An Analysis of Fully Distributed Cost Pricing in Regulated Industries

Abstract

This paper examines the economic consequences of allocating common costs by (1) gross revenues, (2) directly attributable costs, and (3) relative output levels (such as ton-miles) to determine fully distributed cost prices for regulated firms. The analysis characterizes FDC tariffs by examining the nature of the economic inefficiency associated with the rules and explains how opportunities for entry by unregulated firms might change if Ramsey optional pricing was used instead of FDC pricing.