Telecommunications/ transportation substitution and energy conservation: Part 1

The substitution of telecommunications for transportation is held to have major potential for increasing energy conservation within the USA, other developed nations, and even developing nations. This article is the first of a two-part re-examination of the substitution hypothesis based on research and experience of the past decade. This part examines the theoretical potential of telecommunications-transportation substitution for energy conservation, and reviews recent research both on public attitudes towards substitution of telecommunications for travel and on the operational experience with substitution experiments in organizations. Part 2, which appears in the June 1982 issue of Telecommunications Policy, examines the major factors which influence whether individuals and institutions will in fact choose telecommunications over travel, and then discusses government policy which could facilitate telecommunications substitution for travel.     

Telecommunications privacy and the information society

Determining the appropriate actions to insure telecommunications privacy in the domestic telephone system presents unusually complex and interrelated considerations of law, technology and foreign policy. In this article, the author explores these considerations as they pertain to possible future telecommunications policy options for the government in its relations with the privately owned and operated telecommunications industry in the USA.     

Telecommunications and energy policy

As the energy problems of the West continue, an increasing amount of attention is focused on methods of energy conservation. The authors develop an ‘activist’ view of the role of telecommunications as a component of energy-conservation policy. Advanced telecommunications offer an alternative to many forms of travel. The results of research aimed at quantifying and comparing the direct energy consumption of travel and telecommunications are presented. Telecommunications developments can induce changes in business organisation, transport, urban development, and environmental quality, as well as increased freedom of location. The authors consider whether such changes are feasible and desirable.     

Japan's policy on monopoly and competition in telecommunications

Telecommunications policy in Japan is about to undergo a significant change in the field of domestic telecommunications services. A monopolistic policy has long been maintained - monopoly by the government for the first 80 years and monopoly by the NTT, a domestic common carrier, for the past 30 years. Now, however, a policy of competition is required to meet the needs of citizens and companies when confronted with the age of the information society. This article analyses the trend of past, present and future telecommunications policy in Japan in relation to monopoly and competition.     

Agencies and directions of Japanese policy

A major objective of Japanese telecommunications policy over the past thirty years has been to modify the traditional government monopoly and create a new communications environment. Although the country's internal conflicts and arguments are rooted in its historical and cultural background, a policy consensus is now emerging. In connection with this development, the author describes relevant government agencies and then outlines the major topics of debate relating to the development of Japan into an information-oriented society.     

Implementing policy on next-generation broadband networks and implications for equity of access to high speed broadband: A case study of Australia's NBN

Next generation telecommunications infrastructure is expanding and supporting rapid growth of broadband technologies and a digital economy. In this context, digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) are of increasing importance as a means for people to gain access to health or social services, employment opportunities, information and social networks. In this article we draw on our recent case study research to examine the policy (and politics) shaping implementation of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) and its likely effects on equity of access to high speed broadband (HSB) services. We monitored NBN policy and implementation from 2015 to 2018 through policy documents, reports, and media. To assess likely effects of NBN policy on implementation and subsequently on equity of access to HSB we: a) applied a framework defining four elements of equity of access; and b) analysed stakeholder views drawn from media articles and 22 interviews with experts on NBN policy including politicians, government staff, and industry representatives. We found that equity considerations competed with political and commercial imperatives during the rollout of the NBN. This resulted in positive and negative consequences for equity of access to HSB, with a change in policy and implementation in 2013 bringing greater risks to equity of access. The case study provides a framework for considering equity in the implementation of next generation telecommunications infrastructure and highlights the importance of considering equity in the evaluation of telecommunications infrastructure.     

US telecommunications policy in the executive branch: The OTP and reorganisational alternatives

The author presents a critical assessment of the requirements of the government in telecommunications. He analyses the successes and failures of the Office of Telecommunications Policy, examines its relationships with other federal agencies, and describes the tradeoffs implicit in several of the alternatives available to it. The author concludes with recommendations for restructuring telecommunications policy in the new administration.     

