Mashile's still in denial

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 26 February 2007

ICASA Chairman, Paris Mashile, is still denying that ICASA’s not delivering on its mandate although it’s clear that the organization is drenched in turmoil and under constant attack.

Mashile was quoted in a recent iWeek publication as saying: “Although ICASA has lost a number of staff recently, this has not affected the deliverables of the organization” (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007). It’s not the first time Mashile made such nutty comments. We didn’t forget the comment he for instance made about not having enough proof that ADSL prices are too high in South Africa.

Industry expert Professor Alison Gillwald from the Link Centre, made it clear ‘that the skills shortage at ICASA has already had an impact on the Authority which has forced them to put many regulatory issues on the back burner’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007).

In others words, due to a skills shortage ICASA don’t have the capacity to tackle issues pertaining to its primary function, that of regulating the telecoms and broadcasting sectors in South Africa, by tackling regulatory issues.

Has Mashile finally lost it?

This is the question that needs to be answered because ‘Mashile’s view is so different from industry experts, industry players and consumers’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007). This is to state it lightly.

Prof. Gillwald is not alone in his stance on ICASA because ‘industry players also feel that ICASA is not doing enough. Dave Gale, spokesperson for Storm ISP, recently said that while he feels sorry for them, he is also frustrated with the regulator’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007).

Consumers are also clearly fed up with ICASA’s performance because ‘in a recent poll on MyBroadband, nearly 90% of voters rated ICASA’s performance as pathetic’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007). You get it Mashile? 90% of the voters rated ICASA’s performance as PATHETIC.

While Mashile feels that the lost of a number of staff has not impaired ICASA’s ability to delivery, he ‘feels that more finances may assist the Authority to increase the speed at which they operate’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007). While indeed more money might be needed at ICASA, it’s not all that’s needed to get ICASA to perform. More brains are needed at the top to begin with otherwise not even all the money in the world is going to get ICASA out of its very long ‘winter sleep’.

‘With important and pressing issues like WiMax spectrum allocation, the implementation of the new EC Act, mobile termination rates and the licensing of competitors to DSTV, it is hoped that whatever is needed to improve service delivery at ICASA becomes a reality soon’ (ICASA Chairman denies poor service delivery, MyADSL, 24 February 2007).

ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) is still convinced that Mashile will serve South Africa and ICASA best by resigning as soon as possible. Maybe we’re the ones that’s nuttier than fruitcakes but that doesn’t change a thing about ICASA’s pathetic performance.