 |
As the worldwide telecommunications market flounders amid unprecedented losses, issues that went unnoticed in the days of the high-flying dot-coms and abundant venture capital are now taking center stage. One such issue is that of telecommunications regulation.
The rapid adoption of the Internet coupled with “deregulatory” legislation/regulation (such as the U.S. Telecommunications Act of 1996) created a plethora of venture capital investment and optimism. However, everything came to a crashing halt as business models without substance and competitors that entered the infrastructure market with naïveté bolstered by the Act failed one by one. Public policy makers and industry leaders worldwide are now struggling to create a regulatory environment that balances the need to protect consumers from abuse of market power by incumbents with incentives for competition, innovation and investment. Unfortunately, very few examples of telecommunications regulation have achieved this balance. In addition, as industries such as media and IT continue to converge — or perhaps collide — with communications, the balancing act will become more precarious. Read more
spotlight.feedback@gartner.com
|
Part 1
Kathie Hackler
The United States has a long history of telecom regulation. Can it lead the way for future worldwide regulatory models for wireless and wireline services? |
|
Part 2
Kathie Hackler
Change is afoot for segments of the IT industry, such as equipment manufacturers and media owners who have been content to watch from the wings as telecom companies were heavily regulated. |
|
Part 3
Kathie Hackler
As technology blurs traditional industry boundaries, the convergence of public policy issues and regulatory objectives must be addressed. Who should take on this task?
|
|
|
|
