All Publications
Press Releases
Pre-emptive Regulation of Vertical Integration Could Harm Consumers
Pre-emptive regulation of vertical integration could harm, rather than help, consumer welfare because integration is not predictive of future market problems, states Bruce Owen in “Antitrust and Vertical Integration in ‘New Economy’ Industries” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. According to the author, “Toadying to uninformed populist fears of vertical integration between network providers and content creators by imposing investment-dampening ex ante regulatory constraints is likely to be far less useful to the public than steps to ensure effective competition among network providers.” Instead, he suggests ex post antitrust enforcement could address specific market abuses. The paper is a preliminary version prepared for the recent TPI event, “Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries.”
Press Releases
Broadband Editorial Distracts from Meaningful Internet Policy
A recent editorial on U.S. broadband is based on a flawed understanding of broadband data, addresses the wrong issues, and distracts from real policy concerns, states Scott Wallsten in “Scientific American’s Flawed Broadband Analysis,” published today by the Technology Policy Institute. The editorial’s assertions that broadband prices are too high and speeds are too slow ignore the more nuanced state of the broadband market, the author explains, and do not support proposals to mandate network neutrality, unbundle access to local loops, and reclassify broadband in order to regulate access.
Press Releases
October 22 Event: Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries
Please join the Technology Policy Institute on October 22 for “Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries,” where experts will discuss and critique four papers examining antitrust issues of concern for the technology and communications sectors. The papers were prepared as part of the TPI project “Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Information and Communications Technology: Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in ‘New Economy’ Industries.”
Press Releases
October 22 Event: Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries
Antitrust enforcement in technology industries is complex, in part because the sector is characterized by continuous innovation. How can antitrust policy be formulated to prevent abuses yet not stifle innovation in these dynamic sectors? Please join the Technology Policy Institute on October 22 for “Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries,” where experts will discuss and critique four papers examining antitrust issues of concern for the technology and communications sectors. The papers were prepared as part of the TPI project “Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Information and Communications Technology: Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in ‘New Economy’ Industries.”
Press Releases
Broadband Competition Important for Spurring Investment
The number of wireline providers in an area has an impact on broadband speeds available, illustrating that competition is important for stimulating investment in networks, explain Scott Wallsten and Colleen Mallahan in “Residential Broadband Competition in the United States,” a white paper drafted for the Federal Communications Commission’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative. Wallsten discussed their findings yesterday at the 38th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy, sponsored by TPRC.
Research Papers
Should the Government Prepare Individual Income Tax Returns?
Simplifying the complex U.S. tax code is the most direct way to reduce both the public and private costs of complying with the federal income tax, but tax reform is extraordinarily difficult to achieve. Some analysts have argued that return-free filing systems, such as those used in other countries and in the state of California, could substantially reduce the costs for many individual taxpayers with relatively simple returns at little or no net administrative cost to the government.