The broadband market in the U.S. is working well overall, as evidenced by nearly ubiquitous coverage, rapid adoption, large investments, and increasing speeds, according to comments submitted to the FCC regarding a national broadband plan by TPI Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow Scott Wallsten and Oxford Visiting Senior Fellow Robert Hahn. However, the market is not working well for all people in all places, and Hahn and Wallsten offer two general and seven specific recommendations to address those issues.
All Publications
Testimony and Filings
Lenard and White File ICANN Comments with NTIA
We hereby submit the attached study, ICANN at a Crossroads: A Proposal for Better Governance, by Thomas M. Lenard and Lawrence J. White in response to NTIA�s April 24, 2009 Notice of Inquiry, �Assessment of the Transition of the Technical Coordination and Management of the Internet�s Domain Name and Addressing System.�
Press Releases
Lenard and White File ICANN Comments with NTIA
Thomas Lenard and Lawrence J. White submitted their recent study, “ICANN at a Crossroads: A Proposal for Better Governance and Performance,” to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The submission was in response to NTIA’s Notice of Inquiry on the upcoming expiration of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICANN). Lenard is President and Senior Fellow at TPI; White is Arthur E. Imperatore Professor of Economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Press Releases
Lenard Testifies on ICANN Reform
ICANN should be reformed “in a way that makes it truly accountable and clearly defines its scope of operations,” according to testimony delivered by TPI president and senior fellow Thomas Lenard at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. Lenard said, “The expiration of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) with the Department of Commerce this September provides a much-needed opportunity for a thorough evaluation of the structure, governance, and mission of ICANN.”
Commentaries and Op-Eds
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy
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.
Research Papers
In Defense of Data: Information and the Costs of Privacy – Executive Summary
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.
Press Releases
TPI Study: Online Information Benefits Consumers
Commercial use of information on the Internet benefits consumers, according to a new study by TPI scholars Thomas Lenard and Paul Rubin. The new study examines the role of information in improving the ability of markets to deliver the goods and services individuals want.
Press Releases
Broadband Competition in the 21st Century: A Transatlantic Perspective
The debate over broadband policy transcends national boundaries and has become even more important in the current economic environment as the financial crisis leads the U.S. to include broadband in its economic stimulus efforts and the EU to consider something similar. Since the mid-1990s information and communications technologies have contributed substantially to economic growth, productivity improvements, and, thus, higher living standards on both sides of the Atlantic.
Press Releases
May 8th Event: ICANN at a Crossroads: Privatization, Reform, Both, or Neither?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) controls extremely important aspects of the Internet. Since 1998, it has operated under various agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The current agreement expires later this year. Before then, a public policy decision must be made about ICANN’s future. ICANN would like to be fully “privatized,” but that decision raises significant questions about ICANN’s structure, mission, and performance. Does ICANN’s governance structure provide sufficient accountability? If not, what type of structure would, and to whom should ICANN be accountable? How should reforms address ICANN’s status as a de facto regulator? How should reforms address the intellectual property issues associated with domain names? This conference will discuss these issues and a recent TPI study on the subject coauthored by TPI president Thomas Lenard and NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Lawrence J. White.