Region
High-income OECD
Income group
High income
Most populous city
New York City

ACCESS DATA BY
ECONOMY OR TOPIC


or

Disclaimer: Note that the following information is not part of the score that the country receives on the Investing Across Sectors indicators. This information is provided as complementary to the data on the foreign ownership restrictions, and is based on the survey respondents’ comments and assessments. The World Bank Group does not guarantee accuracy of this information.

Sector group:
Telecom
Sector:
Fixed-line telephony services: A foreign company seeking to provide fixed line telecommunication services using available infrastructure which the foreign company does not own or operate.
Market structure:
 
Survey respondents' answer to the following question, "Define the market structure in your economy for this sector."
Competitive market, i.e. Many firms
Regulatory license:
 
Survey respondents' answer to the following question, "If a foreign company wanted to obtain a sector-specific regulatory license (or a concession contract) to open and operate a new business in that sector, how likely would the government be to issue such a license, provided that the foreign company meets all legal and regulatory requirements?"
Very likely
Name of regulatory authority
Federal Communications Commission
Additional comments:
Under Section 310(b)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, foreign corporations may not directly hold broadcast, common carrier, or aeronautical radio station licenses. Section 310(b)(3) prohibits foreign corporations from owning more than 20% of the stock of a licensee holding a broadcast, common carrier, or aeronautical radio station license. Under 310(b)(4), foreign corporations can invest in entities that control a U.S. broadcast, common carrier, or aeronautical radio station licensee; the benchmark established by the statute is 25%, but the FCC has the discretion to allow higher levels of indirect foreign ownership (up to 100%) if consistent with the public interest.
There are foreign firms currently operating in this sector