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Restructuring the US telecommunications industry - Impact on innovationThe Communications Act of 1934, which regulates the United States telecommunications industry, is becoming less able to deal with the changes brought by modern technology. Therefore, proposals are being made to restructure the industry. Breaking up AT&T into smaller firms would have only minor effects, since its ratio of R and D to sales has been near the median for large telephone companies. Restructuring AT&T into subsidiaries dealing at arms' length might cause a reordering of priorities toward more directly marketable and useful products, but too extensive a break-up could endanger Bell Labs' commitment to basic research. Regulation leads a firm to ignore true social value of possible products, expand into low profit markets, and favor capital-intensive over labor-intensive innovation. If regulatory lag occurs, a firm will produce cost-reducing innovation in order to increase its profit.
Document ID
19820043064
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Agnew, C. E.
(Stanford University Stanford, CA, United States)
Romeo, A. A.
(Connecticut, University Storrs, CT, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1981
Publication Information
Publication: Telecommunications Policy
Subject Category
Law, Political Science And Space Policy
Accession Number
82A26599
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: OTA-933-3810-0
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASW-3204
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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