The Internet: Still Wide Open and Competitive?

19 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2008 Last revised: 11 May 2014

See all articles by Eli M. Noam

Eli M. Noam

Columbia Business School - Institute for Tele Information

Donald Hay

University of Oxford - Department of Economics

Michael R. Baye

Indiana University - Kelley School of Business - Department of Business Economics & Public Policy

John Morgan

University of California, Berkeley - Economic Analysis & Policy Group

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 1, 2003

Abstract

For many years now, the Internet seemed to be open, free, and competitive. Internet entrepreneurialism was high, financing easy, entry barriers low. But now, in the wake of the Internet's bursting bubble, the reality of that competitiveness deserves a second look: Is the Internet still as open and competitive as it used to be, or is it becoming concentrated and dominated by a few firms with market power? To even ask this question raises emotional responses, so deeply held is the Internet's self-image of openness and competitiveness, in contrast to the stodginess of the telecom, print, and TV industries.

Many people even have difficulty with the very concept of looking at the Internet as an industry. The early phases of the medium were indeed dominated by government, universities, and non-profit entities, all operating outside of private markets. But even when the Internet became commercialized, it was frequently asserted that the new 'bit economy' operated on fundamentally different principles than the traditional 'atom economy'.

Today, a more balanced perspective has become possible and necessary. This starts with the recognition that the Internet is a set of interacting activities provided by a variety of business firms, operating in interacting sub-markets. The structure of those markets affect, in the classic paradigm of industrial economics, the behavior and hence the performance of these firms. A prime measure for market structure is the extent of market concentration; it is an indicator and predictor of competitive behavior. Since the Internet has been arguably the major force for economic, societal, and cultural innovation in society in recent years, the extent of the competitive forces driving it is significant far beyond the sector itself.

Keywords: internet, competition, market power, openness, bit economy, innovation

Suggested Citation

Noam, Eli M. and Hay, Donald and Baye, Michael Roy and Morgan, John, The Internet: Still Wide Open and Competitive? (August 1, 2003). OII Internet Issue Brief No. 1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1308496 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1308496

Eli M. Noam (Contact Author)

Columbia Business School - Institute for Tele Information ( email )

645 W. 130th St.
New York, NY 10027
United States

Donald Hay

University of Oxford - Department of Economics ( email )

Manor Road Building
Manor Road
Oxford, OX1 3BJ
United Kingdom

Michael Roy Baye

Indiana University - Kelley School of Business - Department of Business Economics & Public Policy ( email )

Bloomington, IN 47405
United States
812-855-2779 (Phone)
812-855-3354 (Fax)

John Morgan

University of California, Berkeley - Economic Analysis & Policy Group ( email )

Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
510-642-2669 (Phone)
810-885-5959 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
345
Abstract Views
2,594
Rank
133,649
PlumX Metrics