For over a decade, William Lehr, Lorenzo Pupillo, and their colleagues in academia, industry, and policy have been on the electronic frontier, exploring the implications of the technologies that are revolutionizing communication and culture. In 2002, Cyber Policy and Economics in an Internet Age featured essays that focused on such emerging economic and policy-related issues of universal access, appropriate content, spectrum allocation, taxation, consumer protection, and regulation, with respect to the Internet. In this fully revised and updated edition, entitled Internet Policy and Economics: Challenges and Perspectives, the editors and contributors tackle the most current topics and issues, as the Internet continues to permeate all facets of society. New chapters cover dynamics in the developing world, the implications of e-commerce for fiscal policy, and the impact of peer-to-peer networks on music and the arts, as well as debates over intellectual property rights, privacy issues, and cybercrime. Applying insights from economics, political science, law, business, and communications, the book will serve as essential resource for researchers and students, policymakers and regulators, and industry analysts and practitioners.

Presents cutting-edge research, practice, and policy in electronic communications, commerce, and culture

Internet Policy.- Policy Challenge.- Regulating Telecommunications in Europe.- Infrastructure Commons in Economic Perspective.- Dumbing Down the Net.- Development Challenge.- Why Broadband Internet Should Not Be the Priority for Developing Countries.- Intellectual Property, Digital Technology and the Developing World.- Privacy Challenge.- Economic Aspects of Personal Privacy.- Cybercrimes vs. Cyberliberties.- Economics Challenge.- Implications of Electronic Commerce for Fiscal Policy.- Spectrum Allocation and the Internet.- The Role of Unlicensed in Spectrum Reform.- You Can Lead a Horse to Water but You Can't Make It Drink.