Government issues decree to establish new telecoms and IT regulator

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday issued a decree – Law No-36 of 2004 – to establish a new autonomous organisation, the Supreme Council for Communications and Information Technology (SCCIT), to oversee Qatar’s telecoms and IT sector. According to The Peninsula newspaper, the new body will be headed up by the Emir’s heir apparent, H H Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, as chairman, along with a vice-chairman and other board members with suitable industry experience. The members will be appointed for four-year terms – renewable for a similar period or more – with their salaries decided by Emiri decree. The SCCIT will be tasked with organising the communications and IT sector to enhance the awareness of IT, creating an environment suitable to nurturing the development of the country’s infrastructure, formulating a national strategy and linking them to the national public policies, and supervising these policies. Moreover, the regulator will have responsibilities for fixing tariffs on services, proposing draft laws, setting provisions and standards for issuing licences, promoting investment in the sector, and drafting contracts and agreements.