In April 2004, the World Trade Organization (WTO) assumed a new role as a highly specialized, global regulator of domestic telecommunications policy. In response to a complaint filed by the United States, a WTO arbitration panel found that Mexico had violated its commitments under the Annex on...

Can the standard merger analysis of the Department of Justice's and Federal Trade Commission's Horizontal Merger Guidelines accommodate mergers in high-technology industries? In its April 2007 report to Congress, the Antitrust Modernization Commission (AMC) answered that question in the...

Although the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review proposed mergers, in mergers involving communications businesses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decides whether it would serve the public interest for the acquired firm to transfer its operating...

In an earlier article, we presented a case study of local loop unbundling (LLU) in the Republic of Ireland in 2001. We explained how the predecessor regulatory body to the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation (Comreg) could select the least arbitrary interim access rate. This article...

During a period of substantial regulatory change, as in the case of network unbundling in telecommunications, regulators often face the challenge of setting interim rates for services. How, in the face of inherently imperfect information and the need to proceed according to what is invariably an...

The current wave of telecommunications reform stands to significantly affect the provision of video over telephone networks. Several states have enacted legislation to promote the provision of video services by competitors, including telephone companies, and federal legislation regarding video...

This report examines mass-market broadband access and take-up, analyzing the current and prospective level of competition and drawing implications for public policy. The report was commissioned by The Brussels Round Table, a forum for leading European telecommunication operators and equipment...