Economic tests on the optimality of a universal telecommunications service integrating Internet access.

Summary This research is a contribution to the reflection on the regulation of a Universal Service of telecommunications integrating the access to the Internet in an optics of maximization of the collective well-being. A first topic concerns the effect of an integration of a minimal level of bandwidth in the definition of the Universal Service. A second theme concerns the optimal choice of technologies to ensure the quantum of bandwidth defined by the Universal Service. A third theme concerns the impact of the amount of bandwidth on consumption, and therefore the bandwidth objective that the Universal Service must aim for in order to maximize collective well-being. The fourth theme is that of consumer surplus gains as a function of Internet access prices. These relationships are established on the basis of data from OECD countries, and we mainly seek to answer questions concerning the minimum level of bandwidth, as well as the optimal choice of technologies from an economic theoretical analysis. On the other hand, questions concerning the impact of the amount of bandwidth on consumption and surplus gains by consumers are targeted through an econometric analysis.