Jeffrey Prince, a Kelley School of Business professor, has been appointed chief economist at the Federal Communications Commission. Prince began at the FCC on Sept. 3, and his appointment will last one year.
Before Prince was appointed to his position in Washington, D.C. ,he taught business economics at the Kelley School of Business school and was the Harold A. Poling Chair in Strategic Management. Recipients of the Poling Chair stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, interactions between private business and government in matters of public policy, and enterprise competitiveness and economic growth,according to the Kelley School of Business website.
Prince also chaired the school’s Department of Business Economics and Public Policy, according to a press release from IU Bloomington. He has authored and co-authored several textbooks and has been published in both the Academy of Management Journal and the American Economic Review.
Previously, Prince taught at Cornell University.
"Dr. Prince's wealth of experience and research on the telecommunications market and internet adoption will be of great value to the Office of Economics and Analytics and the entire commission,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a press release. “I'm pleased that Dr. Prince has agreed to join the agency and look forward to his input on the economic aspects of important policy issues such as closing the digital divide and auction design and execution."
Prince’s focus area is in industrial organization and applied econometrics with special interests in technology, market demand, telecommunications, and internet adoption and usage. These things are all very important to the FCC and their current projects, Pai said in the release.
One of his main focuses is the demand and competition for internet access. While at the FCC, Prince hopes to work on projects that will bring broadband internet to rural counties across the United States, he said.
"This is an exciting, but also challenging, time to be at the FCC,” Prince said in the release. “There are many key issues the commission must tackle. I think it's wonderful that they regularly bring in someone external with relevant expertise who can weigh in as objectively as possible, and I intend to do just that,".
Price hopes to still be able to work on his personal research projects while in D.C. because they parallel the work he will be doing at the FCC, he said.
Prince will return to continue his research and teaching at the business school next fall, and hopes his experience and new perspectives will strengthen his research and teaching. Prince said he hopes he will be able to bring examples of practical application to his students. He also hopes to learn more about policymaking which will impact and focus his current and future research.
"As a researcher, seeing the work we do either directly or indirectly impact meaningful outcomes such as policy is one of its highest possible rewards," Prince said. "As a teacher, nothing brings content to life quite like personal examples of on-the-ground application. I expect this experience will help me better identify where are the margins for change and what types of analysis are most apt to make a difference. I believe such knowledge will be extremely valuable."
