Universal service and public access in the networked society

doi:10.1016/S0308-5961(97)00050-5

Telecommunications Policy

Volume 21, Issues 9–10, November–December 1997, Pages 829-843

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-5961(97)00050-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

Concern about access to the new services and facilities emerging from the technologically dynamic telecommunications industry and its ‘convergence’ with broadcasting and information technology has resulted in calls for a reconsideration of the nature and scope of Universal Service Obligations (USOs) so that they are more adequate and relevant in an era of technological acceleration towards a networked information society. This paper assesses approaches to upgrading USOs and to developing policies for public access to the networked society undertaken thus far in various OECD countries, and proposes frameworks for conducting the tasks in a systematic manner.

References (26)

C Blackman
Universal service—obligation or opportunity?
Telecommunications Policy
(1995)
BM Compaine et al.
Universal access to online services: an examination of the issue
Telecommunications Policy
(1997)
EM Noam
Beyond liberalization III: Reforming universal service
Telecommunications Policy
(1996)
Australian Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics
Federal—State Joint Board on Universal Service
Recommended Decision
(7 November 1996)
Canadian Government
Building the Information Society: Moving Canada into the 21st Century
(1996)
OFTEL
Universal Telecommunications Services: A Consultative Document on Universal Service in the UK from 1997
(1995)
BT
Universal Telecommunications Services in the UK from 1997
(1996)
Australian Department of Communications and the Arts op cit December...

Universal Telecommunications Services in the UK from 1997

(1996)

Australian Department of Communications and the Arts, December...

Cited by (15)

Juggling ecumenical wisdoms and xenophobic institutions: Framing and modelling China's telecommunications universal service and rural digitalization initiatives and policies
2022, Telecommunications Policy
Citation Excerpt :
Today, Chinese villagers are supposed to have access to a national information service platform called Benefiting-famers Info Shop (yi nong xin xi she), which effectively upgraded the previous Information Service Station (ISS) (xin xi fu wu zhan).1 If looking through the lens of public policy, the provision of telecommunications universal service is driven primarily by sociopolitical objectives that target equality and development (Blackman, 1995; Milne, 1998; Noam, 1994; Xavier, 1997). In reality, certain demographic segments, occasionally people living in rural areas, are deprived of basic ICT infrastructures such as telephone and Internet access, due to various socioeconomic and technological barriers (Hudson, 1984, 2006; Moghaddam & Khatoon-Abadi, 2013; Srinuan, Srinuan, & Bohlin, 2012; Xia, 2016a, 2016b).
China historically belongs to a farming civilization, in which rural population tended to stick to their farmlands for a lifetime. This situation has somehow been changing with, inter alia, the advancement and application of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In recent years, China has been pushing for the inclusion of its rural communities into modern information society through aggressively digitalizing its rural areas under a public policy umbrella. With the literature's lopsided focus on Western nations, a cohesive paradigm in mapping the Chinese style of universal service implementation remains elusive, a situation that has often obfuscated deeper understanding of the Chinese case from a socioeconomic, technological, or institutional perspective. The main purpose of this present paper lies in the framing and modelling of China's universal service and rural digitalization practices. The paper proposes and applies an integrated offer–agent–target (OAT) framework in a retrospective and empirical examination of the Chinese case and conceptual characterization of what has appeared to be the Chinese model. In so doing, China's universal service development is demarcated into discernible stages that are then pattern-matched with corresponding institutional landscapes. Three salient stages are identified and corresponding institutional landscapes explicated. Finally, insights and suggestions are offered that throws lights on the current issues and future developments.
Impediments to the implementation of universal service funds in Africa – A cross-country comparative analysis
2017, Telecommunications Policy
Citation Excerpt :
For universal service to achieve its goal of mobile services for everyone in a given country, these five principles should more or less be equally present. Unlike the paucity of studies on universal service in Africa, an extensive literature exists in relation to developed countries (see, for example, Batura, 2014, 2015, 2016, pp. 11–61; Blackman, 1995; Clarke & Wallsten, 2002; Dordick, 1990; Feijoo et al., 2007; Feijoo & Milne, 2008; Hasbi, 2015; Hatta, 2008; Longstaff, 1996; Wirzenius, 2008; Xavier, 1997, 2008). Overall, these studies underline the fact that universal service forms a critical part of a liberalised telecommunications market as countries such as the USA are using it to mitigate the problem of the digital divide between locations that are commercially attractive and those that are not (Longstaff, 1996; Simon, 2008).
The liberalisation of the telecommunications sector has undoubtedly contributed to the spread and adoption of mobile telephony across Africa but evidence also points to the fact that coverage gaps persist in some locations - mainly rural and remote areas - which are either unserved or underserved.
In order to address this problem, governments across Africa have established universal service funds (USF) as their universal service strategy. Nonetheless, various studies have suggested that the problem of limited coverage remains unaddressed due, in part, to the poor implementation of USF. This raises the question as to why USF have failed to address the limited coverage of telecommunication services in Africa?
We seek to answer this question by investigating the interplay between market liberalisation and universal service using a multiple case study approach with examples drawn from across the continent. We find that poor policy formulation limits the implementation of an effective USF model in Africa. In addition, inadequate stakeholder engagement, lack of accountability, inaccurate data, undue political influence and the narrow scope of universal service all impinge on the ability of USF to achieve their objectives. We, therefore, propose the need for future research to address these challenges and develop our framework to unravel some of the intractable areas of universal service such as determining what services should fall within the scope of universal service and how to prevent policy redundancy in a fast moving industry such as mobile telecommunications.
Stages of universal service policy
1998, Telecommunications Policy
Others have drawn attention to the different ways the term ‘universal service’ is interpreted in different countries and at different times. This article offers a single unifying framework. All interpretations are seen as variations on the theme of ‘fulfilling basic telecoms needs’, with the differences mainly reflecting the state of a country’s network development. Five main stages of development are identified, and the importance of consumer research in the later stages is stressed. Difficulties in determining policy are linked with transitions from one stage to the next.
Regulatory reform of telecommunications in Switzerland
1998, Telecommunications Policy
National policies towards the regulation of the telecommunications industry have undergone significant change in response to technological progress and increasing competition. This article discusses the consecutive revisions of the Swiss regulatory framework during the 1990’s and presents lessons to be drawn from this process. After reviewing the Telecommunications Act (Fernmeldegesetz; FMG) 1992 and the reasons for its revision, this article presents the most important prescriptions of the FMG 98 concerning the licence regime, universal service, and interconnection. The implementation of the FMG 98 has led to a fundamental change in regulatory policy. However, transitional rules appear to promote excessively slow adjustments in the current industry configuration.
Universal service in WTO and EU law: Liberalisation and social regulation in telecommunications
2016, Universal Service in WTO and EU Law: Liberalisation and Social Regulation in Telecommunications
Anti-anti regulation: The supplanting of industry regulators with competition agencies and how antitrust suffers as a result
2015, Competition Law as Regulation

View all citing articles on Scopus

¹: The author is grateful to Dimitri Ypsilanti, head of the OECD's telecommunications policy section, for helpful suggestions and comments relating to the preparation of this paper.

View full text

PaperUniversal service and public access in the networked society

Abstract

Telecommunications Policy

Telecommunications Policy

Telecommunications Policy

Recommended Decision

Building the Information Society: Moving Canada into the 21st Century

Universal Telecommunications Services: A Consultative Document on Universal Service in the UK from 1997

Universal Telecommunications Services in the UK from 1997

Universal Telecommunications Services in the UK from 1997

Paper
Universal service and public access in the networked society