ERS Group Evaluates Changes in Rules Governing Airline Computer Reservation Systems ERS Group Special Consultant R. Preston McAfee and Academic Affiliate Kenneth Hendricks of the University of Texas submitted a statement on behalf of Sabre, Inc. in a U.S. Department of Transportation rulemaking proceeding concerning airline computer reservation systems (CRSs). In their report, entitled "Evolution of the Market for Air Travel Information," Professors Hendricks and McAfee examined the economic consequences of proposed regulation on both independent and airline-owned CRSs. In developing recommendations, the report addressed the emergence of the Internet as an independent source of information about air travel and the increasing use of that channel to bypass traditional travel agents and CRSs. ERS Group Addresses Cable Access Pricing Issues in Australia ERS Group economists were retained by a producer of content for pay television to assess proposals before the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission regarding the pricing of access to certain cable services. Our experts examined the appropriate method for determining the price access seekers should pay for the provision of analog pay television carriage services provided via broadband cable and the conditional access decoding services provided via set-top units. ERS Group Evaluates Incentive Regulation Proposal for Air Traffic Control Services in the U.K. ERS Group was retained by the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority to evaluate a proposal to adopt incentive regulation for air traffic control services. Currently, costs associated with these services account for a large portion of the total costs of air flights. ERS Group's report examined the economic theory related to price cap regulation and issues regarding the successful application of price caps to air traffic control services. The report also reviewed the performance of firms operating under price cap plans in other industries. ERS Group Quantifies the Benefits and Costs of Generic Entry in Pharmaceuticals ERS Group's professional staff examined the benefits and costs of the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 and proposed modifications to its rules regarding the entry of generic competitors in markets for pharmaceuticals. ERS Group Addresses Municipalization Proposals in Electric Power ERS Group Director Michael Doane examined the economic consequences of municipalities' attempts to condemn electric utility distribution systems to evade industry restructuring charges. Mr. Doane's analysis examined more than forty municipalization proposals and their relationship to restructuring requirements imposed by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The effect of the municipalization proposals on existing risk-sharing arrangements and industry costs was also investigated. ERS Group Examines Benefits and Costs of Vacating the Consent Decree in U.S. v. AT&T On behalf of all Regional Bell Operating Companies, ERS Group experts quantified the consumer welfare gains likely to result from entry into long-distance markets by local phone companies.