Telecommunications Regulation and New Services: a Case Study at the State Level

The effects that regulation has on the innovation and the introduction of new telecommunications services have not been previously quantified in the literature. This study compares state-regulated services in Indiana under rate of return regulation (RoRR) and under alternative regulation. The econometric model comprises an count process (for innovation) followed by a duration process with selection (for regulatory delay). Moving away from RoRR increased the rate of service creation to three times the old rate. Expected approval delays nearly disappear. A prediction exercise indicates that the firm would have introduced 12 times as many services to consumers if the alternative regulation had been in place the entire time.