Jonathan Nuechterlein
Delete, Delete, Insert? New Regulatory Contradictions at the FCC
Two recent Federal Communications Commission documents have caught my attention.
Lessons from Telecommunications Regulation for Tech Competition Policy
This paper examines the parallels between historical telecommunications regulation and current proposals for increasing competition in technology markets, focusing on three key market characteristics the sectors share: network effects, economies of scale, and switching costs. Regulators have addressed these issues in telecommunications markets through mandatory interconnection among telephone networks, compulsory asset sharing, and number portability requirements.
Building on What Works: An Analysis of US Broadband Policy
This paper analyzes the asserted need for, and likely consequences of, four types of broadband regulation proposals in recent circulation: 1) facilities-sharing obligations; 2) retail price controls; 3) internet interconnection obligations; and 4) amorphous and open-ended ISP conduct rules like those the FCC imposed in 2015. For the most part, we see little merit to any of these proposals under current market conditions.