NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] The broadband numbers racket
----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave@farber.net> ----- Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:44:53 -0400 From: David Farber <dave@farber.net> Subject: [IP] The broadband numbers racket Reply-To: dave@farber.net To: ip <ip@v2.listbox.com> Begin forwarded message: From: dewayne@warpspeed.com (Dewayne Hendricks) Date: September 21, 2009 3:01:36 PM EDT To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy@warpspeed.com> Subject: [Dewayne-Net] The broadband numbers racket The broadband numbers racket [Commenatry by Thomas W. Hazlett] Cherry picking broadband penetration numbers to imply the US is slipping into Third World status is fine for a quickie term paper, at least if Wikipedia goes down. But adults ought sort through the multi-dimensional complexity of the real world. Properly adjusted, the US is between eight and tenth in broadband adoption, finds Federal Communications Commission economist Scott Walls ten, who also shows that US speed and pricing are competitive with most other advanced economies. Moreover, the e-Readiness Index of The Economist ranks the US number 1. French and Japanese networks languished early in the World Wide Web era, while unregulated US cable TV operators pioneered innovations in residential broadband. DSL growth in America then surged when it, too, was deregulated. In a December 2008 Review of Network Economics study, Anil Caliskan and Hazlett show that by year-end 2006 there were 25 million DSL households, some 10 million more than predicted by the regulated, pre-2003 trend. Controlling for other factors, there was no "loss for competition and innovation," but a strong broadband deployment boost. This is not an arbitrary international ranking but a natural experiment, rich with implication for regulators. Such inquiries into the effect of policy measures are vital. No matter where a country ranks, better policies will help citizens, consumers, innovators, and the economy. To carefully evaluate the alternatives is not to be anti-technology, but pro-science. America's high-tech economy deserves no less. <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7005b0f4-a3c5-11de-9fed-00144feabdc0.html> RSS Feed: <http://www.warpspeed.com/wordpress> ------------------------------------------- Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com ----- End forwarded message -----