In a
just-released Perspectives,
Christopher Yoo, Professor of Law at the
University of Pennsylvania Law School and member of the Free State Foundation’s
Board of Academic Advisors, presented comprehensive data proving that the U.S.
still leads Europe in broadband progress.
Professor Yoo
reports that the U.S. led Europe in many broadband metrics in 2011 and 2012.
Areas where the U.S. is ahead include high-speed access to service, fiber and
LTE deployment, download speeds, and investment. Notably, Professor Yoo found
that much of the success in the U.S. broadband market is attributable to the
differing regulatory approaches applied in the U.S. versus Europe:
Europe has relied on
regulations that treat broadband as a public utility and focus on promoting
service-based competition, in which new entrants lease incumbents’ facilities
at wholesale cost (also known as unbundling). The U.S. has generally left
buildout, maintenance, and modernization of Internet infrastructure to private
companies and focused on promoting facilities-based competition, in which new
entrants are expected to construct their own networks. Regression analysis
indicates that the U.S. approach has proven more effective in promoting NGA
coverage than the European approach.
Free State
Foundation scholars have also analyzed the data, and have been focused on debunking
the negative rhetoric about U.S. broadband progress on the FSF
blog and in other Perspectives.
In order to remain a world leader in broadband build-out, speed,
and quality, it is clear that the U.S. must not impose new regulations, but instead should continue
to support innovation and growth by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers to
network development.
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