Posts by Thomas M. Lenard
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.
The future of the Internet is mobile. Therefore it is not surprising that a main goal of the Federal Communications Commission’s long-awaited National Broadband Plan is to increase the availability of electromagnetic spectrum–“the oxygen of mobile broadband service,” as FCC Chairman Genachowski put it in a recent speech. What is surprising is that the FCC’s current recommendation focuses on broadcasters and gives short shrift to what is potentially the largest source of additional spectrum–which is now occupied by the federal government.
These comments supplement those that I submitted in response to the Commission‟s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Preserving the Open Internet during the initial comment period.2 The purpose of these reply comments is to address the recommendation of several public interest groups to reclassify broadband as a Title II service subject to traditional common carrier regulation.3 Press reports suggest that the Commission is seriously considering implementing this recommendation
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.
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.