The Minister of Communications formally recognised ISPA as an Industry Representative Body in terms of section 71 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 on 20 May 2009.
The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) is a South African Internet industry body not for gain. ISPA is a voluntary organisation, representing the interests of its members.
Established on 6 June 1996, the association currently represents in excess of 150 Internet Service Providers with a diverse range of services and target markets. Significantly the number of ISPA members increases almost on a monthly basis.
ISPA is represented by a management committee made up of ISPA members, elected by members at the annual general meeting.
ISPA is entirely funded by the members. A website is maintained at http://www.ispa.org.za where a list of the members can be found.
ISPA has influenced and shaped telecommunications policy in South Africa since its formation in 1996. The association has provided submissions and feedback to such key pieces of legislation as the Telecommunications Amendment Act, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, the Electronic Communications Act, the ICASA Amendment Act, the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communicated-related Information Act as well as various other associated regulations. ISPA encourages members to participate in discussions relating to policy issues and has a very active regulatory submissions working group as well as a working group that deals with competition issues.
Over the years, ISPA has developed good working relationships with many governmental bodies, including the Department of Communications, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Film and Publications Board and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications. Members benefit significantly from these relationships.
ISPA regularly produces advisories for its members on important issues, such as licensing and wireless Internet access. Members of the association also have access to ISPA’s regulatory advisors, who are more than willing to assist with regulatory queries and questions.
All ISPA members are bound by the Association’s Code of Conduct. This Code requires all members to meet certain standards in terms of privacy, consumer protection, spam and protection of minors.
By ensuring that various documents are made available to customers such as a privacy policy, terms and conditions, an acceptable use policy as well as providing a facility for dealing with complaints regarding unsolicited bulk email (spam) and unsolicited commercial communications, confidence is generally instilled in the service providers’ clients.
ISPA receives many consumer complaints against non-members. Once these complainants discover that they have no recourse because their service provider is not a member of ISPA, they often express an intention to move their business to one of the association’s members.
The complaints process also provides a useful safety value for customers who have perhaps not reached the right person within an ISP to resolve their complaint. ISPA’s process ensures that the complaint is escalated to the correct person, and this frequently enables amicable resolution of complaints and allows the ISP to retain a customer who may otherwise have
been lost.
The Electronic Communications Act provides significant immunity from liability to Internet Service Providers for content that is hosted on, or transited through, their network.
In order to qualify for these benefits, ISPs must have a process in place for handling take-down notifications, and must also be a member of a recognised industry body.
ISPA has implemented a take-down notification procedure, which can be used by all of its members.
Should you belong to ISPA and you act on a valid take-down notice by removing content, the ECT Act also protects you from liability for wrongful take-down claims from the owner of that content.
ISPA runs the Internet exchanges (JINX and CINX). The exchanges allow ISPA members to interconnect their networks in a cost-effective manner and help to keep South African Internet traffic in South Africa, instead of using more expensive international connections. Information on the exchanges can be found at: http://www.ispa.org.za/inx/.
ISPA holds general meetings once every quarter, and runs a number of workshops during the year to deal with issues and concerns either raised by the members or of relevance to the industry. An annual iWeek conference is held, usually in September.
Membership of ISPA provides your company with free access to all of these events.
The association also runs a travel subsidy programme, to encourage members located outside of Gauteng to attend the annual conference. This subsidy typically covers half of the travel costs for members situated in other regions.
The Internet industry believes that it should give back to the community at large. Currently, many SA Internet access providers provide pricing breaks on school connectivity or donate free dial-up or leased circuits to educational institutions and other non-profit organisations.
The ISPA is committed to the growth of ICTs in South Africa and in conjunction with UniForum SA (the co.za registrar) and various other players runs a successful ‘Train the Teachers’ program. Information on this program can be found at: http://www.ispa.org.za/social-development/
ISPA’s relationships with other Internet bodies ensure that members are kept up to date with the latest trends affecting the Internet:
AfrISPA is a continental association of African ISP associations. ISPA is a founding member of AfrISPA.
EuroISPA is the pan-European association of the ISP associations of the countries.
ISPA, one of the founding members of the International Internet Industry Alliance (IIIA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2007 with Internet associations in Australia, North America and Africa. The MoU establishes a basis for the individual national and regional bodies to share information and work together as appropriate to the benefit of the Internet industry globally.
The association runs many mailing lists and has numerous special interest working groups. Members are encouraged to participate in one or more of these working groups and to subscribe to the relevant mailing lists.
Feedback from current members is that the opportunity to meet and network with other members at ISPA events is very valuable. ISPA fosters co-operation between members, providing new members with a valuable support structure to use for questions or problems.
ISPA supports industry research when financially viable and the survey documents are made available to members at a reduced cost.
In summary, membership of ISPA provides you with the legitimacy that comes with membership of a recognised IRB and adherence to the Code of Conduct means that your customers can be confident that they will be fairly treated.
Both factors are likely to attract customers. The benefits of a travel subsidy, subsidised market research reports and free legal advice easily pay for the costs of membership. The opportunity to meet with other ISPs who have faced similar business challenges is enough in itself to make membership of ISPA worthwhile.
ISPA Secretariat:
Tel: 010 500 1200 or 087 550 1200
Fax: 086 606 4066
queries@ispa.org.za
www.ispa.org.za
PO Box 3423
Parklands
2121
Information on membership available at: www.ispa.org.za/membership/