• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.31 no.1B
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• pp.46-55
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• 2006

It is only natural, given that the competition environment and policy priorities in the telecommunications market vary from one country to another, that methods for assessing the cost of universal service obligations differ as well. In Korea, with the introduction in 2004 of LRIC for assessing the universal service cost, the national telecommunications authority is preparing for a substantial revision of the current cost assessment method, and discussions on details of changes to be introduced are in full swing. This paper will study estimation methods for universal service costs adopted by countries around the world and compare practices concerning two of the major issues surrounding the assessment of universal service obligation cost - universal service cost ceiling and intangible benefits - to provide directions for changes to be introduced to Korea's own cost estimation model.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.80-99
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• 2010

A substantial body of theoretical and case study literature exists about the relationship between competition and universal service in developing countries. On the one hand, many scholars have argued that state-owned monopolies in developing countries are not able to mobilize the capital needed for network expansion: the resulting unmet demand for services becomes a motivator for liberalization. On the other hand, the introduction of competition jeopardizes the internal and external subsidies through which the state-owned monopoly kept subscription rates low: the heightened concern about loss of subscribership incentivizes the creation of explicit universal service statutes and funding mechanisms concurrently with or soon after competition is introduced. This paper shows that universal service in Korea had a unique evolutionary path, which did not conform to either of these expectations. From this finding, it reaches the conclusion that the outcomes predicted by theory and observed in the case study literature are not intrinsic to the monopoly condition per se, but derive from the strategic choices made by telecommunications managers, regulators and lawmakers in developing countries.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.54-62
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• 2012

미국을 비롯한 영국, 프랑스 등 주요 EU 회원국들은 국가 경쟁력 향상을 위해 초광대역망 구축을 정부 차원에서 추진하고 있다. 초광대역망 투자 계획은 모든 국민에게 통신 서비스를 제공하는 보편적 서비스 제도와 연계하여 추진하고 있다. 특히 미국의 Broadband Plan과 영국의 Digital Britain 계획을 통해 보편적 서비스 제도가 PSTN 음성 서비스에서 데이터 서비스로 전환되고 있다. 이에 반해 호주에서는 초광대역망 구축과 보편적 서비스 제도 개편 움직임이 다른 국가들과 차별되어 국가 차원에서 기업을 설립하고 망 투자와 보편적 서비스 제도를 담당하는 방향으로 움직이고 있다. 본고에서는 호주의 초광대역망 구축 계획을 살펴보고 초광대역망 환경으로 과도기 단계에서 보편적 서비스 제도 개선 현황 및 특징을 살펴보고 시사점을 살펴보고자 한다.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.33 no.5B
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• pp.356-363
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• 2008

The decision of the USA to found the USF(Universal Service Fund) in 1983, which was aiming to support basic telecommunication services provision at affordable price in rural and high cost areas, has triggered many countries to introduce universal service support mechanisms. Korea has been also operating a universal service support mechanism since 2000 but there are lively controversies on the change of the existing support mechanism. This paper, first, will review universal service support mechanisms in major countries including USA, EU, Chile, Peru and Japan. Second, this paper will classify types of the mechanisms and review merits and demerits of the mechanisms. Finally, this paper will derive some implications for the improvement of domestic Mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.829-834
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• 2005

현재 이동통신과 데이터서비스 수요의 급증과 정보통신기술의 발전으로 인한 정보격차 문제는 심화되고 있다. 고도 정보화 사회에서는 정보가 삶의 수준이나 질을 결정하는 중요요인이지만 정보격차의 문제를 시장 기능으로만 해결하기에 어려워 사회적 제도와 같은 체계적인 정책수립을 통한 해결이 필요하기에 기존의 보편적 서비스제도의 범위를 유선 음성 전화 이상으로 확대해야 할 필요성이 있다. 본 논문에서는 기존 보편적 서비스제도의 범위를 이동통신 서비스까지로 확대하여 정보격차 해소, 사회복지, 균형적인 사회발전 등의 보편적 서비스제도의 의의를 맞춰가고 이에 보편적 서비스제도의 범위 확대가 법적으로 타당한가를 여러 상황을 고려하여 타당한 것인가를 살펴보았다.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.20
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• pp.111-139
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• 2003

