A Genetic Programming Approach to Network Management Regulation

Although next-generation information network infrastructure is prerequisite for continued economic growth, the United States is falling behind in this area relative to many other countries. Businesses and regulators have grown concerned that the U.S. lacks the correct regulatory and business incentives to upgrade its network. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of this problem, traditional analytic tools have proven inadequate. This paper discusses a Genetic Programming (GP) approach to the problem. Although only a first step towards addressing the problem, the GP discovered several interesting results stemming from the complex interactions. For example, telecommunications companies would actually be hurt by the option to charge discriminatory prices but application providers would benefit.