Pro Net Competition: Studies and Reports
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New Paper by NERA Economist Advocates Access Tiering vs. Regulation in Net Neutrality
September 18, 2007 - link >>NERA Economic Consulting
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harmful economic consequences await software application providers, network end-users, and telecommunications carriers alike if efforts to prevent differentiated quality of service (QoS) over the Internet succeed, according to “Freedom, Regulation, and Net Neutrality,” a new paper released today by an economist from NERA.
According to the author, NERA Senior Vice President and Global Communications Practice Chair Dr. William Taylor, allowing differential QoS via the practice of “access tiering,” in which applications that pay for higher QoS receive network priority, will maximize the value of the Internet as an asset to society, as well as spur innovation in a market-determined network architecture.
Dr. Taylor’s paper explores the current debate over the principle of net neutrality and regulations designed to support the neutrality of the Internet, which he argues embodies at its core a fundamental contradiction. While some parties extol the freedom of the Internet—freedom from metering and from such government interference as taxation, commercial regulation, or political or moral censorship—others argue that the Internet is a business, and their facilities and the services that ride upon them must be managed and priced to be as profitable as possible. The contradiction arises when those desiring freedom from government interference advocate government regulation to protect themselves from potential anticompetitive actions or monopolistic exploitations by those who supply last-mile broadband access to the network.
Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy
June 27, 2007 - link >>Federal Trade Commission
The Internet1 has profoundly impacted numerous aspects of daily life for many people in the United States and is increasingly vital to the American economy. In response to recent debate relating to Internet access issues, Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras announced the formation of the Internet Access Task Force (“Task Force”) in August 2006 and invited interested parties to meet with the Task Force to discuss issues relating to Internet access generally and net neutrality2 in particular.3 The Task Force held a two-day public workshop on broadband connectivity competition policy in February 2007 (“Workshop”) to bring together consumer advocates and experts from business, government, academia, and the technology sector to explore competition and consumer protection issues relating to broadband Internet access.4 The purpose of this Report is to summarize the Task Force’s learning on broadband Internet connectivity in general and network neutrality in particular, as developed from the Workshop, meetings between the Task Force and various interested parties, and the FTC staff’s independent research.
The Economics of ‘Wireless Net Neutrality’
April 30, 2007 - link >>ROBERT W. HAHN, ROBERT E. LITAN, HAL J. SINGER, AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies
Network neutrality issues have been vigorously debated worldwide over the past few years. One major aim of network neutrality proponents is to prevent high-speed Internet service providers from charging content providers for priority delivery. Recently, proponents have turned their attention to the regulation of wireless networks, such as those for cellular phones, which provide increasing numbers of consumers access to Internet services. Some application providers have relied on a recent academic paper to support greater regulation of wireless operators. Although the proposals to regulate these networks use the phrase “net neutrality,” the regulations they seek to impose on wireless operators have little in common with those being sought for other Internet service providers. In this article, we provide a framework for determining whether certain kinds of regulations should be imposed on the owners of wireless networks. We also consider the benefits and costs of specific proposals for the regulation of these networks. Our principal conclusion is that the costs of most of these proposals are likely to exceed the benefits.
Broadband Competition Throughout the United States and the Impact on Prices
August 14, 2006 - link >>Guerrilla Economics
Broadband Competition Throughout the United States and the Impact on Prices
July 14, 2006 - link >>Guerrilla Economics
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