Content guidelines are needed now that undersea cables are laid

There is no doubt that the fiber optic cables will reduce the cost of connectivity; at least the high cost of satellite space will no longer be an excuse.

The ship laying The East Africa Submarine System docked at the port of Mombasa last week, providing yet another glimmer of hope, two months after the ship laying the SEACOM cable docked.

After all the hype, the focus should now be on the country's preparedness to deal with the increased capacity. There has been long discussions about the role of local content. But where are the policies to guide the creation of the content?

The Kenya Communications Amendment Act has been hailed as a win for all of us but it needs supporting subsidiary legislation. Yes it says that the Communications Commission of Kenya will license the certification authorities but at what point will the awareness start?

Are we waiting for the huge pipes to be at our door steps then we will start wondering what to do or we can just check emails and that is it? How will we know that the websites asking us to send money via Mpesa or via credit card are genuine?
For all we know, this could provide another ground for cybercrooks to terrorize us. And when the media reports of the theft online, the media will be branded as unpatriotic.

There is so much education that is needed, to both the literate and the illiterate; the various opportunities that we can take advantage of and the rules that govern the industry.

The fiber will be here, it will be cheap, but we might just fear e-commerce because of the rogue business people who may be camouflaged online.

Now the supply side seems to be stable, the focus should shift to creating the demand!