Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom
The author studies a number of ways in which British regulators have helped poorer consumers. British Telecommunications offers a lower user tariff, and a very cheap service with most outgoing calls barred, to attract customers who could not afford the full service. The gas regulator has taken actio...
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| Format: | Publications & Research |
| Language: | en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21424 |
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okr-10986-214242021-04-23T14:04:02Z Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom Green, Richard advertisements average costs caps cash payments charge cards consumer protection consumers consumption increases consumption levels contractors debt decision-making demand curve electricity energy efficiency environmental protection income information services legislation margins mergers monopolies predatory pricing prepayment price controls taxation telecommunication telecommunication services telecommunications telecommunications companies telecommunications industry telecommunications offers telecommunications regulator telecommunications services telephone services treasury universal service Universal Service Obligations utilities regulatory bodies consumer behavior poor people telecommunications authority tariff policy services gas regulators electricity pricing utility functions state-owned enterprises concessionality privatization The author studies a number of ways in which British regulators have helped poorer consumers. British Telecommunications offers a lower user tariff, and a very cheap service with most outgoing calls barred, to attract customers who could not afford the full service. The gas regulator has taken action to reduce price differentials between customers who pay in cash (mostly, but not always, poor customers) and those who pay with bank transfers (mostly, but not always, better off customers). The electricity industry faces a series of rules and codes of practice governing its dealings with domestic consumers. Some of these schemes will help all consumers; others are aimed at, but not exclusive to, the poor. One challenge facing utilities in some countries is that of expanding their networks to reach millions of unserved (mostly poor) customers. The United Kingdom achieved nearly universal service in geographical terms while the utilities were state-owned. The utilities were serving some customers who were already profitable and were simply required to serve others, which might not be. It might be possible, to grant a concession, or privatize a new company, on a similar basis of "bundling" social obligations with opportunities for profit, but it will be important to ensure that obligations are performed properly. United Kingdom regulators have been fairly successful at protecting existing customers; other countries may be able to copy some of their techniques. 2015-02-10T20:13:07Z 2015-02-10T20:13:07Z 2000-07 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21424 en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2386 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Europe and Central Asia United Kingdom |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
en_US |
| topic |
advertisements average costs caps cash payments charge cards consumer protection consumers consumption increases consumption levels contractors debt decision-making demand curve electricity energy efficiency environmental protection income information services legislation margins mergers monopolies predatory pricing prepayment price controls taxation telecommunication telecommunication services telecommunications telecommunications companies telecommunications industry telecommunications offers telecommunications regulator telecommunications services telephone services treasury universal service Universal Service Obligations utilities regulatory bodies consumer behavior poor people telecommunications authority tariff policy services gas regulators electricity pricing utility functions state-owned enterprises concessionality privatization |
| spellingShingle |
advertisements average costs caps cash payments charge cards consumer protection consumers consumption increases consumption levels contractors debt decision-making demand curve electricity energy efficiency environmental protection income information services legislation margins mergers monopolies predatory pricing prepayment price controls taxation telecommunication telecommunication services telecommunications telecommunications companies telecommunications industry telecommunications offers telecommunications regulator telecommunications services telephone services treasury universal service Universal Service Obligations utilities regulatory bodies consumer behavior poor people telecommunications authority tariff policy services gas regulators electricity pricing utility functions state-owned enterprises concessionality privatization Green, Richard Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| geographic_facet |
Europe and Central Asia United Kingdom |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2386 |
| description |
The author studies a number of ways in which British regulators have helped poorer consumers. British Telecommunications offers a lower user tariff, and a very cheap service with most outgoing calls barred, to attract customers who could not afford the full service. The gas regulator has taken action to reduce price differentials between customers who pay in cash (mostly, but not always, poor customers) and those who pay with bank transfers (mostly, but not always, better off customers). The electricity industry faces a series of rules and codes of practice governing its dealings with domestic consumers. Some of these schemes will help all consumers; others are aimed at, but not exclusive to, the poor. One challenge facing utilities in some countries is that of expanding their networks to reach millions of unserved (mostly poor) customers. The United Kingdom achieved nearly universal service in geographical terms while the utilities were state-owned. The utilities were serving some customers who were already profitable and were simply required to serve others, which might not be. It might be possible, to grant a concession, or privatize a new company, on a similar basis of "bundling" social obligations with opportunities for profit, but it will be important to ensure that obligations are performed properly. United Kingdom regulators have been fairly successful at protecting existing customers; other countries may be able to copy some of their techniques. |
| format |
Publications & Research |
| author |
Green, Richard |
| author_facet |
Green, Richard |
| author_sort |
Green, Richard |
| title |
Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| title_short |
Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| title_full |
Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| title_fullStr |
Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Regulators and the Poor : Lessons from the United Kingdom |
| title_sort |
regulators and the poor : lessons from the united kingdom |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2015 |
| url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21424 |
| _version_ |
1764448222057594880 |