Broadband and Its Impact on Consumers and Economies: Developing a New Framework for Future Metrics
Federal Communications Commission, Department of Commerce, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
October 12-13, 2011
Washington, DC
http://www.oecd.org/document/13/0,3746,en_2649_33757_48518861_1_1_1_1,00...
Around the world and across OECD member countries, communications policy agencies, communications regulatory agencies and national statistical bodies all collect data on information and communications technology infrastructure, supply, access and use with the goal of understanding its economic and social impact. Agencies in different countries take different approaches to what is key information in this landscape and how it should be collected and analyzed, partly depending on the focus of agency responsibilities and partly on domestic policy interests, perceived needs and dynamics.
This workshop will focus on broadband infrastructure, its availability, access and use. A broader understanding of the use of broadband data requires analysis of additional economic and demographic data. The discussions will bring together various agencies that collect broadband data in the context of economic and demographic data, in order to enable them to share their data and tools, and with the goal of identifying synergies across data collections and possible gaps. While some agencies focus on households and others focus on businesses, all of them share a common interest in understanding the implications of broadband development for their respective policy goals.
The collection and analysis of broadband data is a key component in assessing market outcomes including competitiveness, the availability and use of services to meet policy objectives in the area of communication services. They are also a requirement to inform critical questions about the perceived role of broadband as a facilitator of important economic outcomes such as improved productivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This workshop will also include the perspectives of those who use available data to measure and analyze these outcomes.