Each year, Section 331(c)(1)(C) of the Communications Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “review competitive market conditions with respect to commercial mobile services and shall include in its annual report an analysis of those conditions.” To this end, the agency released its Sixteenth Annual CMRS Report last week. In this latest report, the FCC makes few formal findings, but instead “focuses on presenting the best data available on competition throughout this sector of the economy and highlighting several key trends in the mobile wireless industry.” (Sixteenth Report at ¶ 2.) Consistent with the other CMRS Reports issued under Chairman Julius Genachowski’s watch, the …
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The Sixteenth CMRS Competition Report: A Paralysis Born in Humility
March 25th, 2013 | Posted by in Broadband | CMRS Reports | Federal Communications Commission | Law and Economics | Mobile Broadband | Regulation | Spectrum | Wireless - (3 Comments)New America Foundation Misinterprets International Data (Again)…
March 7th, 2013 | Posted by in Broadband | Industry Structure and Market Performance | International | International Broadband Ranks | International Telecommunication Union (ITU) | OECD - (Comments Off)In a recent report entitled The Cost of Connectivity, the New America Foundation (“New America”) attempts to compare the prices of “triple play” offerings of video, phone, and Internet services across 22 cities worldwide to show that “that U.S. consumers in major cities tend to pay higher prices for slower speeds compared to consumers abroad.” Unfortunately, when it comes to measuring and comparing prices, New America has a demonstrated penchant for careless work. Upon inspection, New America’s new study appears to be unexceptional in that regard—the empirics are sloppy and the conclusions are unsupported. In fact, New America presents evidence which force conclusions that directly …
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The Misuse of International Broadband Rankings Continues…
February 19th, 2013 | Posted by in Broadband | Federal Communications Commission | International Broadband Ranks | International Telecommunication Union (ITU) | OECD | Regulation | Susan Crawford - (Comments Off)According to a just-released report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) entitled The Whole Picture: Where America’s Broadband Networks Really Stand, “Despite the frequent claims that the United States lags in international broadband comparisons, the studies cited to support this claim are out-of-date, poorly-focused, and/or analytically deficient.” We couldn’t agree more, and extend our kudos to Richard Bennett, Luke Steward, and Rob Atkinson for a thorough and dispassionate analysis of broadband deployment and adoption across developed economies. Indeed, I suspect ITIF’s report will become the ”go to” document of the most current basic statistics on where the U.S. falls in international broadband comparisons. …
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Sloppy Research Sinks Susan Crawford’s Book…
January 18th, 2013 | Posted by in Broadband | Cable | Federal Communications Commission | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Investment | Law and Economics | National Broadband Plan | Regulation | Spectrum | Spectrum Exhaust | Susan Crawford - (3 Comments)This month, Cardozo Law School Professor and former Special Assistant for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy to President Barack Obama Susan Crawford released her new book entitled Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age. Professor Crawford is known as a tireless and vocal advocate for government intervention in and the regulation of telecommunications, and is perhaps the most recognized advocate for the construction of a government-funded and regulated fiber-optic Internet network servicing all American homes and businesses. Many vigorously oppose Professor Crawford’s ideas by claiming they are overly regulatory and too expensive, but many support her proposals with equal …
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Looking Ahead to 2013…
January 11th, 2013 | Posted by in Broadband | Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | IP Transition | Net Neutrality | Regulation - (1 Comments)Over the course of the last several weeks, we at the Phoenix Center held Part I and Part II of our Annual U.S. Telecoms Symposium. Part I, held on December 6th, focused on the impact of the recent election on U.S. broadband policy; while the more “wonky” Part II, held last week on January 3rd, focused on emerging issues in broadband policy for 2013. As always, we had a fantastic array of speakers at both events, and the presentations were excellent. While interested folks are welcome to watch the video of the full proceedings on-line (Part I may be viewed here; while Part II may …
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Economic Theory in Action: The FCC’s Assault on the Mobile Broadband Consumer…
November 30th, 2012 | Posted by in "Over the Top" Services | Broadband | Federal Communications Commission | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Law and Economics | MVPDs | Net Neutrality | Network Agnostic Devices | Regulation | Wireless - (Comments Off)Recently, I spotted an interesting blog by Scott Wallsten at the Technology Policy Institute. In this blog, Scott discusses the FCC’s recent decision that Verizon violated the open access rules of the 700 MHz C-Block auction by charging its customers an additional $20 per month on its data plans to tether a device. In response, Verizon paid a fine and now allows tethering on all new data plans. However, Scott observes that: Verizon effectively abandoned the post-paid market for light users after the FCC decision. Verizon no longer offers individual plans. Even consumers with only a single smartphone must purchase a shared data plan. That’s …
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Professor Susan Crawford and the Looming “Cable Monopoly”…
November 16th, 2012 | Posted by in "Over the Top" Services | AllVid | Broadband | Broadband Credibility Gap | Cable | CableCard | Federal Communications Commission | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Investment | IP Transition | Law and Economics | MVPDs | National Broadband Plan | Net Neutrality | Regulation | Susan Crawford - (Comments Off)Next month, a new book entitled Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age (Yale University Press 2012) from Cardozo Law School Professor Susan Crawford will hit the bookshelves. According to her publisher’s blurb, Professor Crawford’s book will examine how the United States has “created the biggest monopoly since the breakup of Standard Oil a century ago.” But what is this “monopoly” to which Professor Crawford refers? While the publisher’s promotional blurb is silent on this question, according to a 2010 paper authored by Professor Crawford in the Yale Law and Policy Review, it appears that she is talking about …
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George and Larry’s Excellent Peruvian Broadband Adventure…
November 9th, 2012 | Posted by in Broadband | Federal Communications Commission | International | Law and Economics | Net Neutrality | Regulation | Regulatory Reform | Spectrum - (Comments Off)Last week, George and I returned from an amazing trip to Peru where we held two days of workshops with OSIPTEL—the Peruvian telecoms regulator—as part of a project for USAID. As we covered a wide range of topics, we were once again reminded that while language and individual political nuances among various countries may differ, the fundamental economics—and concurrent complex policy issues—facing telecom regulators remain universal. That is, how do we get more broadband deployed when it isn’t necessarily profitable to do so? In light of this universal question, we spent a significant amount of time talking about the economics of the “last mile” and …
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