Impacto da regulação sobre a expansão da banda larga fixa no Brasil: uma análise de diferença em diferenças de 2007 a 2021

Abstract

The fixed broadband retail service, provided under the private regime but in the collective interest, has undergone significant changes in recent years, including a greater penetration in Brazilian municipalities, associated with the increase in the number of accesses and speeds contracted by consumers. Considering this telecommunications service, an econometric difference-in-differences (DD) model is sought to assess the impact of Anatel's regulatory policy in the wholesale high-speed data transmission market on the broadband retail service fixed. This regulation occurred mainly via prices in part of the Brazilian municipalities categorized as to competitiveness in the sector by Anatel itself. The first variable analyzed was the number of accesses per 100 inhabitants, on a municipal scale. The results indicated statistically insignificant average effects on the expansion of broadband service from 2019 to 2021. The second variable analyzed was the number of companies with fiber optic access, and with this variable statistically significant and negative results were obtained for the municipalities potentially that received the policy and statistically significant and positive results for the group of municipalities that received the policy in the category of low-competitive municipalities.