I have been advised by the department as follows:
1. When the Electronic Communications Act was amended in 2014 it replaced the requirement to develop Rapid Deployment Guidelines with the requirement to develop a National Rapid Deployment Policy. As a result of this amendment, the National Rapid Deployment Policy was included in the National Integrated ICT Policy White Paper. The rationale for the replacement of the guidelines with a policy is that a large proportion of the key stakeholders that are affected by the Rapid Deployment Policy are not subject to the provisions of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), and, consequently, their behaviour cannot be regulated through the ECA.
2.(a)-(b) The Department has not carried out any study to determine the impact of a delay in implementing the Rapid Deployment Policy as there is no delay as yet in the implementation.