Antitrust analysis of the proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal should focus only on its effect on competition in relevant markets and resulting harm to consumers, states James Speta in “Screening and Simplifying the Competition Arguments in the NBC/Comcast Transaction” released today by the Technology Policy Institute.
All Publications
Google-AdMob: A Bad Precedent
TPI President Thomas Lenard published a piece on Forbes.com discussing the expected involvement of federal regulators in Google’s acquisition of AdMob. In the piece, Lenard warns of possible shortcomings of traditional merger analysis if applied to the fast-moving mobile advertising market and urges regulators to carefully consider the long-term effects of antitrust action on innovation in this space. The entire piece can be found at Forbes.com.
Aspen Forum Preview Agenda Released
A preview agenda of the Aspen Forum, to be held August 22nd – 24th, is now available on the TPI website. The event will include top leaders in the technology and policy sectors, including Mark McLaughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of VeriSign, Thomas Tauke, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Policy and Communications at Verizon, and Hal Varian, Chief Economist of Google. Edward Mueller, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Qwest Communications, will offer opening remarks at the premier policy event.
2009 IGF Workshop on Net Neutrality
The workshop discussed the accuracy of a very term of Network Neutrality in opposition to a term of Open Internet. It further discussed economics and engineering aspects of networks and how network management regulation might affect those investments. It also discussed the end-user perspective, need for transparency and a freedom of choice. As a cross-cutting issue, the implications to the digital divide and development were examined. Needs for policy and regulatory approaches towards network management were questioned and discussed, including analysing several experiences on national levels.
Journal Article: In Defense of Data: Information and the Cost of Privacy
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers, explain TPI President Thomas Lenard and Senior Fellow Paul Rubin in “In Defense of Data: Information and the Cost of Privacy,” published today by the Policy & Internet Journal. In the article, the authors argue that firms have incentives to satisfy customers’ privacy preferences and that restrictions in the legitimate use of information may not lead to further privacy benefits.
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy, Policy & Internet Journal
The commercial use of information on the Internet has produced substantial benefits for consumers. But, as the use of information online has increased, so have concerns about privacy. This paper discusses how the use of individuals� information for commercial purposes affects consumers, and the implications of restricting information availability in the interest of privacy. It lays out a range of information benefits to consumers of the commercial use of online information, including targeted services, cost reductions through targeted advertising, efficient search engines, differential pricing and re-use of information. It argues that firms have incentives to satisfy customers� privacy preferences and that restrictions in the legitimate use of information may not lead to further privacy benefits. It discusses a number of policy proposals geared at maximizing privacy, arguing that benefits to consumers would be outweighed by the information costs.