Liberalizing the “Sacred Cows” Telecommunications and Postal…自由化“神圣的奶牛”电信和邮政.pdfVIP

LIBERALIZING THE SACRED COWS: TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND POSTAL SERVICES IN THE EC I. INTRODUCTION A telephone call from Spain to Britain costs twice as much as a call in the opposite direction,1 and it takes an average of four months 2 to have a telephone installed in Brussels, Belgium. The average delivery time of a letter mailed from Italy to Ireland is 5.6 days, compared with 9.2 days for a letter sent in the opposite direction.3 These examples emphasize the inefficiencies that have resulted from the lack of competition in both the telecommunications and postal 4 This lack of competition sectors in most European countries. presents a challenge to the European Community (EC) because efficient postal and telecommunications services are essential to the success of the Single European Act. Postal services and telecommuni- cations account for 3 percent of Community Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employ more that 2.5 million people. It is predicted that [t]elecommunications alone are set to account for around 6 percent Furthermore, [i]t is estimated of the ECs GDP by the year 2000. 6 that more than half of EC jobs depend on information and communi- cation technology.7 1. Towards Cost Orientation and the Adjustment of Pricing Structures: Telecommunica- tions Tariffs in the Community, Annex, SEC(92)1050 final at Exhibit 6 [hereinafter Towards Cost Orientation]. 2. Tim Jackson, Brussels Rings in