Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)

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February 2020 (Revised March 2020)

The Increasing Deflationary Influence of Consumer Digital Access Services

David M. Byrne and Carol A. Corrado

Abstract:

Consumer digital access services—internet, mobile phone, cable TV, and streaming—accounted for over 2 percent of U.S. household consumption in 2018. We construct prices for these services using direct measures of volume (data transmitted, talk time, and hours of programming). Our price index fell 12 percent per year from 1988 to 2018 while official prices moved up modestly. Using our digital services index, we estimate total personal consumption expenditure (PCE) prices have risen nearly 1/2 percentage point slower than the official index since 2008. Importantly, the spread between alternative and official PCE price inflation has increased noticeably over time.
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Original paper: PDF | Accessible materials (.zip)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2020.021r1

PDF: Full Paper

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Last Update: March 05, 2020