Subject: RE: VoIP regulation... Japan versus USA approaches (RE: Masataka Ohta, Simon)

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 21:10:17 +0200

> you mean that current telecoms regulations are passed their 
> sell by date anyway and serve as trade protectionism for a fast reducing 
> minority of vested interests?
> 
> Christian
> 

No, on the contrary. For example, if it hadn't been for proactive regulatory

intervention in local loop unbundling in Korea and Japan and many other
regulatory measures, there wouldn't be such a dynamic broadband market 
in those countries nor would one see so much growth in VOIP services. 
You can thank the regulators and policy makers in those countries for 
stimulating growth and bringing lots of benefits to users... 

Bob

---

From: Randy Bush <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 12:26:40 -0700

> No, on the contrary. For example, if it hadn't been for proactive
> regulatory intervention in local loop unbundling in Korea and
> Japan and many other regulatory measures, there wouldn't be such
> a dynamic broadband market in those countries nor would one see
> so much growth in VOIP services.  You can thank the regulators
> and policy makers in those countries for stimulating growth and
> bringing lots of benefits to users...

and there are many sad but significant national examples where the
regulators and governments do the opposite.

    There were in this country two very large monopolies.  The
    larger of the two had the following record: the Vietnam War,
    Watergate, double-digit inflation, fuel and energy shortages,
    bankrupt airlines, and the 8-cent postcard.  The second was
    responsible for such things as the transistor, the solar cell,
    lasers, synthetic crystals, high fidelity stereo recording,
    sound motion pictures, radio astronomy, negative feedback,
    magnetic tape, magnetic "bubbles", electronic switching
    systems, microwave radio and TV relay systems, information
    theory, the first electrical digital computer, and the first
    communications satellite.  Guess which one got to tell the
    other how to run the telephone business?  -- anon

randy