After the Breakup: U.S. Telecommunications in a More Competitive Era

by Robert W. Crandall

Overview

"The U.S. telecommunications industry has undergone dramatic changes in recent years that have touched almost every American home and business. The average American can dial almost anywhere in the world directly, store and forward a message, or transmit a fax in less than a minute; often for less than the real cost of a 500-mile telephone call tweny-five years ago. The combination of telecommunications breakthroughs, competition among new and old carriers, and the AT&T breakup has transformed the telephone industry and provided customers with a new array of equipment and services.

Robert W. Crandall examines the effects of the AT&T breakup and weighs the costs and benefits to the residential and business consumer. On balance, he finds that the efficiency gains from opening up the telephone industry have more than offset the possible efficiency losses, which may be caused by the sacrifice of economies of scale and scope or the absence of fully compatible equipment and services. The replacement of regulation with competition has led to greater productivity in the telephone industry, a more efficient rate structure, and lower equipment prices.

Crandall traces the telecommunications evolution from its early beginnings as pairs of copper wires up through the historic 1982 decision to divest. He investigates the impact of technological changes, competition, and the advent of divestiture on the quality of service, local and interexchange service rates, productive efficiency, and income distribution. He also focuses on problems that linger after the breakup in the increasingly competitive but highly regulated sector.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815716051
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/1991
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1600L (what's this?)

About the Author

"Robert W. Crandall is a senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution, where his research has focused on telecommunications and cable television regulation, industrial organization and policy, and the changing region"

Editorial Reviews

Analyzes the effects of the AT&T breakup on the telecommunications industry, noting the impact of federal price decisions on the number of subscribers, and the domestic and foreign competition in equipment and services. No bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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