4 - Developing Relevant Legislation There is no doubt that a supportive legislative environment for the ICT sector is fundamental to its success and its ability to attract local and foreign investment. Egypt has issued various laws relating to the ICT sector over the last 10 years, covering areas including regulation of telecommunications, e-signatures and protection of intellectual property. However, due to the growth of the sector, as well as the fast pace of change in ICT, new or amended legislation is required to ensure that the rights of investors, employees and the public are fully protected by the law. Furthermore, since the ICT sector has since its inception been a pillar of the national economy, it is important in light of Egypt’s current democratic transition to maintain a legislative environment that boosts the sector’s ability to grow and to support other sectors of the economy. In the final quarter of 2011, MCIT formed a committee of legal and technical experts to formulate a set of new regulations for the coming phase, and to propose modifications, where appropriate, to existing regulations. Telecommunications Law No. 10 of 2003 has since been amended, and the committee is soon to present its proposed amendments to E-Signature Law No. 15 of 2004. The committee has also begun work to formulate draft laws relating to freedom of information, cybersecurity and e-commerce. When drafting bills, the committee first examines relevant legislation from other countries and reviews reports and opinions from civil society organizations and specialists. Committee members then discuss and formulate the draft law, which passes through several rounds of review before presentation to parliament. 30 31 4.1 Telecommunications Law No. 10 of 2003 Telecommunications Law No. 10 of 2003 was one of the laws most in need of amendment due to its political dimensions. During the 25 January Revolution, the governing authorities found legal justification in Articles 65 and 67 of this law to disconnect various means of communication, even though this action restricted the basic right of freedom of expression. After the revolution, MCIT, in response to public demand, initiated a community dialogue concerning necessary amendments to the law. The ministry then formed a committee charged with reviewing existing legislation and drafting new laws, in consultation with experts and representatives from the ICT sector and concerned civil society organizations and taking into consideration the views raised through the community dialogue also opened a dialogue and discussion with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on this law. The committee proposed the amendment of about 55 articles, divided into five groups, and the addition of articles, as follows: Group 1: Amendments to definitions applied in the law and items concerning the formation of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority board of directors Article 1: Definitions (telecommunications, broadcasting, national security and state media) Article 12: Formation and membership of the NTRA board of directors