Despite the widespread use of social media by entrepreneurs and small businesses, little analysis has been performed regarding its effectiveness, state Technology Policy Institute’s Scott Wallsten and Corwin Rhyan in “Social Media and Entrepreneurship: The Case of Food Trucks.” To help shed light on this issue, the authors examine the relationship between the use of social media and internet services by mobile food truck operators and the truck’s ability to stay in business.
Press Releases
Event – The Evolving Media Landscape: What do the Data Show?
Digital channels for distribution create new opportunities for artists and content owners, but also new challenges in enforcing copyright and reducing piracy. How much of an impact does piracy have on the creative industries? Have past efforts to curb piracy been effective? This panel discussion will highlight findings from recent empirical research analyzing the impact of piracy on sales of copyrighted products and quantifying the effectiveness of both policy-based and market-based strategies for fighting piracy.
Event – Internet Economics in a Changing Video and Data Environment
Not many years ago policy debates focused almost exclusively on the “last-mile” broadband connection to consumers’ homes. Recent public disputes between Netflix and ISPs Comcast and Verizon, however, have highlighted the importance to the consumer’s online experience of peering arrangements, content delivery networks (CDNs), and other inner workings of the Internet. At the same time, the need to continue investing in the network to keep up with increasing demand has not diminished. This event will focus on the economics underlying the current controversies and how the web of peering agreements, CDNs, last-mile and backbone networks interact to keep both money and content flowing to where it is most needed.
Avoid Stifling “Big Data” Innovation
The familiar remedies often suggested to address perceived privacy issues are ill-suited to the world of big data and are potentially a serious barrier to much of the innovation we hope to see from the big data revolution, states Technology Policy Institute President Thomas Lenard in comments filed today with the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Establish “GSA” for Government Spectrum
A Government Spectrum Ownership Corporation (GSOC) should be established to lease spectrum to government agencies, much in the same way as the General Services Administration (GSA) does with real estate, explain Thomas Lenard and Lawrence White in comments filed today with the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The goal would be to provide incentives for government agencies to economize on spectrum use and free up spectrum for the private sector.
Registration Now Open for TPI Aspen Forum
Online registration is now open for the 2014 Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum, scheduled this year for August 17 – 19. The TPI Aspen Forum brings together leaders from business, government, and academia to discuss key public policy issues affecting information and communications technology. This year’s theme is, “Tech in Transition: Policy Challenges.”
Competition and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis should Drive FCC Policy
Promoting competition, entry, and experimentation with innovative business models should be the goal of an updated Telecommunications Act, states Technology Policy Institute’s Scott Wallsten in comments sent today to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee in response to their recent white paper. In order to achieve these goals, Wallsten urges the Committee to require the Federal Communications Commission to apply competition analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis to its decision making. In addition, Wallsten advises Congress to continue to support schemes for efficient and flexible uses of spectrum.
Event – The Future of Video Policy and Business Models
Traditional pay TV is beginning to lose subscribers. Wall Street analyst Craig Moffett called this past year pay TV’s “worst 12 month stretch ever.” At the same time, over-the-top providers, primarily Netflix, are growing quickly. Yet, not all analysts believe Netflix has the winning business model. New business models and threats to old business models dovetail with various efforts at policy reform in Washington, including debates over usage-based billing, Internet “signal importation,” and a la carte choices rather than bundles of channels. This conference will discuss these and other issues facing the video market.
Claim that Anonymization is Impossible Unsupported
The assertion in a recent petition by public interest groups that it is impossible to anonymize data does not stand up to scrutiny, states Technology Policy Institute President Thomas Lenard in comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The agency should not base any decisions on this faulty analysis, which could have broader implications beyond sharing of customer proprietary network information (CPNI).
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