This study aims to explore concepts of public interest and universal service which have been essential ideologies and policy goals, but which have been a the state of conceptual chaos so far. It sheds light upon three aspects : (1) the origins of public interest and universal service, (2) conceptual components of public interest and universal service, and (3) the implementation of public interest and universal service ideologies into policy. As a result of this analysis, it was found, firstly, that public interest of broadcasting originated from western countries, was rooted in the United States, and then spread all over the world later. After universal service was begun in the United States, it became a key ideology of information and telecommunication in European countries and other countries as well. Secondly, when examining the conceptual components, more differences were found than commonalities between these two concepts. The most conspicuous common point was universalism The concept of public interest includes not only universal service, but also connotes other components such as independence, diversity, quality, and locality which are related to content. Thirdly, when these two ideologies are implemented into policy, there Is a contrast. This study shows that the public interest ideology was realized into regulatory policies, while the universal service ideology was realized into supportive policies. In conclusion, this paper suggests more exact usage academically, showing the differences between the two concepts. This paper recommends an enforced legal duty of broadcasters to provide universal service when the current broadcasting law is revised.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.14 no.1 s.55
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• pp.74-94
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• 1999

일본에서는 통신시장의 자유화가 진전됨에 따라 보편적 서비스를 새롭게 정의하고 경쟁환경하에서 보편적 서비스 정책을 구체화하기 위한 노력을 기울이고 있다. 이러한 노력의 일환으로 멀티미디어시대의 요금, 서비스정책에 관한 연구회는 보편적 서비스의 확보 방안에 관한 연구를 수행하고, 1998년 상반기에 그 결과를 우정성에 제출하였다. 우정성에서는 1998년 6월부터 8월까지 약 2개월 동안, 본 연구회의 연구결과에 관하여 각종 관련기관으로부터 광범위하게 의견을 수집하였다. 본 고에서는 연구회의 연구결과 및 이를 근간으로 각 기관에서 제시한 의견을 토대로 최근 일본에서 이루어지고 있는 보편적 서비스 확보 방안에 관한 동향을 살펴보고, 우리나라에 주는 시사점을 고찰하기로 한다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Information Management Conference
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• 1999.08a
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• pp.81-84
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• 1999

정부를 포함한 공공부문이 보유하고 있는 공공정보와 관련된 논의로서 공공정보에 대한 공공(public)의 접근성 향상을 위한 여러 가지 방안 수립이 강조되고 있다 이 가운데 지금까지 각 국의 정보통신서비스의 정책 기반이 되어온 보편적 서비스(universal service)의 개념은 공공정보를 제공·이용하는데 필요한 논리적 정책 근거로 제안된다. 보편적 서비스란, 기본적인 서비스를 합리적인 요금으로 광범위하게 제공하는 것이라 볼 수 있으며 따라서 공공의 접근성을 보장해야 하는 공공정보의 이용과 밀접하게 관련되기 때문이다.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.39-55
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• 2011

Since telecommunications reforms began around world in the 1980s, many scholars have attempted to uncover its effects on the telecommunications sector. Nevertheless, research focusing largely on the impact of privatization on universal service has been relatively less frequent than other research on telecommunications reform such as the effect of competition on efficiency, investment, and universal service, and the impact of privatization on efficiency. From this perspective, this study attempted to explain the impact of the privatization of a state-owned telecommunications enterprise on universal service in Korea. This work may contribute to providing policy-makers and scholars in telecommunications with some useful policy suggestions by concretely illustrating how the privatization of Korea Telecom has influenced universal service policy formulation and the universal service system in Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.31 no.4B
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• pp.355-363
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• 2006

A rapidly increasing demand of voice and data through mobile telecommunication service and the development of technologies related with the service are sufficiently said to make the service become an indispensible communicating means, not just selective one. However, in the other side of the generalizing of mobile telecommunication service, there is said to be a worsening situation of unbalanced benefits due to the problem of information difference between the non. The more advanced mobile telecommunication service proceeds, the more deepens the problem, and it is generally known that the problem cannot be solved by the ability of free market itself as seen in the wired telecommunication market. Therefore, we need to set up a systematic policy of mobile telecommunication service for solving this problem, and also think over whether to include the service within the range of universal service. In this study, we examine the required factors for including the service within the range of universal service, and analyze the validity of the including in the view point of institutional aspects.