From Digital Sovereignty to Starlink: Baligh Abu Kalil opens the files of organization, fines and freedom of expression at the 8th Baghdad Dialog Conference

During his participation in the 8th Baghdad Dialog Conference, the President of the Media and Communications Authority, Mr. Baligh Abu Kalal, touched on a number of files related to the regulation of the telecommunications sector and the digital sovereignty of the state, speaking about regulations, artificial intelligence, the independence of the work of the Authority, as well as companies operating in the Kurdistan region and the fines resulting therefrom, the regulation of Starlink networks, cybersecurity, freedom of expression and digital disinformation. 

Regulatory regulations. The basis for the stability of the sector

And Abu Kalal said that "the Authority is working to regulate the services of the sector and ensure its stability, as the regulations represent the basic infrastructure of the sector," noting that the Authority has "69 regulations, all of which relate to the telecommunications sector," with the adoption of regulations that take into account the nature of the sector and the standards in force in the region and the use of artificial intelligence in its preparation.

And he added that "the telecommunications sector is similar to the energy sector, and that the Authority works as a conscious regulatory sector, while its task is to lay the foundations for correct paths that ensure the stability of the sector, because services cannot continue without clear and flexible regulations."

The independence of the Authority.. No political interference

Regarding the work of the Authority and its relationship with the government, Abu Kalal stressed that "Al-Sudani and Al-Zaidi did not interfere with our tasks in the Authority, as the current Prime Minister did not request any personal request, but rather our regulations govern our work." 

He explained that "the public interest is the criterion for our work and we seek to settle many disputes related to the Authority, while continuing to work on regulating the sector in accordance with the rules set by the Authority."

Kurdistan Region: Fines and Digital Sovereignty

And in the file of companies operating in the Kurdistan region, Abu Kalal said that the Authority has "huge fines on companies in Kurdistan that are not licensed by the Authority," noting that "the fines do not fall by the statute of limitations unless the Council of Ministers enacts a law to drop them." 

He stressed that the Commission wants "digital sovereignty for the Iraqi state", and it is not possible to accept "the distribution of digital sovereignty on more than one side", pointing out that companies operating in the region "will pay the price as happened with Cork".

He stressed that the authority "did not treat the region as a province but as a region", and that it is with dialog and cooperation in order to regulate the sector, despite the presence of companies in Kurdistan "exceeding in service", noting that the level of service in the region still needs to be addressed and organized. 

Starlink... the first international company to be subject to Iraqi law

And in the Starlink file, Abu Kalal revealed that "40 thousand illegal devices were present in Iraq before signing with Starlink," pointing out that "the service is present in "160 countries."

And he explained that the regulation prepared by the Authority "is not related to Starlink only", but included a "security annex", to be Starlink "the first global company subject to Iraqi law," noting that all the exact details required by security were included in the regulation.

And he pointed out that Starlink “has contributed to improving the service of other companies,” expecting to contribute significantly to the development of the telecommunications sector during the next phase.

Freedom of Expression: Separating Regulation from Cybersecurity

In the digital space file, Abu Kalal said that the authority "protects society from manipulation, while emphasizing the distinction between freedom of expression and misinformation." 

And he stressed the need to separate “the regulation of networks and cybersecurity and between sites,” within the framework of regulating the sector and protecting the digital space on the one hand, and preserving freedom of expression on the other.

Abu Kalal's participation came during the second session of the second day of the 8th Baghdad Dialog Conference, which was held in partnership with the Media and Communications Commission, and was entitled "Communications and New Generation Technology between Regional Transformations and the Digital Information Conflict", and was moderated by the media Mona Sami, with the participation of the Minister of Communications, Mr. Mustafa Sanad, and the CEO of Earthlink and the President of Fiber Optics in the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Alaa Jassim.