Egypt's internet and mobile phone access will never again be cut off, said Egypt's minister of telecommunications and information technology, Maged Othman. The statement comes after a five-day communication blackout during Egypt's January 25 Revolution. Othman said the Ministry of Communication is on the verger of revealing a proposal for new legislation to amend certain clauses of the current telecommunication Law No. 10/2003, specifically Clause 76. Clause 76 says the state authority has full power over all telecommunication services, networks and their providers and has the authority to summon those who work and maintain the networks in case of shut down of those services due to natural disasters or malfunctions. It was made clear during a press conference held Thursday morning that this clause was used to prevent any telecommunications or Internet provider from independently cutting off services through legal loopholes. It was added that the National Telecom Regulatory Authority took guidance regarding the new legislation by comparing it to similar legislation in democratic countries such as the U.S., U.K., Australia, India, and Malaysia in order to avoid loopholes in the law and guarantee citizens' rights in freely obtaining telecommunication and internet services. Othman stressed that the advice and opinions of civil society organizations would be taken into account regarding protection of citizens' privacy on internet and telecommunication networks, and that the government is committed to expanding the telecommunications market through legislation designed to increase investment in the sector and protect the rights of telecommunication users.
