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14 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 721 (1999)
The Speed Gap: Broadband Infrastructure and Electronic Commerce

handle is hein.journals/berktech14 and id is 729 raw text is: ELECTRONIC COMMERCE SYMPOSIUM THE SPEED GAP: BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE By Howard A. Shelanskit ABSTRACT Although high-speed, broadband telecommunications services are not yet widespread outside of urban and commercial areas, they are starting to reach an increasing range of residential customers. Greater availability of high-speed communications links is likely to increase the growth of electronic commerce and other Internet applications, to the benefit of consumers and online businesses alike. Regulation of ad- vanced services may, however, affect the speed of residential broadband deployment and the prices for such services in the short run. This essay discusses some important legal constraints underlying current regulatory proceedings and the impact those constraints may have on the spread of affordable broadband services. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. AN OVERVIEW OF BROADBAND AVAILABILITY TO CONSUMERS ............................ 722 A. Current Deployment of Advanced Network Capability ................................. 723 B. Broadband Options in the Last M ile. ......................................................... 724 1. Telephone Network Solutions: ISDN and DSL .................................. 725 2. Cable Network Solution: Cable Modems ........................... 727 3. W ireless and Satellite Solutions ............................................................. 728 4. Where the Residential Market Is-and Where It Needs To Be ............... 729 11. THE IMPORTANCE OF BROADBAND CONNECTIONS FOR E-COMMERCE ................... 731 A. The Consumers' Perspective: Lowering Search Costs .................................. 731 B. The Sellers' Perspective: Reducing Barriers to Entry .................................... 732 C. The Advantages of Broadband and the Challenge for Telecommunications.735 III. REGULATION OF BROADBAND SERVICES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR E-COMMERCE...736 A. Background of the Advanced Services Proceedings ...................................... 736 © 1999 Howard A. Shelanski. f Acting Professor, University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (on leave 1998-1999); Senior Economist, Council of Economic Advisors. I am grateful to Bert Huang, the editors at the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, and to participants in the conference on the Legal and Policy Framework for Global Electronic Commerce, March 5-6, 1999 at the University of California at Berkeley. The views expressed in this essay are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the Council of Economic Advis- ers or any other government agency.

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