- Office of Electronic Communications

Videoconference of the President of UKE, Jacek Oko, with the Chairwoman of the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel

On February 22, 2024, a high-level videoconference was held between UKE and the American regulator - the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the heads of both regulatory authorities - the President of UKE, Jacek Oko, and the Chairwoman of the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel.

The aim of the videoconference was to exchange experiences in important areas. One of them was conducting educational campaigns for various consumer groups and education in the field of 5G. The UKE’s expert presented information on current campaigns: #keepCTRL - youth safe on the Internet!, which won the WSIS Prizes in the e-learning category in 2023 and other three campaigns: meOnline/Ja@ Online - training for seniors on using the Internet (online banking, online shopping and e-administration), Code with UKE - coding lessons for children and I know what I'm signing - a campaign educating seniors about their consumer rights. The American side had similar experience in educating various social groups, but was keenly interested in the way in which UKE’s representatives reach their target groups. Both UKE and FCC emphasized that currently the most common method that makes it easier to reach a very wide audience is online education, which was introduced on a large scale after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and will certainly be continued in the coming years due to its effectiveness.

Issues regarding the provision of broadband Internet to remote and unattractive areas in terms of investment were also discussed. UKE’s representative presented information on the Operational Program Digital Poland 2014-2020 and the role of UKE in its implementation. In turn, the American side talked about the use of the Universal Service Fund to finance the implementation of various programs supporting access to the Internet: the Rural Health Care Program, the Connected Care pilot program, which aimed to provide support for the provision of connected care services, and the COVID-19 Telehealth program, thanks to which remote access to medical services was ensured during the pandemic.

The American side has also shared its experience in the field of market surveillance of products, monitoring their compliance with the requirements resulting from regulations and possession of appropriate certificates.

This was the third videoconference with the FCC. Previous events of this type took place in September 2020 and July 2023.

Both parties agreed that due to the similar scope of competences, organizing such meetings to share experiences brings benefits to both partners and should be continued.