ABSTRACT

The deployment of new broadband networks (NBNs) based on fiber-optic transmission technologies promises high gains in terms of productivity and economic growth. It has attracted subsidies worth billions from governments worldwide through various state aid programs. Yet, such a program's effectiveness and efficiency still need to be studied. We employ panel data from 32 OECD countries from 2002 to 2019 to provide robust empirical evidence that state aid significantly increases NBNs by facilitating the deployment of new connections to 22 percentage points of households in the short term and 39.3 percentage points in the long term. We find it highly cost-efficient, as the programs break even after three years on average. We also discuss possible efficiency improvements in future funding programs, particularly requirements of technology neutrality, consideration of mobile broadband solutions, and integration of demand-side funding.

摘要

基于光纤传输技术的新型宽带网络（NBN）的部署有望在生产力和经济增长方面带来巨大收益。它通过各种国家援助计划吸引了世界各国政府价值数十亿美元的补贴。然而，这样的计划的有效性和效率仍然需要研究。我们采用 2002 年至 2019 年 32 个 OECD 国家的面板数据来提供强有力的经验证据，证明国家援助通过促进新连接的部署，在短期内将家庭宽带增加了 22 个百分点，长期增加了 39.3 个百分点，从而显着增加了 NBN。我们发现它具有很高的成本效益，因为这些项目平均三年后就能实现收支平衡。我们还讨论了未来资助计划可能的效率改进，特别是技术中立的要求，