Author Description

Product Description Networks in Telecommunications addresses fundamental issues in discussions of regulatory policy by offering an integrated framework for understanding the economics and law of networks. It extends theories on network design associated with the mathematics of graph theory, which provides insights into the complex, systemic interrelationship between network components. It also applies the principles of transaction cost economics to analyze decisions about the appropriate boundaries of proprietary network architecture. The book introduces network theory to the study of the economics and law of telecommunications. The discussion opens up the black box of the cost function in telecommunications. The analysis also goes beyond the "network externalities" approach that focuses primarily on the size of networks. The book highlights the effects of network architecture and the tradeoffs inherent in network design Review "Setting the terms and conditions at which competitors gain access to another firm's network is today's key regulatory issue in many sectors. The authors' technically innovative approach and their deep grasp of market economics present a major challenge to current thinking, which has to be confronted." - Martin Cave, Director, Centre for Management under Regulation, University of Warwick "Spulber and Yoo have made a signal contribution to the burgeoning literature on network industries. Their ability to carry the analysis forward from the fundamentals of graph theory to the complex legal issues that surround the development of modern communications law offers a soup-to-nuts treatment of immense value to economists, lawyers, and policy makers of all stripes. By showing the extensive role of markets in these complex environments, Spulber and Yoo may help reverse the creeping trend toward overregulation captured in such misleading phrases as network neutrality." - Richard Epstein, James Parker H