In the USA and many other parts of the world, both public transportation agencies and private communications companies are building new communications networks on an unprecedented scale. This provides scope for public-private partnerships where each party uses the other's special resources. The private partner gains access to public rights of way, and the public partner can use private telecommunications expertise and capacity. A broad range of such partnerships, both wireline and wireless, is already in place in the USA, and this article provides information about some of them, and discusses some relevant issues. The 1996 Telecommunications Act makes sweeping changes to the 1934 Communications Act and to US telecommunications regulation in general. It changes the process of resource sharing in the USA and the issues that need to be considered. The process has become more complicated and needs more resources to succeed, but it does not exclude shared-resource ventures. In fact, the additional competition stimulated by the 1996 Act has increased the number of opportunities for resource sharing. Their success involves considerations of timeliness, information and value. Willingness to compromise is perhaps the most important element for both public and private partners.
Abstract