Did Computer Technology Diffuse Quickly?: Best and Average Practice in Mainframe Computers, 1968-1983

An economy benefits from advances in technical frontiers only when new technology comes into general use. This paper measures the diffusion of computing equipment at a time when computing technology underwent dramatic technical improvement. These data shed light on the long lag between advances in computing technology and advances in economic performance of users. There is little evidence that long lags were produced by the 'slow diffusion' of new technology embodied in new hardware. 'Average practice' in computing advanced as rapidly as 'best practice,' lagging it by a maximum of 6 to 7 years.

Estimating the Welfare Effects of Digital Infrastructure

While much economic policy presumes that more information infrastructure yields higher economic returns, little empirical work measures the magnitudes of these returns. We examine investment by local exchange telephone companies in fiber optic cable, ISDN lines and signal seven software, infrastructure which plays an essential role in bringing digital technology to local telephone networks. We estimate the elasticity of the derived demand for infrastructure investment faced by local exchange companies, controlling for factors such as local economic activity and the political disposition of state regulators. Our model postulates a regulated profit maximizing local exchange firm and a regulatory agency with predetermined political leanings in favor of consumer prices or firm profits. The model accounts for variation in state regulation and local economic conditions. In all our estimates we find that consumer demand is sensitive to investment in modern infrastructure, particularly as represented by fiber optic cable. Our estimates imply that infrastructure investment is responsible for a substantial fraction of the recent growth in consumer surplus and business revenue in local telecommunication services.

Did installed base give an incumbent (measureable) advantages in federal computer procurement / 1718

Includes bibliographical references

Coordination costs and standard setting: Lessons from 56K modems

The authors offer a detailed analysis of the coordination costs behind the standardization of 56K modems. They focus primarily on market events and standard-setting activities during early deployment. They argue that the canonical model for a standards war is misleading in the case of 56K. They present alternative questions than the model's and examine different views on how market events during deployment influenced negotiations within the International Telecommunications Union and vice versa

Understanding why universal service obligations may be unnecessary: The private development of local internet access markets

This study analyzes the geographic spread of commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the leading suppliers of Internet access. The geographic spread of ISPs is a key consideration in U.S. policy for universal access. We examine the Fall of 1998, a time of minimal government subsidy, when inexpensive access was synonymous with a local telephone call to an ISP. Population size and location in a metropolitan statistical area were the single most important determinants of entry, but their effects on national, regional and local firms differed, especially on the margin. The thresholds for entry were remarkably low for local firms. Universal service in less densely-populated areas was largely a function of investment decisions by ISPs with local focus. There was little trace of the early imprint of government subsidies for Internet access at major U.S. universities

Differentiation Strategy and Market Deregulation: Local Telecommunication Entry in the Late 1990s

The authors examine the role of differentiation strategies for entry behavior in markets for local telecommunication services in the late 1990s. Whereas the prior literature has used models of interaction among homogenous firms, this research is motivated by the claim of entrants that they differ substantially in their product offerings and business strategies. Exploiting a new, detailed data set of Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) entry into over 700 U.S. cities, the authors take advantage of recent developments in the analysis of entry and competition among differentiated firms. They test and reject the null hypothesis of homogeneous competitors. They also find strong evidence that CLECs account for both potential market demand and the business strategies of competitors when making their entry decisions. This suggests that firms' incentives to differentiate their services should shape the policy debate for competitive local telecommunications

How did Location Affect Adoption of the Commercial Internet? Global Village, Urban Density and Industry Composition

The authors test opposing theories on how urban locations influenced the diffusion of Internet technology. They find evidence that, controlling for industry, participation in the Internet is more likely in rural areas than in urban areas. Nevertheless, talk of the dissolution of cities is premature. Frontier Internet technologies appear more often at establishments in urban areas, even with industry controls. Major urban areas also contain many establishments from information technology-intensive industries, whose presence could reinforce the concentration of frontier Internet technologies in these areas. However, information technology-intensive industries are numerous and widespread. Hence, so is the use of frontier technology

The Economic Geography of Internet Infrastructure in the United States

In this review article I place industrial economics at the center of the explanation for the geographic properties of Internet infrastructure, applying this established mode of analysis to the unique cost structures and demand characteristics of these markets. I begin with an overview of the origins of the Internet and why the economic geography of Internet infrastructure was unclear prior to commercialization. The next sections analyze four overlapping markets of Internet infrastructure: dial-up service, backbone, broadband, and business provision of Internet infrastructure services. The concluding section summarizes the answers to several key questions motivating this broad research area