Are the national technical information service's prices too high? |
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| Authors: | J Timothy Sprehe |
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| Institution: | 1. Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom;2. Lukka Ltd., United Kingdom;3. USF Centre for Blockchain for Social Good, USA;1. Ericsson Research and Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Torshamnsgatan 23, SE-164 83, Stockholm, Sweden;2. Ericsson Research, Torshamnsgatan 23, SE-164 83, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | Some have claimed that prices charged by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) for its information products and services are inappropriately high. The National Technical Information Service commissioned a study, carried out by the author, to determine whether these claims were substantiated. The study focused on 15 selected information products and services, and asked whether prices for these products were too high relative to NTIS' costs, relative to prices for comparable commercial products, and relative to prices for comparable products from the Government Printing Office (GPO). NTIS breaks even in the aggregate, showing neither profit nor loss at the end of the year, although individual products may be priced higher or lower than cost. NTIS prices appeared to be competitive with comparable private sector prices, and 17 executives from information industry firms believed NTIS prices were about right or not too high. For comparable products from GPO, NTIS prices tend to be lower because of administrative decisions to underprice GPO. The study examined, in greater depth, issues surrounding two new information products, Big Emerging Markets and World News Connection. NTIS prices are not too high relative to costs, to comparable commercial products and GPO products. |
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