EXPERIENCES OF OTHER BROADBAND LEADERS
mostly taken a passive approach but have started moving toward the hybrid approach. On the other hand, France, Japan, Korea, and Sweden have given the public sector a more active role in the broadband agenda through public-private partnerships. Many factors are involved in broadband development, and no two countries have followed identical routes. Still, certain common elements in broadband success stories suggest how these countries have developed components of their broadband ecosystems. For one, broadband strategies are a common feature among the countries studied. More important, all of the countries have implemented policies to encourage competition and introduce wireless broadband service through responsive spectrum policy. Most have used public financing to support network rollout or facilitate demand for broadband. Thus, it is possible to split the overall approach into two components: (a) broadband strategies, which lay out broad goals, vision statements, and frameworks and programs to achieve them, and (b) policies and regulations, which follow the strategic framework while implementing the program as the market evolves. The survey finds that strategies and policies evolve through three stages. First, they focus on promoting incipient markets through a range of supply- and demand-side policies. Those policies reduce entry barriers, support large infrastructure projects, and help reduce the costs of broadband subscriptions for users. In the second stage, the government steps back and allows competition and market forces to drive growth. During that stage, the government exercises oversight through competition policy. Finally, as markets move toward maturity, the focus shifts to universalizing broadband to include underserved or unserved populations and communities. Chapter 5 focuses on the development of such strategies and the creation of the institutional base to implement them. Chapter 6 describes the policies and programs that support those strategies, focusing on the evolution of the market through the three stages.
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