OAS/DHD-CIR.080/2009

1.         Study venue:  United States Telecommunications Training Institute, 1150 Connecticut Ave, NW

            Washington, DC 20036, United States of America

2.         Offered by: USTTI in conjunction with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Justice, the Washington, DC Legal Community and USTTI Board Member Corporations.

3.                  Coordinator:  Jim O’Connor, USTTI Senior Curriculum Coordinator, Email: [email protected]  Phone: (202) 785-7373, Fax: (202) 785 1930

4.                  Modality:                                           On site

5.                  Start and end dates:                         July 17 to July 24^th, 2009

6.                  Course duration:                              One week

7.                  Language:                                        English

8.        Objectives:  With the rapidly changing regulatory environment predominant in so many countries, regulatory bodies are confronted with new challenges as they attempt to assimilate modern telecommunications technology. The course will provide answers to the following questions: To what extent (and with what qualifications and exceptions) can we anticipate that freely functioning private markets will satisfy consumer-citizens' needs, enhance society's wealth, and provide opportunities for workers and owners to increase their wealth? How do these principles apply to telecommunications markets? What laws and legal institutions, especially anti-trust law and agencies regulating telecommunications firms, have proved beneficial in protecting and fostering market performance in those areas where reliance on marketplace forces and market decisions appears warranted? What kinds of legal oversight of private behavior are necessary in cases where markets either will fail to operate optimally or cannot provide what society desires? For example, why does competition policy not fully embrace unregulated private markets for telecommunications services? This course offers executive-level telecommunications policy personnel a broad overview of telecommunications policymaking considerations in a dynamic and competitive environment.

9.        Participant Learning Objectives: For policy makers and regulatory managers who wish to: 1) develop a more thorough understanding of competition policy which may serve as a foundational backdrop for policy-making considerations as applied to the telecommunications sector; 2) understand the changing regulatory philosophy as we participate in the dynamic worldwide telecommunications environment, including development of the necessary considerations that need to be given in responding to those changes; and 3) to develop, with high-level regulatory managers from developing nations, methods of grappling with privatization and other related deregulatory issues in managing their organizations in an effective, efficient market driven manner.

10.       Requirements:

a.      Citizenship or permanent residence of an OAS Member State, with the exception of the United States of America since is the host country.

b.      Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred, but not required.

c.      Current job position and years of related work experience.  Policy makers and regulatory managers, with two (2) years of experience in strategic planning and management-limited to those responsible for communications policy determination.

d.      Certificate of proficiency in English if not mother tongue

e.      Submission of completed online application form by the deadline set by the National Liaison Organization (ONE).[1]  It is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain the deadline set by the ONE in his or her country of residence

f.        In addition to the OAS online application, applicants must also submit a formal application through the USTTI.  Applications may be filed through USTTI’s web site: http://ustti.org/courses/apply.php3

12.      OAS Scholarship Selection Criteria:  In accordance with article 4.2 of the Manual of Procedures of the Scholarship and Training Programs of the OAS, OAS scholarships shall be granted based on the following criteria:

a.      the objectives and priorities established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development;

b.      the training priorities of the member states;

c.      the merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and professional background;

d.      the financial need of the candidate; and

e.      An extensive and equitable geographic distribution for the benefit of all member states and that takes into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies.

13.       Benefits: 

·         For successful candidates, CITEL/OAS will cover round trip economy class air tickets from country of origin or residence to Washington, DC, United States of America. Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses are NOT provided

·         USTTI will provide a scholarship of $400.00 to subsidize hotel and living expenses and will waive the $150.00 administrative fee.

14.      Responsibilities of selected candidates:   Based on shared accommodations and an arrival date of Thursday, July 16^th  and departure date of Saturday, July 25^th, the additional amount needed for this course is USD$1,120.00

            Please be advised that:

                                                              i.            The additional amount needed is based on shared hotel accommodations, per diem and ground transportation expense to and from the airport.

                                                            ii.            If single accommodations are requested, an additional USD$600.00 will be required.

·         The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance to the OAS General Secretariat Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin or residence and the study location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate.
The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship by signing and returning to DHD their completed “form of acceptance of the scholarship award”; only after this has been done will the OAS proceed with the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between the scholarship recipient’s country of origin and the study location.

·         Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming   their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study. 

·         Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs related to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.

·         Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.  

·         If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or change routes, after the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) has purchased his/her travel ticket, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference in ticket costs in order to arrive at the course site in time. The scholarship recipient will furthermore have to reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for his/her travel from his/her country of residence to the site where the Professional Development Course will take place and back if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written authorization from the Department of Human Development.

·         The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the GS/OAS, such as extra costs for accommodation during the scholarship recipient’s travel to and from the country where the course will be held.

·         If the fellow declines, cancels or terminates the Scholarship after the course or program has started without providing the GS/OAS with a compelling reason, he or she will have to reimburse GS/OAS the total amount of incurred costs/expenses.

15.      Certification: The participants will receive a diploma from the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission.

16.       Presentation of candidacies:

            Please Notice:  If you were awarded an OAS Professional Development Scholarship in the past twelve (12) months or if you currently hold an OAS Scholarship for Academic Studies, you are not eligible to apply for another Professional Development Scholarship.

The online application form must be completed on-line and can be accessed at:  http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/onsite.aspx?culture=en&navid=282  here you’ll find the announcements of all the onsite courses, click in the one you are interested in, go though the end of the page, and then you’ll find the Continue button which will direct you to the online application form.

Once the applicant has completed the online application form and submitted it, a copy will be sent automatically to his/her e-mail account. This completed form must be printed, signed and submitted to the National Liaison Office (ONE) with all other forms (http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282)

All the additional forms must be completed electronically or in typewritten format.

The following is the list of National Liaison Organizations (ONEs) in the OAS Member states:  http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282

Please note that the official announcement is published in the language of instruction of the course and is available via the Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at: http://www.educoea.org. 

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: PDSP@oas.org

If you are ready to fill out the application form from beginning to end,
please click the "Continue" button below.