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Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Telecommunication Languages : en Pages : 46
Book Description
The Communications Act of 1934 created the Federal Communications Commission to regulate interstate and foreign common carriers and established the Nation's policy goal of making communications services available to all people of the United States (referred to as the Universal Service Mandate). The carriers have interpreted this mandate to mean that other telecommunications services should cross subsidize local telephone service. To achieve this, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and the independent telephone companies adopted specific pricing policies and methods of distributing common costs which they assert subsidize the cost of local service and, therefore, widen its availability. The carriers believe that the goal of universal service is in jeopardy and that competition threatens the subsidies to local service. This, in turn, threatens to raise the cost of local service, contrary to the Universal Service Mandate. However, studies conducted by FCC, the industry, and other experts cannot provide a definitive answer on exactly which subsidies exist, how large the subsidies are, and what competition's effect will be. Despite this controversy, industry observers and the carriers agree that the goal of universal service has been satisfied. While only about one-third of the Nation's households had telephone service at the time the act was passed in 1934, 95 percent have it today. Consequently, in evaluating future policy goals the Congress faces the issues of what amount of industry regulation is needed, what type of industry structure should be adopted (monopoly or competitive), and what domestic telecommunications policy goals the Nation should pursue.
Author: U S Government Accountability Office (G Publisher: BiblioGov ISBN: 9781289256852 Category : Languages : en Pages : 64
Book Description
The Communications Act of 1934 created the Federal Communications Commission to regulate interstate and foreign common carriers and established the Nation's policy goal of making communications services available to all people of the United States (referred to as the Universal Service Mandate). The carriers have interpreted this mandate to mean that other telecommunications services should cross subsidize local telephone service. To achieve this, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and the independent telephone companies adopted specific pricing policies and methods of distributing common costs which they assert subsidize the cost of local service and, therefore, widen its availability. The carriers believe that the goal of universal service is in jeopardy and that competition threatens the subsidies to local service. This, in turn, threatens to raise the cost of local service, contrary to the Universal Service Mandate. However, studies conducted by FCC, the industry, and other experts cannot provide a definitive answer on exactly which subsidies exist, how large the subsidies are, and what competition's effect will be. Despite this controversy, industry observers and the carriers agree that the goal of universal service has been satisfied. While only about one-third of the Nation's households had telephone service at the time the act was passed in 1934, 95 percent have it today. Consequently, in evaluating future policy goals the Congress faces the issues of what amount of industry regulation is needed, what type of industry structure should be adopted (monopoly or competitive), and what domestic telecommunications policy goals the Nation should pursue.
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Subcommittee on Communications Publisher: ISBN: Category : Telecommunication Languages : en Pages : 1248
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Subcommittee on Communications Publisher: ISBN: Category : Telecommunication Languages : en Pages : 576
Author: Ms.Thornton Matheson Publisher: International Monetary Fund ISBN: 1484324986 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 42
Book Description
Developing countries apply numerous sector-specific taxes to telecommunications, whose buoyant revenues and formal enterprises provide a convenient “tax handle”. This paper explores whether there is an economic rationale for sector-specific taxes on telecommunications and, if so, what form they should take to balance the competing goals of promoting connectivity and mobilizing revenues. A survey of the literature finds that limited telecoms competition likely creates rents that could efficiently be taxed. We propose a “pecking order” of sector-specific taxes that could be levied in addition to standard income and value-added taxes, based on capturing rents and minimizing distortions. Taxes that target possible economic rents or profits are preferable, but their administrative challenges may necessitate reliance on service excises at the cost of higher consumer prices and lower connectivity. Taxes on capital inputs and consumer access, which distort production and restrict network access, should be avoided; so should tax incentives, which are not needed to attract foreign capital to tap a local market.