For Immediate Release: December 6, 2002

San Francisco, CA — Broadband, or high-speed internet access, has the potential to transform the daily lives of Americans but regulatory paralysis and political roadblocks stifle the rollout of new broadband services, according to the book Telecrisis: How Regulation Stifles High-Speed Internet Access. Telecrisis was released today at a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., cosponsored by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) and Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF).

“Heavy-handed regulations have unintended and detrimental consequences for consumers and providers alike,” said Telecrisis editor Sonia Arrison, director of PRI’s Center for Technology Studies.

“Silicon Valley has long been clamoring for the increased rollout of broadband, but the issue affects the entire nation,” Arrison said. “Rural consumers wonder why they are unable to get broadband while city dwellers question why the service is so expensive.”

In Telecrisis, Adam Thierer of the Cato Institute argues that “In today’s telecom newspeak, competing is sharing, deregulation is re-regulation, open access is forced access, and voluntary is mandatory.” He exposes the myriad of rules for providers to navigate and points out the unintended consequences of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Randy May of the Progress and Freedom Foundation examines the state and local regulations that have a detrimental effect on the rollout of broadband services. He offers 10 ways to evaluate whether a state is competitive.

Former FCC chief economist and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Thomas Hazlett discusses the current problems with the allocation of spectrum. He shows how government policies have become anti-consumer, and how incumbent players use regulations to block new competitors.

Technology consultant Edward Hearst shows how a regulatory quagmire held back cellular telephony for 10 years. The result, he writes, was “a significant loss of growth for the U.S. economy and of services for our consumers.”

Telecrisis urges policymakers to learn from past regulatory blunders, so as not to repeat them.

“These detailed, carefully reasoned chapters cover the major issues of broadband and answer key questions for consumers,” said Sonia Arrison.

“Telecrisis equips legislators to avoid the pitfalls of excessive regulation and craft progressive policies that better serve consumers, enhance the economy, and keep the nation at pace with Internet technology,” Arrison said.

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About PRI
For more than two decades, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) has championed individual liberty through free markets. PRI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the principles of limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility.