Statistical Negligence in Title II Impact Analysis
8 Pages Posted: 31 Oct 2019
Date Written: October 1, 2019
Abstract
This article provides a review of Chris Hooton's recent paper "Testing the Economics of the Net Neutrality Debate." While Hooton claims he has found the Holy Grail of investment data, Hooton’s chosen measure of capital spending is not capital spending at all. Capital Expenditures Incurred But Not Yet Paid — Hooton’s measure of investment — is a credit entry for accrued expenses. It does not equal capital spending; it equals, as the name implies, the portion of capital spending incurred in the past to be paid in the future. Not all firms use this supplemental account. In fact, AT&T and Verizon do not appear in Hooton’s sample at all. That is, Hooton’s analysis excludes the two largest capital spenders in the nation, if not the world.
Keywords: Testing the Economics of the Net Neutrality Debate, Net Neutrality, Hooton, Investment
JEL Classification: L96, O1, L5, C5
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation