Adapting telecom regulation to industry change: promoting development without compromising ratepayer protection

The authors consider the role of regulation in the changing telecommunication industry. They first examine how regulation has functioned in the past and consider the role it has served up to now in the development of the industry. They then discuss industry proposals for regulatory reform and recent industry changes that make reform necessary. They explore the form that appropriate regulation might take in an evolving industry, with particular attention to pricing and its relation to costs, allocating costs for unregulated services, oversight of new services, and reducing the regulatory burden without abandoning regulatory protection.<>