Tony Rutkowski wrote:
Not necessarily - if the intent is protectionism.
What about if it is "not"?
It seems to me that you assume this by default (it's EC, therefore it *must*
be protectionist), then you proceed by circular argumentation to demonstrate
that *it is* protectionist.
But Werner has already provided a good answer.
<snip>
National PTT monopoly?
Lotta things happened since you left Geneva. Maybe you still have friends at
the ITU that can keep you up to date ;>)
What's the current market share of France Telecom in the local
access market? Interexchange market? :-)
I don't have the exact figures, but I'm sure somebody on this list will be
able to provide them.
Qualitatively, their share is more important in the fixed network (the one
that is developing at a slower rate, and where they still enjoy the
"competitive advantage" of their past monopoly) than in the mobile network,
the most rapidly growing.
Anyway, whatever the real figures are, one thing we can say.
In far-behind, monopolistic-oriented Europe, the competitors of the former
PTTs have more room for competition than the to-be gTLDs Registries in
advanced, competition-oriented US ;>).
In this rapidly changing world, stereotypes become rapidly obsolete, and to
try to characterize behaviours with categories that belong to the past is
likely to produce mistakes.
Like I noted above, the CEC's Green Paper targeted NSI for
industrial policy reasons in 1996. It would be great to see
them focus a little closer to home and open up all those
domestic markets.
Unfortunately, economics and politics have to be deployed on a global scale.
There is less and less distinction between internal and external market, and
it does not make sense on handle only the internal matters without looking
at the global picture.
This is why, BTW, the USG Green & White Papers did not "focus a little
closer to home", restricting the issue to the management (opening-up?) of
.us, as it should have done according to your reasonment.
Or do you think that to limit to internal policy matters should apply to
everybody except the US ;>).
Regards
Roberto
