Reverse auctions and universal telecommunications service: lessons from global experience.

(17.) See, e.g., CREMER ET AL., THEORY, supra note 16.

(18.) Id. at 7.

(19.) Id.

(20.) For a more complete discussion of this issue, and the points this Author makes regarding it, see CREMER ET AL., PRACTICE, supra note 16, and CREMER ET AL., THEORY, supra note 16.

(21.) Jerry Hausman, Efficiency Effects on the U.S. Economy from Wireless Taxation, 53 NAT'L TAX J. 733,735 (2000).

(22.) Notice of Ex Parte Communication of Mercatus Center, Comprehensive Review of the Universal Service Fund Management, Administration, and Oversight, FCC WC Docket No. 05-195 (rel. Jan. 26, 2006), available at http://www.mercatus.org/uploadedFiles/Mercatus/Publications/ MC_RSP_ExPartePIC2006_02FCCPerflVieasures_060126.pdf.

(23.) Rosston & Wimmer, supra note 3, at 272.

(24.) See id. at 276-79.

(25.) See generally, Alfred Kahn, Telecom Deregulation: The Abonimable TELRIC-BS, Address Before the Manhattan Institute (Oct. 1, 2001) (transcript available at http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/kahn.htm) (weighing the merits of different methods of cost calculation).

(26.) DEP'T OF COMM., INFO. TECH. & THE ARTS, REVIEW OF THE OPERATION OF THE UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE GUARANTEE [section] 6.2 (2004) (Australia) [hereinafter DCITA REVIEW], available at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0005/10103/Review of the Operation of the Universal_Service_Obligation and CustomerService_Guarantee.pdf.

(27.) See id. at [section] 6.5.

(28.) See id

(29.) See id. at [section] 6.2.3.

(30.) See id. at [section] 6.6.

(31.) This agency is now called the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

(32.) See DCITA REVIEW, supra note 26, at [section] 6.6.

(33.) See id. at [section] 6.9.1.

(34.) See id. at [section] 6.9.1.

(35.) See id. at [section] 6.10.

(36.) See id. at [section][section] 6.9.2,6.10.

(37.) See id. at [section]6.2.

(38.) See id. at [section] 6.6.

(39.) See id.

(40.) See id. at 60 fig.6.1.

(41.) See Bjorn Wellenius, Closing the Gap in Access to Rural Communications: Chile 1995-2002 5 (World Bank Discussion Paper No. 430, 2002), available at http://rru.worldbank.org/Documents/Paperslinks/1222.pdf.

(42.) See id. at 6.

(43.) See id.

(44.) See id. at 17.

(45.) See id.

(46.) See id.

(47.) See id.

(48.) Intelecon, Rural Telphony Market--Still Small But Growing Fast, http://www.inteleconresearch.com/pages/reports_06.html (last visited Jan. 30, 2009).

(49.) See Wellenius, supra note 41, at 18.

(50.) See infra, fig.4; see also Wellenius, supra note 41, at 18 tbl.8.

(51.) Wellenius, supra note 41, at 18.

(52.) See id. at 10-11.

(53.) See id. at 18 tbl.8.

(54.) See Siddhartha Raja, Funding Universal Service: A Case for Subsidy Auctions 16 (2003) (unpublished paper, on file with Stanford Univ. Dep't of Mgmt. & Eng'g), available at http://www.geocities.com/sidheartraja/documents/Paper-FINAL.pdf.

(55.) INTELECON RESEARCH & CONSULTANCY LTD., UNIVERSAL ACCESS FUNDS 14 (2006), available at http://www.inteleconresearch.com/pages/documents/UAFunds2007update'pdf'

(56.) See id.

(57.) See DYMOND & OESTMANN, supra note 14, at 3.

(58.) See Raja, supra note 54, at 16.

(59.) Id.

(60.) Id. at 16-17.

(61.) See INTELECON, UNIVERSAL ACCESS FUNDS, supra note 55, at 17.

