Economic experiments and neutrality in internet access
By: Shane Greenstein.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 13158.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 13158.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 53
Subjects: Internet -- History -- Economic aspects; Information technology -- History -- Economic aspects; Telecommunication policy -- Economic aspects
Description: "Economic experiments yield lessons to firms that can be acquired only through market experience. Economic experiments cannot take place in a laboratory; scientists, engineers, or marketing executives cannot distill equivalent lessons from simply building a prototype or interviewing potential customers and vendors. The historical record illustrates that economic experiments were important for value creation in Internet access markets. In general, industry-wide returns from economic experiments exceed private returns, with several important exceptions. Those conclusions motivate an inquiry into whether regulatory policy can play a role in fostering the creation of value. The net neutrality debate is reinterpreted through this lens. A three part test is proposed for encouraging economic experiments from both broadband carriers and providers of complementary services."--abstract.
Notes: "June 2007"

Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-53).

Also available in PDF from the NBER world wide web site (www.nber.org).