His Excellency the Minister of Communications the respected Mr. Farouk Abdel Kader 
Ladies and Gentlemen, the honest deputies’ ministers, advisers and general managers.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the honest participants 

Greetings

  Let me talk a little about the role of the Commission as an independent regulator for telecommunications and media in Iraq. Despite the passing of six years after the establishment of CMC in Iraq, we find that there are who unaware of its importance and role in building and developing the telecommunications sector just like other regulatory commissions in most countries of the world, even there’s who calls for abolish it. Knowing that the data of the ITU indicate that the number of regulatory commissions exceed hundreds. Knowing we emphasize here that the regulatory commissions don’t take the place of the concerned communication’s ministries or associated companies. 

The independent commissions started to emerge in the last decade of the twentieth century, which it had been a witness on the  changes in addition to the huge developments in IT’s field, which pushing to privatize many of telecommunications commissions for the States and the world had been swept a wave of policy, which calls for opening competition’s door and liberalization of telecommunications markets in order to attract capitals and assistance in the growth of Internet networks and the flow of information, and developing the techniques of telecommunications and developing the international trade. As the number of regulatory commissions had been increased during only the nineties decade, from 12 to 90 commission in the worldwide, also the International Bank stipulated, for example, the existence of an independent regulative for communications as a basis condition to provide the investment loans in the field of communications. 

In the new Iraq, as the sectors of communication and media considered one of the most prominent of the leading motive forces of society and economics of the modern market, aside from that they both form two pillars and supporters for the new democratic building, as the role of independent regulator very large in order to create competitive framework, fair and transparent, encourages access to the best practices in these two sectors, and encourages on investments, because the independent regulator, which embodied in Iraq with CMC, encourages telecom companies to go to where the economies that adopted the independent regulatory, which provides affirmative, continuous, transparent, impartial framework, and liberated from political control and governmental pressure . 

The philosophy and logic, which stand behind the existence of an independent regulator is that the communications and broadcasting frequencies is from the limited national resources, and therefore it must regulate access to it carefully to ensure that re-distribution and sale it, with fairness and transparency to operators who they must use it responsibly. This can only happen through the legal system of granting licenses administered by an independent commission, independent regulator. As this Commission is put and determine the minimum technical and legal requirement about the safety of content in line with international standards adopted in the communications sectors. Of course, these conditions are reflected in a series of provisions and rules of conduct as the obligation of it considered an installed condition in the text of the license. Of course, here comes the role of the independent regulator in managing the spectrum frequency which is the essence of the system upon which the idea of an independent regulator, as guaranteed during that the non-interference in the frequencies, and commitment and work within the energy level and allocation frequency. Therefore the main aim of the independent regulator is to develop the telecommunications and media market to become strong, active and seeks to renewal, innovation and fruitful competition. 

From here, the Commission’s adoption on the principles of independence and transparency, and non-drift of the changing political wills, but its submission to the law and the supervision of the Council of Representatives, which attracts investors and encourages them to enter this sector. The independence here does not mean the absence of a legal framework for that independent regulator, and moral obligations set its work, on the contrary, this is the independent regulator is submit to the matter of the Council of Representatives and the in force laws, and it depends in its procedures on clarity and transparency and publicity. 

Certainly, the aims of the organization differ from one country to another, as governments in most countries is still considered that telecommunications services is one of the necessary public services, although that communications systems are no longer run by governments, but governments are still working to have a regulatory role to ensure that the provision of telecommunications services in a manner which takes into consideration the national sense to achieve the  public interest, and here, as the achievement of this noble mission won’t occurred only through cooperation, coordination and harmony between the independent regulator and the government which represented by the Ministry of Communications. In Iraq, there’s no hope for the advancement of the telecommunications sector without this cooperation and coordination between the Ministry of Communications which is responsible for drawing up communications policy in Iraq, and with the CMC, the independent regulator. as the independent Commissions able to implement government’s policies in an objective manner to the confidence of the telecommunications market in it by its neutrality and its independence, and this helps to open up the development’s prospects in front of the IT to enter the Iraqi markets more broadly, as also helping the government to attract investments to this vital sector. 

Perhaps we cannot miss to reaffirm here the need to confirm the Commission’s law by the new Council of Representatives so that the Commission can implement the national policy for communications and media according to the law.