Time Warner Cable’s Research Program Releases Two New Reports

Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) today issued two reports as part of its Research Program on Digital Communications. Launched in February 2010, the Research Program engages scholars to increase understanding of the benefits and challenges facing digital technologies in the home, office, classroom and community. The reports are available free for download at the program’s website.

The reports released today are:

	•		Market Structure and Media Diversity, by Scott Savage, Associate Professor of Economics and Interdisciplinary Telecommunications, Donald Waldman, Professor of Economics, and Scott Hiller, of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
			This report examines how market structure affects the availability of local news and information content to consumers. This report provides insight into evaluating regulations for media ownership and television programming intended to promote diversity and localism. In particular, the authors find there is a significant impact on consumer welfare from the reduction of diversity and localism following a decrease in the number of independent broadcast television stations in a market. Moreover, in a “virtual merger,” where stations share news operations, there are no benefits to local consumers offsetting the loss of program content. Policymakers struggling with legacy rules designed to protect traditional broadcast media in an increasingly diverse and competitive digital environment should consider these findings as they weigh how consumers are best served.
	•		Between Markets and Mandates: Approaches to Promoting Broadband Access for Persons with Disabilities, by Krishna Jayakar, Associate Professor at the Pennsylvania State University.
			This report examines access to broadband by individuals with disabilities in order to identify programs and policies that promote broadband adoption. Identifying significant barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from accessing broadband, the author presents case studies of programs and policies aiming to improve access to technology by people with disabilities, ranging from technological innovations, market-driven initiatives, public-private partnerships and regulatory mandates. The report comparatively evaluates the efficacy of these approaches in improving disability access and concludes by discussing success factors and challenges for these efforts, recommending potential solutions to each.

Fernando Laguarda, director of the program and Vice President for External Affairs and Policy Counselor at Time Warner Cable, said, “These reports from the best and brightest thought leaders in telecommunications and media policy are a wonderful resource to policymakers and industry stakeholders alike. The feedback from the community is overwhelmingly positive and the demand for fresh thinking remains strong. We are pleased to continue making a contribution to the communications and technology policy debate.”

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