광대역통합망(BcN) 구현에 따른 관련법제도 개선방향

Abstract

Broadband convergence Network(BcN) is a next-generation network that converges communication, broadcast and Internet to provide a broadband multimedia service seamlessly anywhere and anytime. The BcN allows people to use a broadband multimedia service where high-quality voice, data and broadcast are converged, beyond the limitations that current networks have in service quality, access speed and service availability. Until 2010, the Korean Government is planning to provide the broadband convergence network, which will be able to maintain a multimedia service of 50-100Mbps to 20 million wireless and wired line subscribers. The Korean Government also aims at achieving BcN related equipment production worth of 26 trillion KRW, increasing its world market share from 2.7% in 2002 to 6.2% and reaching 13.5 billion USD in exports. However, the emergence of BcN that provides new and combined services through a converged network is expected to have a significant impact on the existing regulations which have been centered on a specific network or focused on specific services, since the lines between wireless and wired and between voice and data are becoming more blurred and the competition among and between communication services and competition between communications and broadcast services is expected to be complicated and diverse as three big convergences occur between wireless and wired, voice and data and communication and broadcast. Therefore now that the BcN building plan is coming about and new converged services such as wireless-wired and communication-broadcast are emerging, legislative support is required for the improvement of communication service, for example, and for operator categorization. In this paper, we will discuss what has to be checked in this new regulatory environment and what proposals or suggestions we can make for regulatory improvement. First, the paper points out the main issues in the current communication service and operator categorization and presents a proposal, emphasizing the necessity of establishing a so-called 'Converged Service Operation Act'. Second, the paper points out the necessity of publishing an inter-networking system to support BcN buildup. Third, the paper proposes a joint communication infrastructure building/utilization and modification of the broadband IT certification system. Fourth, it presents issues on incumbent operators regulation and its improvement proposal to drive competition, along with issues on LLU by carriers for content providers. Finally, the paper presents a proposal for expanding a universal service and providing a legislative foundation for SLA(Service Level Agreement) as a regulatory means to promote user experience.