Free Markets and Rural Universal Service

Free Markets and Rural Universal Service

By Greg Rosston and Scott Wallsten

Published in The Hill on July 6, 2015

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai raised an important issue when he decried the incomprehensible state of our rural universal service funding in a speech and op-ed article in Nebraska. However, despite claiming that “The Internet is the greatest free-market innovation in history”… Pai eschews free-market principles in his proposal to modernize the rural universal service subsidy program to promote broadband Internet access.

Instead, he follows the chairman and decades of commissioners before him by going along with the tried, true and massive subsidy programs that have no known effect on subscription rates.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/246912-free-markets-and-rural-universal-service

The Technology Policy Institute

The Technology Policy Institute is a non-profit research and educational organization that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. More information is available at https://techpolicyinstitute.org/.

Website | + posts

Share This Article

View More Publications by

Recommended Reads

Is the Kessler Effect Overplayed in the EU Space Act?

Future of News Ratings and Media Trust with NewsGuard CEO Gordon Crovitz on Two Think Minimum

The TikTok Dilemma: Navigating the Intersection of National Security and Digital Speech 

Explore More Topics

Antitrust and Competition 194
Artificial Intelligence 49
Broadband 401
Content Moderation 15
Economics and Methods 42
Evidence-Based Policy 19
Free Speech 23
Intellectual Property 56
Miscellaneous 338
Privacy and Security 154
Regulation 30
Trade 3

Related Articles

TPI Aspen Discussion Recap: The Supreme Court in an Era of Political Polarization

TPI Aspen Discussion Recap: AI Finds the Flaws. Can We Fix Them Fast Enough?

Digital Crossroads, From Telecom to Big Tech. TPI Aspen Discussion Recap

Video Now Available: Shane Greenstein on Data Center Economics from TPI Aspen

TPI Aspen 2026 Videos Now Available

TPI Aspen Forum 2026: The Supreme Court in an Era of Political Polarization

TPI Aspen Forum 2026: Meeting AI’s Power Demand: Who Pays and Who Builds

TPI Aspen Forum 2026: Digital Crossroads, From Telecom to Big Tech

SIGN UP FOR UPDATES

"(Required)" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Secret Link