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OTI’s Broadband Map Could Be Useful If They Understood Their Data

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Introduction The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative (OTI) recently released a report titled, “The United States of Broadband Map: Mapping the Gulf Between What ISPs Report and Actual Internet Speeds.” OTI introduces the map: “Are people getting the internet speeds they pay for? Our new map finds a surprising gulf between what ISPs report and actual internet speeds.” The map compares the median bandwidth consumers receive in a given area to the speeds ISPs report to the FCC as being available. Their thesis seems to be that people generally […]

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“Big Tech and Antitrust: A Discussion With Randal Picker” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast TranscriptEpisode 020: “Big Tech and Antitrust: A Discussion With Randal Picker”Recorded on: July 16, 2019 Randal Picker is the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, Senior Fellow at the Computation Institute of the University of Chicago Argonne National Laboratory, and affiliate faculty with the Coase-Sandor Institute for Law and Economics. Professor Picker currently teaches classes at the Law School in Secured Transactions and Antitrust and a seminar on antitrust and intellectual property policy. In prior years, Professor […]

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Huawei: Security Risk, Bargaining Chip or Both?

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A recent Gizmodo headline poses the question everyone seems to be asking lately, “Wait, What the Hell Is Going on With Huawei Now?” In an apparent policy reversal, President Trump said U.S. companies may be able to sell at least some software and components to the Chinese telecom equipment and electronics giant, despite the recent ban on such activity.  Details remain murky, but administration officials suggested later that only general-purpose products which pose no security threats are on the list. Trump’s remarks came shortly after he met with Chinese President […]

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“What’s the Answer to the C-Band Conundrum?” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast TranscriptEpisode 019: “What’s the Answer to the C-Band Conundrum?”Recorded on: June 5, 2019 Panel event recorded on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, at TPI Conference Center, 409 12th Street, SW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20024. To maximize spectrum’s value, it must be able to transition to new uses as technologies emerge. The C-Band includes 500 MHz of particularly desirable spectrum between 3.7 and 4.2 GHz that is currently allocated for satellite use. Given fast-growing wireless use and emerging 5G technologies, there is […]

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Are eSports Winning the Content War?

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What does Netflix CEO Reed Hastings worry about? Hulu, Amazon, or Disney’s streaming service? Netflix is competing for a limited resource: people’s leisure time. Unfortunately for Hastings, that competition can come from anywhere. A potential new competitor for that time has burst onto the scene: eSports, or competitive video gaming, is growing quickly. Netflix has taken notice- in a 2017 shareholders’ report, Netflix noted that it lost more viewers to the game Fortnite than to HBO. eSports aren’t only driving parents of young gamers crazy, the industry is rapidly growing, […]

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“The Costs and Benefits of Banning Huawei” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast TranscriptEpisode 018: “The Costs and Benefits of Banning Huawei”Recorded on: April 9, 2019 Panel Recording: TPI hosted a panel of experts on April 9, 2019 in Washington, D.C. to discuss technical concerns and the costs and benefits of banning Huawei from U.S. telecommunications markets. Experts from the National Defense University, George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, Virginia Tech, the New America Foundation and Politico participated in the discussion. The panel took place from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm at 409 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC […]

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“Tyler Cowen and Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast TranscriptEpisode 017: “Tyler Cowen and Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero”Recorded on: May 2, 2019 Scott Wallsten: 00:00 Hi, and welcome back to TPI’s podcast, Two Think Minimum. It’s Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 and I’m Scott Wallsten, President and Senior Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute. Today we’re excited to talk with Tyler Cowen about his new book entitled Big Business, A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero. Among other things, Tyler is the New York Times bestselling author of The Great Stagnation […]

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Infrastructure Bill Needs Reverse Auctions and Evaluations for Cost-Effective Results

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New talk of a $2 trillion national infrastructure bill may be aspirational, but if the Trump-Pelosi-Schumer troika can take the time to push “pause” on the verbal missiles aimed at each other, then maybe we should pay attention. Last year, President Trump included rural broadband access in his infrastructure plan, and it remains part of the discussion. We at the Technology Policy Institute are on high alert. If broadband is included, we want it to be done the right way. As we said last June, any rural broadband infrastructure programs […]

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“Blockchains and Cryptocurrencies” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast TranscriptEpisode 016: “Blockchains and Cryptocurrencies: Privacy, Regulatory Certainty, and Innovation”Recorded on: March 15, 2019 Panel Recording: Blockchain 201: Policy Questions for 2019, 12:30 – 2:00 PM, Capitol Visitors Center, First Street, NE, CVC – Congressional Meeting Room North (CVC 268), Washington, DC 20515.  Blockchain and cryptocurrency experts discussed their 2019 policy priorities at a recent luncheon on Capitol Hill on March 15, 2019 hosted by the Technology Policy Institute in conjunction with the Blockchain Caucus. Scott Wallsten: 00:00:00 Thank you all for coming. Thank you to […]

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Costs and Benefits of Banning Huawei

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TPI recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the costs and benefits of banning Huawei equipment from telecommunications networks, particularly new 5G networks. Huawei has become the leading global manufacturer of networking equipment, with Nokia and Ericsson trailing behind, although its share of the U.S. market is much smaller. Huawei also manufactures handsets and software platforms, raising concerns that its influence in 5G networks around the world could become a powerful asset for Chinese industrial policy. Our five key takeaways from the event are: The underlying issues Huawei and […]

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