Denmark

Introduction to the case study. Inspired, on the one hand, by what is often termed old or traditional institutional economics with Thorstein Veblen (1973, first published in 1899) and John R. Commons (1934) as important early contributors and, on the other hand, by a political economy framework putting emphasis on the interplay and interdependence between political, economic, and technological developments (Melody, 2007), this contribution examines the actors and factors that influence broadband developments in Denmark - with an emphasis on the telecom operators and the political-administrative institutions. As not all important aspects of the developments can be included in the analysis, the focus is on the critical incidents and the major actors and factors affecting developments. Such an approach presupposes that the development of broadband is not always a continuous trajectory but includes turning points, where new actors and factors affecting developments enter the “game” or where important changes in the relationships between technology, market, and policy take place. At some moments, technology factors may be the most important in driving broadband developments. At others, it will be political and regulatory or economic and market actors and factors that are the primary drivers. In the 1980s and the first part of the 1900s, broadband was, first and foremost, a technology issue with research and development initiatives of technology providers and public institutions in connection with, for instance, the European RACE research program.