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The Broadband Problem: Anatomy of a Market Failure and a Policy Dilemma
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As the Internet revolution continues to unfold and transform telecommunications, pressure is building for faster, less expensive, and more widely accessible broadband service. Such a development would facilitate improved and less expensive traditional applications such as voice telephony and web browsing. It would also enable new and useful applications such as Internet-based television, videoconferencing, and software distribution. Broadband has great potential to improve efficiency and productivity, even to improve national security in some cases. Broadband service and affordability, however, have consistently lagged well behind demand and progress in information technology, with damaging results. The Internet revolution remains incomplete and threatens to stagnate if the situation continues. In The Broadband Problem, economist and technology entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson explains the causes and ramifications of this damaging bottleneck, and he offers suggestions on improving the current state of affairs. He asserts that current telecommunications law and policy have not provided sufficient levels of new entry, competition, and innovation in the local telecom market. The continuing dominance of ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers) in that market impedes the healthy, and much-needed, development of an efficient broadband market. The result of these policy and market failures is inadequate technological progress, innovation, and productivity in advanced Internet services and telecommunication services generally. The broadband problem is holding us back, and thus must be addressed and solved. With this important volume, Charles Ferguson has contributed mightily to that mission.
"
As the Internet revolution continues to unfold and transform telecommunications, pressure is building for faster, less expensive, and more widely accessible broadband service. Such a development would facilitate improved and less expensive traditional applications such as voice telephony and web browsing. It would also enable new and useful applications such as Internet-based television, videoconferencing, and software distribution. Broadband has great potential to improve efficiency and productivity, even to improve national security in some cases. Broadband service and affordability, however, have consistently lagged well behind demand and progress in information technology, with damaging results. The Internet revolution remains incomplete and threatens to stagnate if the situation continues. In The Broadband Problem, economist and technology entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson explains the causes and ramifications of this damaging bottleneck, and he offers suggestions on improving the current state of affairs. He asserts that current telecommunications law and policy have not provided sufficient levels of new entry, competition, and innovation in the local telecom market. The continuing dominance of ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers) in that market impedes the healthy, and much-needed, development of an efficient broadband market. The result of these policy and market failures is inadequate technological progress, innovation, and productivity in advanced Internet services and telecommunication services generally. The broadband problem is holding us back, and thus must be addressed and solved. With this important volume, Charles Ferguson has contributed mightily to that mission.
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253 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2023
predictably, when there is a ”market failure” drummed, expect a humble servant of the corporations ready to explain why the workers should get poor, and his buddies in the board rooms should get richer.
ferguson is here to argue why joe is too dumb to make a local company that would offer broadband, and why unelected officials should get all power to delegate the issue to the likes of google and facebook. and joe will get ”insurance” from his abusive boss, a minor subcontractor for some bigger fish doing the job for some at&t or other state created monstrosity.
ferguson is here to argue why joe is too dumb to make a local company that would offer broadband, and why unelected officials should get all power to delegate the issue to the likes of google and facebook. and joe will get ”insurance” from his abusive boss, a minor subcontractor for some bigger fish doing the job for some at&t or other state created monstrosity.
May 6, 2009
While I found this book to be fascinating and one of the most critical business books I have ever read, I can understand how others might simply shrug it off
This book and Charles H. Ferguson's other collaborationComputer Wars:: The Fall of IBM and the Future of Global Technology form the foundational arguments for the business plan behind my company OHIvey. OHIvey recognizes the broadband problem Mr. Ferguson describes and presents as a solution public/private partnership open service provider fiber to the premise.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews