Internet Access : Regulatory Levers for a Knowledge Economy

Internet access depends on four critical players: First, providers of telecommunications infrastructure (bandwidth capacity) for international access to the global Internet backbone. Second, providers of national long-distance telecommunications transmission capacity (such as leased lines) to connect Internet service providers (ISPs) with one another and with international connectivity nodes. Third, providers of local loop access (narrowband and analogue, such as traditional copper wire connections, or broadband and digital, such as digital subscriber lines [DSL], cable television modems, and fixed wireless service). Fourth, ISPs, which provide Internet services to customers using these layers of networks. Expanding Internet access requires cooperative behavior by these players, and regulators have a key role in ensuring such behavior. A regulatory strategy for doing so focuses on promoting the telecommunications infrastructure, enabling viable ISPs, ensuring efficient pricing, maintaining appropriate service quality, supporting diffusion in remote areas, and ensuring legal certainty for electronic transactions. Promoting the telecommunications Infrastructure - competition is key. So regulators should take a permissive approach to licensing multiple financially sound providers (owners and resellers) of telecommunications infrastructure for international connectivity, alternative national long distance networks, and local loop access. To ensure competition in the ISP market, regulators should require no formal licensing for ISPs; simple registration should suffice.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Mustafa, Mohammad A.
Format:	Viewpoint biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2003-03
Subjects:	INTERNET, TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE, CONNECTIVITY, BROADBAND, MODEMS, NETWORKS & TECHNOLOGIES, REMOTE ACCESS, BANDWIDTHS, ACCESS CHARGES, ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, BACKBONE, BACKBONES, BANDWIDTH, BANDWIDTH CAPACITY, BROADBAND NETWORK, BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS, CABLE MODEM, CABLE TELEVISION, CALLS, CAPABILITIES, COMMERCE, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNITIES, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPONENTS, CONSUMER RIGHTS, COPPER TELEPHONE LINES, COPYRIGHT, DELIVERY TIMES, DIGITAL, DIGITAL NETWORK, DIGITAL SIGNATURES, DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, DSL, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS, END USERS, EQUIPMENT, HIGH-BANDWIDTH, HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-SPEED ACCESS, INCUMBENT OPERATORS, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDERS, INNOVATIONS, INSTALLATION, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION, INTERNET ACCESS, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, INTERNET SERVICES, INTERNET TRAFFIC, ISDN, ISP, ISPS, KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, LEASED LINES, LICENSING, LOCAL CALLS, LOOPS, MULTIMEDIA, MULTIPLE SERVICE PROVIDERS, NETWORK ACCESS, NETWORK ACCESS POINTS, NETWORKS, ONLINE TRANSACTIONS, PEERING, POLICY SUPPORT, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, PROTECTION OF PRIVACY, REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, RESULT, SATELLITE, SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS, SERVICE QUALITY, SLA, SUBSCRIBER LINES, SWITCHING, TAXATION, TELECOM, TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, TELEPHONE, TRANSMISSION, UNIVERSAL ACCESS, WIRELESS, WIRELESS SERVICE INTERNET,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/03/16253105/internet-access-regulatory-levers-knowledge-economy http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11321
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