The Economics of Innovation in the Telecommunications Industry

The revolution in telecommunications technology and market structure has profoundly changed the information services infrastructure in the United States and in other industrialized nations. Deregulation of interstate telecommunications markets has occurred in response to technological advances, but local exchange markets are still subject to government regulation. This book describes the history of the effects of regulation and market structure on innovation in telecommunications, examines the economic implications of emerging telecommunications technologies and surveys the economic arguments for the deregulation of local exchange networks.

JOHN R. McNAMARA is Professor of Economics at Lehigh University. After service as a naval aviator and experience in defense contract management, he took up his career interest in managerial economics. He has published articles in a wide variety of scholarly journals, including Operations Research, Naval Research Logistics,Managerial and Decision Economics, Water Resources Research, and The Journal of Economics and Business. He has also conducted research projects for government agencies and corporations.