• 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.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.61-76
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• 2015

In general universal service in telecommunications means a regulatory tool to secure the availability of basic communication services like fixed telephony at an affordable price throughout a country. A re-evaluation of the scope of existing universal service, however, is becoming a core issue as the penetration and usage of broadband and mobile communications matures and a new ICT ecosystem emerges. This study examined whether the universal service polices in Korea need adapting and updating to include broadband and mobile telephony in the universal service, which is based on the necessary and sufficient conditions derived from previous research and foreign countries' experiences : geographical ubiquity of a certain service and the market's ability to provide the service. The result shows the nationwide ubiquity of broadband and mobile communications exists but the ultimate goal pursued by universal service polices trying to make them available and affordable for all is being fulfilled by market dynamics in Korea. Thus, the inclusion of both services in the scope of universal service is regarded as an unnecessary regulation at present time and the expansion of universal service could be addressed as a long-term issue depending on market conditions in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.627-630
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• 2004

본 고에서는 국내 보편적서비스 제도와 해외 보편적서비스 제도를 개괄적으로 정리한 후, 최근 보편적서비스 제도에 있어서 이슈를 짚어보고자 한다. 각국의 보편적서비스에 관한 개요, 범위, 비용 산정, 손실보전 방법을 기본적으로 분석, 비교하고 최근 비용 산정에 있어 주요한 이슈로 부각되고 있는 무형편익 적용에 관한 각국의 입장과 방법론의 문제점을 살펴보고자 한다.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.19-27
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• 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly changed the Lifeline Program, a telecommunications rate discount program for low-income Americans. As the reliance on online activities such as remote work, distance education, and online shopping grows because of the spread of COVID-19, there is a concern that the digital divide will widen among low-income households that struggle to access internet infrastructure due to the burden of access rates. Accordingly, the US Congress passed a bill to help lower the internet bill for low-income households using the government budget to close the digital divide. The Lifeline Program, which is a part of the universal service obligation, has been in charge of the telecommunications rate discount for low-income households. However, according to the new law, the internet rate discount program based on the government budget was implemented beginning in 2021. As the internet rate discount based on the government budget begins, the US telecommunication rate discount system is transitioning from a system in which telecommunication industry support was borne by operators to one in which public support from the government budget will play a significant role. In this paper, we will look at recent changes in the US telecommunications rate discount program and their implications.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.67
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• pp.35-61
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• 2014

This article argues that public service broadcasting (PSB) should be transformed into public service media (PSM) in order to accommodate the concept of universal service in this media convergence age. If we utilize the universal service concept of telecommunications in this purpose, it inevitably constrains the concept to "access to general information" and has a limitation in its scope. In contrast, the application of the broadcast perspective leads to only examine the possibility of expanding the universal service obligation to new platforms, which has been applied to terrestrial broadcasting. As a result, these two approaches have no choice but to stay in limited area such as low-income assistance. Thus, in conclusion, it is necessary to convert PSB to the PSM as a means of providing the socially required content universally, which commercial market cannot easily produce.

• 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.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2020

The author Nakajima was involved in the field of disaster communications and emergency medical care as guest research scientist at the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission established by the National Diet of Japan and reviewer of the Commission's report, and Kurokawa was the chairman of this Commission. Looking back over a decade, we are on the liability issue of bureaucrats and telecom operators, so it's becoming clear what was hidden at the time. The battery of NTT DoCoMo's mobile phone repeaters had a capacity of only about 24 hours, and communication failures increased after one day. The Government also failed to issue an announcement of "Vent from reactor" under the Telecommunications Act Article No. 129. This mistake lost the opportunity to use the third-party telecommunications (e.g. taxi radios). Furthermore, as a result of LASCOM (telecommunications satellite network for local governments via GEO) and a variety of unexpected communication failures, the evacuation order "Escape!" could not be notified to the general public well. As a result, the general public was exposed to unnecessary radiation exposure. Such bureaucratic slow action in emergencies is common in the response to the 2020 coronavirus.