The environmental impact of Internet regulation

Jean-Christophe Poudou and Wilfried Sand-Zantman

Information Economics and Policy, 2023, vol. 65, issue C

Abstract: We address the need to regulate Internet infrastructure usage to take into account environmental externalities. We model the interactions between an internet service provider and some content providers in settings where the former chooses the network size and the latter influence congestion on the network. We then discuss how different regulatory frameworks (Net Neutrality, Laissez-Faire, Price Regulation) impact both the economic efficiency and the environmental performance. In particular, we highlight that inducing more efficiency effort from the content providers may either improve or worsen the final environmental outcome, and provide some conditions for one case or the other to prevail.

Keywords: Carbon emission; Environmental externalities; Investment; Net neutrality; Regulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D4 L1 L51 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The environmental impact of Internet regulation (2023)
Working Paper: The Environmental Impact of Internet Regulation (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:iepoli:v:65:y:2023:i:c:s0167624523000458

DOI: 10.1016/j.infoecopol.2023.101060

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