If one were to believe the politicians and pundits in the trade press,the world is in midst of a “telecoms revolution,” resulting from (the) deregulation and new competitive opportunities represented by the 1997 World Trade Organisation Agreement on Basic Telecommunications Services. This may be true. Unfortunately, however, the actions of many regulators and industry participants more accurately reveal not a telecoms “revolution” but instead a growing telecoms trade war that is dangerously close to spiralling out of hand. In this book, Naftel and Spiwak review U.S. and European competition and regulatory initiatives post-WTO and provide both a useful roadmap to today's U.S., EU and WTO telecoms regulation and an examination of various case studies to illustrate their points. In so doing, the authors discover unfortunately the sad reality that, despite the political rhetoric, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have eschewed innovative and indeed productive solutions to create a market structure conducive to long-term competitive rivalry. Instead, the authors demonstrate that current policies reveal a growing cynicism towards the maximisation of consumer welfare that will be difficult - if not outright impossible- to remove.

The authors consider whether any special circumstances justify departure from free trade in telecommunications equipment.

This volume, which grew out of a study conducted by the East-West Center, analyzes the friction in telecommunications trade between the United States and Japan and the consequent imposition of the Super 301 clause on Japan. Giving both the U.S. and Japanese viewpoints, the book discusses trade in telecommunications and the events that led to the Super 301 clause and the Strategic Impediments Initiative. It also provides an in-depth analysis of GATT issues and what may be expected from the current Uruguay Round. Telecommunications deregulation and privatization in both countries are carefully assessed as are the social, policial, and cultural implications of the trade conflict, which led to President Bush's recent visit to Japan. The first book to focus specifically on trade in communications equipment between the United States and Japan, the volume fills a critical gap in the literature.

A history of the telecommunications industry in the U S from the Bell System monopoly up to today's high tech alternatives. We also get a glimpse of the future, when the greatest war of them all will take place.

Ten years ago, the United States stood at the forefront of the Internet revolution. With some of the fastest speeds and lowest prices in the world for high-speed Internet access, the nation was poised to be the global leader in the new knowledge-based economy. Today that global competitive advantage has all but vanished because of a series of government decisions and resulting monopolies that have allowed dozens of countries, including Japan and South Korea, to pass us in both speed and price of broadband. This steady slide backward not only deprives consumers of vital services needed in a competitive employment and business market—it also threatens the economic future of the nation. This important book by leading telecommunications policy expert Susan Crawford explores why Americans are now paying much more but getting much less when it comes to high-speed Internet access. Using the 2011 merger between Comcast and NBC Universal as a lens, Crawford examines how we have created the biggest monopoly since the breakup of Standard Oil a century ago. In the clearest terms, this book explores how telecommunications monopolies have affected the daily lives of consumers and America's global economic standing.