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.
Press Releases
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.
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.
Op-ed: Broadband Bombshell
Spectrum currently held by the Federal government could potentially be the largest source of additional spectrum for broadband, write TPI President Thomas Lenard, TPI Research Associate James Riso, and NYU Professor Lawrence White in Broadband Bombshell, an opinion piece published by Forbes.com. In the piece, the authors suggest agencies should be charged market-oriented rents for the spectrum to create incentives to consider the opportunity costs of the spectrum that they occupy.
Registration Now Open for TPI’s Aspen Forum
Registration is now open for the Technology Policy Institute’s first annual Aspen Forum, scheduled this year for August 22nd – 24th. TPI’s Aspen Forum will bring together leaders from business, government, and academia in a relaxed, informal setting to discuss and debate the key public policy issues surrounding information and communications technology. This year’s theme, “Innovation and Critical Policy Choices: Is the United States Losing its Edge?” will guide the keynote speeches, workshops and panels on a variety of topics.
TPI/Georgetown Event – The FCC’s National Broadband Plan: The Early Reaction
The Technology Policy Institute and the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy are hosting a half-day event on March 23rd on the FCC’s newly announced National Broadband Plan. Experts from industry, academia and government will share their reaction to the Plan in two panel discussions focusing on the effects of the Plan on both investment and broadband penetration. The event will feature a keynote from Blair Levin, Executive Director of the FCC’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative.
Complexity of Meaningful Use Rule Threatens to Slow Adoption of Health Information Technology
The definition of “meaningful use” of electronic health records proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS)should be simplified, according to comments submitted to CMS by TPI senior fellow Arlene Holen. The complex and evolving definition of meaningful use could slow investment in electronic systems, contrary to the intent of the $14 billion to $27 billion in federal incentive payments to health care providers in the economic stimulus legislation, Holen asserted.
Smorodin Joins TPI as VP of Communications
The Technology Policy Institute announced today that Amy Smorodin will join the organization as Vice President for Communications and External Relations effective March 15.
Reclassifying Broadband as Title II Service Wrong Way to Go
TPI President Thomas Lenard urged the FCC not to reclassify broadband as a Title II service, as the agency reportedly is considering. Such a step, he wrote in comments submitted to the FCC, would “adversely affect innovation, investment, and consumer welfare, and would undermine the Commission’s goal of extending broadband penetration, particularly to underserved populations.” Lenard said his “earlier comments on the Open Internet NPRM apply even more strongly to the proposal to reclassify broadband as a Title II service.”