[This contradict's Veni's 'Bulgarian model' advocacy :)]
ITIF: MORE BROADBAND REGULATION MAY BE NEEDED
[SOURCE: InfoWorld, AUTHOR: Grant Gross, IDG News Service]
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation President Robert Atkinson said
that relying on competition may not fix problems with broadband speed and cost
in the United States, because of the high cost of entry into the market. Many
DC policymakers call for competition to cure issues with broadband value and
build-out, but they don't recognize that the cost of building out competing
networks may make broadband a natural monopoly or duopoly. "It's a mistake for
policymakers to assume that if they simply 'push the competition lever,' all
the problems with broadband policy will be solved," wrote Atkinson, in an ITIF
paper. "The bottom line is that if policymakers want to maximize not only
societal welfare but also consumer welfare, they must balance the push for more
competition with the need to maintain and create an efficient broadband
industry structure." Atkinson and some other speakers at an ITIF broadband
policy forum argued that the United States may need more broadband regulations
to achieve higher speeds and lower prices. Atkinson suggested a balance between
competition and regulations that would mandate open pipes and create stronger
enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/10/19/More-broadband-regulation-needed_1.html
* The Role of Competition in a National Broadband Policy
Reviews the four main policy options toward broadband competition: 1) keep the
same number of pipes; 2) spur the deployment of more pipes; 3) force
incumbents to open up existing pipes to competitors, and 4) regulate duopoly
pipes. Although each policy track will achieve some benefits, each also brings
with it costs and risks.
http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=87
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