(62.) See Raja, supra note 54, at 17; see also Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., Annual Report (Form 20-F) (Mar. 6, 2003).

(63.) See INTELECON, UNIVERSAL ACCESS FUNDS, supra note 55, at 14.

(64.) Null & Wallsten, Universal Telecommunications Service in India, supra note 14, at 255-69. This section draws heavily from joint research with Roger Null with some changes and additions and is used with permission of the author. Copyright is jointly held by Scott Wallsten, Roger Null, NCAER and the Brookings Institution. Any opinions expressed in this Article are intended to reflect Wallsten's opinions only.

(65.) Data derived from id. at 268.

(66.) See, e.g., At Your Service; Telecoms in the Developing World, ECONOMIST, Mar. 31, 2007 at 75.

(67.) See, e.g., Letter from T.V. Ramachandran, Dir. Gen., Cellular Operators Ass'n of India, to Shri Pradip Baijal, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Auth. of India (June 4, 2003), available at http://www.coai.in/docs/adc-letter-TRAI.pdf.

(68.) BSNL Bags 80% of Rs 2,500-Crore Rural Mobile Telephony Project, HINDU, Mar. 28, 2007 [hereinafter BSNL Bags Project], available at http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/006200703280310.htm; Thomas K. Thomas, RCom, BSNL Bag Bulk of Rural Cellular Project, HINDU Bus. LINE, Apr. 13, 2007, available at http://www.blonnet.com/2007/04/13/stories/2007041305150100.htm.

(69.) See BSNL Bags Project, supra note 68.

(70.) Id.

(71.) Id.

(72.) At Your Service, supra note 66, at 75.

(73.) Id.

(74.) INTVEN, SEPULVEDA & HOWARD, supra note 14.

(75.) Id.

(76.) Id.

(77.) Id.

(78.) Id.

(79.) Id.

(80.) Id.

(81.) Id.

(82.) STM, The DVB-RCS VSAT Leader--STM in Nepal, http://www.stmi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=277 (last visited Jan. 30, 2009).

(83.) Jorge M. Bossio, Universal Access Funds in Latin America, Presentation for UNCTAD Expert Meeting, at slide 28 (Nov. 14-16, 2006) (slides available at www.unctad.org/sections/wcmu/docs/clem30p026_en.pdf).

(84.) Id. at slide 26.

(85.) Geoffrey Cannock, Telecom Subsidies: Output-Based Contracts for Rural Service in Peru, VIEWPOINT (World Bank), June 2001, at 2.

(86.) Id.

(87.) Harsha de Silva, What Regulators Can Do To Facilitate Universal Service: Universal Service Funds and Least-Cost Subsidy Auctions, Presentation given in Singapore, at slides 6, 10 (Feb. 27, 2007) (slides available at http://www.limeasia.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/02/ Malik%20de%20Silva%20Sept%202005%20final.pdf).

(88.) See Raja, supra note 54.

(89.) Scott Wallsten, An Econometric Analysis of Telecom Competition, Privatization, and Regulation in Africa and Latin America, 49 J. OF INDUS. ECON. 1, 5 (2001).

(90.) PAYAL MALIK & HARSHA DE SILVA, DIVERSIFYING NETWORK PARTICIPATION: STUDY OF INDIA'S UNIVERSAL SERVICE INSTRUMENTS (2005) at 23.

(91.) See de Silva, supra note 87, at slide 17.

(92.) DALE E. LEHMAN, THE USE OF REVERSE AUCTIONS FOR PROVISION OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE app. A, 20, submitted with Nat'l Telecomm. Coop. Ass'n Initial Comments, Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service Seeks Comment on the Merits of Using Auctions to Determine High-Cost Universal Service Support, FCC WC Docket No. 05-337 (rel. Oct. 10, 2006).

Scott Wallsten, April 2008, Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Institute. scott@wallsten.net. I thank Stephanie Hausladen for excellent research assistance. All mistakes are my own. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any of the organizations with which I am affiliated.

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