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132 MEDIA POLICY AND GLOBALIZATION
despite a number of international institutions involved, the leading organization
in the new international regime of the GIS remains the WTO.
The neoliberal sentiments of the WTO are widely declared as a series
of meetings has shown; one of the major tasks of WTO in general is
the harmonization of regulatory frameworks across the world and the
continuation of the liberalization process for industries.
There are differences among the participating countries as to the extent
and degree of liberalization, especially with regards to health and
education but also culture industries. The United National Economic
Commission for Africa has developed a Green Paper to deal with the
impact of liberalization, the South Africa Green Paper that particularly
deals with the conditions of ecommerce harmonization, according to the
international framework as set out by the Global Information Society
(GIS) and WTO. In particular, the development of e-commerce would
demand the necessary infrastructure and regulation in line with the international
‘regime’ and to accept the WTO’s agreement to liberalize and
privatize its telecommunications.
Audenhove et al. (1999) argue that this regulatory framework is based
on two assumptions, the ability of new entertainment services to provide
revenue to subsidize the building of the infrastructure and the willingness
of consumers to pay for new services. Therefore, competition is
seen as a paramount policy that encompasses growth and the lowering of
prices. Again, as in the case of broadcasters, national operators are seen
as hindering development and market growth. It is reasonable to assume
that tight control of private enterprise by the state, like the tight control
of private and public spheres by the state, can border loss of freedom,
especially in regimes or in conditions where democratic standards are
rather theoretical than practical. 7 When broadcasting is controlled by
the state then not only economic but also social aspects/indicators are
lower than those countries with a vibrant public and non-state sector.
Venturelli (2002) argues that excessive control of the state in East Asian
economies has failed to promote the drive for competition in the telecoms
sector. Similarly, it has also failed to promote a vibrant culture production
sector that is vital to the production of content in the IS and a weak but
emerging civil society sector which suggests a fundamental shift in social
and cultural dynamics. Although this is probably generally the case, the
opposite, the lack of control over entrepreneurship, does not guarantee
freedom of speech or critical expression.
Nevertheless, the dominant argument of ‘prosperity’ and the opportunity
for the diversity of ‘cultural expression’ continue to rank high in
the list of assumed benefits of the liberalization process. Audenhove et al.
identify the same arguments in the development of a GIS framework