This study analyzes the progress in information and communication technologies (ICT) in eleven MED countries and how they compare to the rest of the world in terms of sector's sophistication and development. In recent years, most countries of this region opened up their markets for multiple...

This paper provides an economic analysis of recent vertical and horizontal mergers in the U.S. industry for audiovisual media content, including the AT&T-Time Warner and the Disney-Fox mergers. Using a theory-driven approach, we examine economic effects of these types of mergers on market...

Competition between parallel infrastructures incorporates opposing welfare effects. The gain from reduced deadweight loss might be out- weighed by the inefficient duplication of an existing infrastructure. Using data from broadband internet access for Western Europe 2000-2004, this paper...

Public policy debates about online child safety have raged since the earliest days of the Internet. Concerns about underage access to objectionable content (specifically pornography) drove early "Web 1.0" efforts to regulate the Internet, and it continues to be the topic of much discussion...

The growth of Internet access enabled the creation of functions (e.g., e-commerce and search) that were initially convenient but which a small number of firms used to achieve winner-takes-all, through the application of ICTs, network externalities and two-sided markets. They turned themselves...

Digital convergence thrusts telephony, television and the internet into the socalled 'triple play' offerings, creating new forms of rivalry between cable operators and telephone companies. Markets participants feel compelled to enter new industries to survive, even though their core competencies...

Even before national governments reach consensus on frequencies for the fifth generation (“5G”) of wireless radio, carriers and equipment manufacturers in the United States tout benefits and scramble to accelerate ready for service dates. Remarkably, most nations meeting a forum organized by...

In response to a request for comment from the Federal Trade Commission, this report is divided into three parts:• The FTC's continuing leadership in consumer protection for Internet access• Competition and consumer protection in a changing communications industry• Competition and consumer...

In response to the increasing popularity and economic impact of companies in the Internet ecosystem, the Federal Trade Commission is being implored with vocal but factually vacant calls to revisit its approach to antitrust, and in particular market power, barriers to entry and anti-competitive...

Whether it was the intended strategy or not, Google Fiber, which has now "paused" new deployments, agitated incumbent providers, regulators, and investors to change their approach and policies on gig-speed Internet, initiating a "game of Gigs" that broke a stalemate in investments in...