The Technology Policy Institute will be holding its first annual TPI Aspen Forum next August 22-24 on the topic of “Innovation and Critical Policy Choices: Is the United States Losing its Edge.
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Lenard Files Comments with FCC on Broadband Study Conducted by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Lenard Files Comments with FCC on Broadband Study Conducted by the Berkman Center
Lenard Critiques Berkman Center Broadband Study
The broadband study prepared by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society to help the Federal Communications Commission develop a National Broadband Plan is “incomplete and not objective,” according to TPI President and Senior Fellow Thomas Lenard. Lenard said the study “did not accomplish its intended purpose,” in an analysis submitted in response to the Commission’s request for comments on the study.
TPI Co-Hosting IGF Workshop on Net Neutrality
TPI is co-hosting a workshop on the subject of network neutrality on November 18th at the Internet Governance Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
October 16th Event: Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries
The way the government applies antitrust laws can significantly affect innovation and investment, for good or ill. IT firms have characteristics that make antitrust enforcement more complex, including significant amounts of intangible capital, supply- and demand-side economies of scale, and rapidly changing markets characterized by continuous innovation. The new administration has signaled a more proactive approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly with respect to high-tech and Internet-based markets. This Congressional Seminar will examine the proper application of antitrust policy to the IT sector and the direction the new administration is taking.
Should the Government Prepare Personal Income Tax Returns
British MP Ian Liddell-Grainger will present a new bi-partisan report of the All-Party Parliamentary Taxation Group that examines the UK’s experience with “return-free” tax filing, under which the tax authority prepares individuals’ income tax returns. Mr. Liddell-Grainger’s presentation will be discussed by former Congressman Bill Frenzel, George Washington University economist Joseph Cordes, and Brookings economist William Gale. Frenzel, currently a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution, was ranking minority member on the House Budget Committee and a member of the President’s Advisory Panel on Tax Reform during 2005. Cordes has held senior positions at both the Treasury Department and the CBO. Gale is co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.
Renewable Electricity Standards, Energy Efficiency, and Cost-Effective Climate-Change Policy
Climate change proposals currently under consideration include both a cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas (GHS) emissions and a nationwide renewable electricity standard (RES). Some proposals permit a portion of the renewable electricity requirement to be satisfied by adopting energy efficiency measures, while others include a separate efficiency requirement. This paper examines how these approaches fit together, the costs associated with substantially expanding the portion of electricity generated by renewable resources, and the potential savings from incorporating energy efficiency into an RES.
Wallsten to be Economics Director of FCC Broadband Task Force
The FCC has named TPI Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow Scott Wallsten economics director of its broadband task force, which is charged with developing the U.S. national broadband plan. Wallsten will take a temporary leave of absence from TPI to work on the plan, which is scheduled to be completed in February, 2010. He will return to his position at TPI after the task force has completed its work.
July 24th Event: Stearns to deliver remarks
Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fl) will deliver opening remarks at TPI’s July 24th event on Information and Privacy: What are the Tradeoffs? Stearns, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, has been in a leader on online privacy issues for many years.
July 20th Event: Reforming Universal Service
The universal service program is coming under increasing pressure: expenditures for old-fashioned voice service, especially in the high-cost fund, are growing rapidly even as many policymakers are calling for the fund to also include broadband. Even without including broadband, consumers are already paying higher taxes for these increased expenditures. This seminar will address questions of how to reform the fund, including ways of controlling growth in the high-cost fund, such as reverse auctions, and how to incorporate broadband in an efficient and equitable manner.