Are Broadband Markets Competitive Enough?

Broadband access spurs economic growth and enhances the quality of life, but for Americans to enjoy broadband services at the optimal combination of speed, access, and price, having a satisfactory level of competition will be essential. Some believe that broadband markets are already robustly competitive, others see them as monopolistic or at best oligopolistic and that American consumers suffer higher broadband costs and poorer service options from inadequate levels of competition.

ITIF explores this topic with a spirited debate between Jeff Eisenach, Chairman of Empiris LLC (and former founder and president of the Progress and Freedom Foundation); Ev Ehrlich, President of ESC Company (and former Clinton Administration Undersecretary of Commerce); and John Windhausen, President of Telepoly (and former president of the Association for Local Telecommunications Services). Eisenach and Ehrlich will argue that the current broadband market is competitive and will present two new papers, respectively, The Reality of Competition in the Broadband Market and U.S. Broadband Policies: A Market-Oriented Success Story. Windhausen will respond, arguing that the broadband market is not fully competitive.