The transformation of the mobile telecommunications industry in Pakistan: A developing country perspective

This paper offers a rare insight into the reality of the mobile telecommunications market transformation in Pakistan. Our analytical framework treats the mobile telecommunications market as a complex socio-technical system. Specifically, we define the telecommunications market as being composed of technology standards and three sets of social actors that include government institutions, network and service providers, and users. In the case of Pakistan, these social actors together determine the adoption of standards and services, and thus shape the trajectory of the market change. Our case study provides evidence that a pro-competition policy is imperative for mobile telecommunications development in developing countries, and an independent regulator is critical in promoting technological innovation.     

Global political economy of technology standardization: A case of the Korean mobile telecommunications market

This paper examines empirical cases of standardization in the Korean mobile market as vehicles for approaching the broader political and institutional context of standardization in telecommunications. A consideration of Korean standardization in the mobile telecommunications market is particularly interesting because it reveals how the state's political interests influence standards decisions, which are primarily driven by market and technological changes in telecommunications. Judged from the social construction of technology perspective which sheds light not only on technology itself but also on political, social and economic interests that surround transformations in technology, this paper highlights power relations among the major actors that have made technology standards decisions in Korea regarding second (2G) and third-generation (3G) mobile telephony. The paper also attempts to show how the Korean government has dealt with the diverse interests of various market actors while pursuing its own policy agenda.     

Wireline deregulation: The Canadian experience

Changes in the state of telephony markets paved the way for significant regulatory and legislative reforms in the telecommunications sector in the 1990s. In Canada, the 1993 Telecommunications Act was enacted to promote the emergence of competitors in a market that had until then been dominated by regional monopolies. This paper examines the Canadian telecommunications regulatory framework and analyzes the regulatory privileges given to new entrants at the expense of former telecommunications monopolies. Such regulations, which were meant to induce competition, ended up hurting consumers and distorting the market process. This paper also shows how the Canadian government recently eliminated many of those regulations by seizing control of the policy agenda from the telecommunications regulator.     

Telecommunications and the UK government

The first article in this series reviewed the nature of the UK Post Office's monopoly, its relations with government and a number of forces for change. Since then (September 1977), the UK government has published: the government's response to the Carter Committee's proposals; an appendix to the Carter Report; and a ‘White Paper’ concerning all nationalized industries. This article reviews the government's response to the Carter Committee against the background of the evidence submitted to the Committee, the government's overall policy towards nationalized industries and the political debate concerning that policy. Finally, subsequent political and union responses to the government's telecommunications policy are reported which may result in considerable change.     

Telecommunications policy and individuals with disabilities: Issues of accessibility and social inclusion in the policy and research agenda

Information and communications technologies have become an integral part of life in an information society, affecting employment, education and many other daily activities. For individuals with disabilities, equal access to telecommunications remains a concern, as many technologies that are developed do not allow for equal access. Law and policy have made significant progress in some nations, but sizeable barriers remain to the social inclusion of individuals with disabilities in telecommunications technologies and services. This paper examines the importance of equal access to telecommunications for individuals with disabilities in both the formulation and the implementation of policy. Analyzing issues of policy and implementation, this paper discusses policy questions and potential areas of research to better understand the relationship of telecommunications policy to access for persons with disabilities.     

The third-generation-mobile (3G) policy and deployment in China: Current status, challenges, and prospects

