Cross_subsidization
Cross subsidization
Higher prices to fund lower prices elsewhere
Cross subsidization is the practice of charging higher prices to one type of consumers to artificially lower prices for another group. State trading enterprises with monopoly control over marketing agricultural exports are sometimes alleged to cross subsidize, but lack of transparency in their operations makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine if that is the case.
In many countries, telecommunications (including broadband accesses), postal services, electricity tariffs, and collective traffic among others are cross-subsidized. In some cases, there is a universal price ceiling for the services, leading to cross subsidies benefiting the areas for which the costs of provision are high.