Hail Jimmie!

This morning I went to a video conference at SPC themed around communications access for remote/rural areas. Jimmie Rodgers, SPC Director-General, spoke about many things, and once again, as he did during PacINET 2006 in Samoa, he highlighted the sometimes lack of political will and real leadership in the Pacific. He also made a strong statement on telecom monopolies and regulation in the Pacific, and the impact they have on development issues. He suggested that countries take a long hard look at their monopolistic regulatory framework and assess the real impact this has on economic and social development. He also stated that having a digital strategy as part of the pacific plan did not mean much when there was no real committment by all stakeholders in seeing it through. Kudos to you again Jimmie. I said last year before he got appointed as SPC's Director-General that he was the right person for the job, and re-iterate again he is indeed the right person for the job; and is leading the charge from the front unlike others who tend to cloak and dagger behind bureaucratic and political smoke screens.