Since the inception of telecom reform in 1994, structural reform has been a main thread surrounding the course of the development of China's telecommunications industry. In structuring the 2008 reform and the 2009 3G rollout China's government adopted a relatively balanced approach in the hope of creating level-playing-field in 3G era. Nevertheless, due to the presence of substantial switching costs, substitution effects from the present technology mode, that is, 2.5G, the absence of killer applications, among other technological and institutional factors, China may not have a realistic 3G era before moving toward 4G and beyond. At the bare minimum, currently there is a lacking of either adequate technological-push or demand-pull for a full-scale 3G commercialization—there is no sign that this situation will change in the near term. Triggered by recent initiatives of market convergence between the telecommunications, Internet, and cable, a renewed circle of market, and regulatory reform is probably necessary to cast a sounder industry basis for a timing migration toward the next-generation-networks (NGNs). The timing migration toward 4G (and beyond) may provide a chance for a late-mover nation like China to leapfrog its western counterparts in leading the industry in the era of NGNs. To this end, China is confronted with a challenge in re-examining its industry policy as well as technological strategies for a sustainable development in the era of NGNs. This study offers heuristic analysis and insights on the above issues based on archival documents and interviews. While implications are suggested for China's circumstances, the Chinese experiences may also be considered by other countries and investors when it comes to 3G (and beyond) policies, regulations, deployments, and evolutions.     

US communications policy making: The results of executive branch reorganization

Taking into consideration President Carter's campaign commitment to streamline the federal bureaucracy the authors analyze the reorganization of US government authority in the area of telecommunications policy. They discuss potential problems to result from the new organization, and how it is designed to eliminate controversies which arose over the previously existing agencies.     

The evolution of the telecommunications policy agenda: Forty years of articles in Telecommunications Policy

This paper investigates the evolution of the telecommunications policy agenda by means of text mining forty years –from 1976 to 2016– of papers in the journal Telecommunications Policy. Text mining techniques help identify the key topics, the dominant combinations of concepts and the main areas of research within this multidisciplinary –technical, economic, social, policy– discipline. In addition they depict an evolution of the policy agenda more nuanced than the conventional public service, pre-competition and post-liberalisation stages typical of telecommunications. Also, in combination with bibliometric information, the results display the relationships between areas of research and methodologies, countries and authors’ background, all together providing a deeper understanding of the past, present and future avenues for research in telecommunications policy.     

Mexico's international telecommunications policy: Origins,the WTO dispute,and future challenges

Mexico is by far Latin America's largest trader and the country with the most free trade agreements. Notwithstanding the success of its trade policy, the liberalization of its telecommunications sector was limited and generated a dispute at the WTO. This article offers an overview of Mexico's trade policy, with special emphasis on its policy regarding trade in telecommunications services and the 2002–2004 Mexico–United States dispute over telecommunications at the WTO. The dispute is the first one over trade in telecommunications services at the WTO and has generated interest among many developed and developing countries.     

Politics and economics of telecom liberalization in India

The article describes the ideological background to the more than 40-year monopoly of the Department of Telecommunications over Indian telecommunications. It traces how the monopoly was eased between 1986 and 1991 and then how the government gave up its policy of central planning and control. It describes the adoption of the new National Telecom Policy (NTP) in 1994 and the difficulties of its implementation. In so doing, it highlights the lessons of demonopolization for other developing countries.     

Korean telecom policy in global competition: implications for developing countries

United States efforts to open the Korean telecommunications market have been incessant and tenacious, to the extent that Korea is the only country to be twice designated by the US as a priority foreign country (PFC). Through major restructuring driven by the Korean government, the telecommunications infrastructure of Korea has been strengthened and expanded, and in the process has posed a threat to the US telecommunications industry. Thus, since the late 1980s, the Korean telecommunications industry has been monitored and threatened with trade sanctions by the United States Trade Representative, and all internal restructuring has been closely related to bilateral negotiations with the US, and multilateral negotiations in the Uruguay Round. Based on interviews with key Korean telecommunications personnel and analyses of public documents, this research examines the Korean telecommunications market, telecommunications policies relative to the US and WTO, and the recent economic crisis that has affected the stability of the industry. The paper also offers five major recommendations to government and industry policymakers, including a more active and positive stance toward liberalisation, the relinquishing by bureaucrats of their monopolistic power over policymaking, the securing of an open and transparent policymaking process, and, in relations with the US, and the mobilisation of regional and multilateral organisations to ensure fair competition in telecommunications.