IP: a PU perspective -- Europe's Internet Lag: An American Fabrication?

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 09:41:19 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Eszter Hargittai <eszter () phoenix Princeton EDU>
> To: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
> Subject: Re: IP: Europe's Internet Lag: An American Fabrication?
>
> Hi,
>
> The article's title is intriguing but says little to prove that the lag is
> a fabrication. In fact, most examples cited just prove that there really
> is less action in Europe and there is little to convince the reader that
> this is about to change.
>
> > It may be more a matter of them being fee-phobic -- since most [govt-owned]
> > Euro phone monopolies charge by-the-minute for ALL calls ... local or
> > long-distance; residential or business.
>
> Yes.. it's  easy to imagine how this may impact usage.  But imagination
> can't capture actual effects. My recent stays in Switzerland, Italy,
> Hungary, and France showed me that I write email and surf the Web (if at
> all) VERY differently when I'm paying by the minute or have to wait until
> midnight for 'reasonable' fees.  I wouldn't be surprised if people used
> the Net more at work in these countries. We need some studies on this and
> information on how employers are reacting to the trend.
>
> By the way, gov't ownership, per se, may be less of an issue than monopol
> status (whether private or public), or how political control operates with
> respect to the organization (see, for example, Raymond Duch: Privatizing
> the Economy, (1991, Univ Mich Press)).
>
> With respect to the importance of telecom, my most recent work on
> explaining the differences in Internet connectivity among OECD countries
> shows that economic wealth and telecom policy (monopoly/competition
> dichotomy) are the most salient predictors of an OECD country's Net
> connectivity.  (forthcoming, Telecommunications Policy)
>
> Eszter
>
> Eszter Hargittai       http://www.eszter.com
> Sociology Department
> Princeton University