Comparing welfare for spectrum property and spectrum commons governance regimes

Carol Ting, Steven S. Wildman and Johannes M. Bauer

Telecommunications Policy, vol. 29, issue 9-10, 711-730

Abstract: The rapid growth of wireless communications has spurred a spirited debate over the advantages and disadvantages of alternative spectrum governance regimes. Of central concern are the merits of establishing full property rights in spectrum compared to organizing spectrum as an open commons. So far, this discussion has largely proceeded without a unifying framework within which claims and counterclaims can be assessed more systematically. The present study is a first step toward filling this gap. It introduces a theoretical framework and modeling approach that permits evaluation of the welfare consequences of choices regarding spectrum governance regimes and the related engineering properties of wireless devices. Using this approach, a simulation exercise with specific numerical values for demand and cost parameters was conducted, allowing a first comparative assessment of prototypes of spectrum governance regimes. Within the static modeling framework, the optimal spectrum policy regime depends on the quality of information available to governments. Commons regimes are more likely to outperform spectrum property regimes the less well informed are government agents.

Keywords: Spectrum; management; regimes; Welfare; effects; Spectrum; property; Spectrum; commons (search for similar items in EconPapers)
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596105000583
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:telpol:v:29:y::i:9-10:p:711-730

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30471/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... /30471/bibliographic

Access Statistics for this article

Telecommunications Policy is currently edited by Erik Bohlin

More articles in Telecommunications Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().