library area and a search facility. There are also a large number of links to radio related information sources.

SACOT Reporting to OFTEL the Scottish Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (SACOT) is one of a number of such bodies across the UK. Its focus is on a range of consumer issues in the telecoms sector.

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) On-Line This US based trade association claims to be "The voice of manufacturers and suppliers of communication and information technology products and services". The 'Resources' section of the site includes trade statistics and the TIA's Annual Report. There is also a discussion forum.

Telecommunications Managers' Association (TMA)This UK-based organisation offers a number of services on its web site including press releases and published material, the most notable of which is the annual 'Communication Market Insight'. There is a charge for this, although 'top line results' are said to be available on the site.