The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) was established by the

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Regulatory Act in October 2000. The GRA is the statutory body in Gibraltar responsible for regulating electronic communications. This includes

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

communications and

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

transmissions. The GRA serves as both the national supervisory and regulatory authority for these sectors. The supervision and regulation of these sectors is done in accordance with

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

that has been rendered into national law. Since inception the GRA has seen its responsibilities extended to

data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as data pr ...

and, for a time,

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

Electronic Communication

The GRA attempts to enhance competition in the communications sector by regulating network access to develop effective choice for business and residential consumers alike and by helping the facilitate entry to the communications market through authorisations and licences. The GRA policy is designed to make Gibraltar recognizable as a world-class telecommunications centre to do business. As well as ensuring that Gibraltar has a high quality telecommunications service that offers consumers high performance and standards, as well as competitive prices. The communications remit of the GRA includes traditional

telephone wire A telephone line or telephone circuit (or just line or circuit industrywide) is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system. It is designed to reproduce speech of a quality that is understandable. It is the physical wire or ot ...

, dial up and

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, mobile operators providing voice and data services,

voice over internet protocol Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...

services,

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and radio, radio communications including fixed wireless services, and licensing frameworks for

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

services.

Data Protection

The Gibraltar

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

nominated the GRA as the supervisory authority for the enforcement of the Data Protection Act 2004. With the powers imbued upon the Data Protection Commissioner, the GRA has made assurances that a system is in place to monitor the executory function of the Data Protection Act. The GRA works closely with foreign regulatory authorities tasked with a similar role. The GRA also continuously develops a comprehensive online guide that is designed to encompass the wealth of information available about Data Protection.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibraltar Regulatory Authority Communications authorities Gambling regulators Regulators of the United Kingdom