UPCOMING EVENTS
Music Licensing: Innovations for Modern Times
Hosted by TPI and NYU Law
June 17, 2016
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Greenberg Lounge, Vanderbilt Hall
40 Washington Square South
New York, New York
Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum
August 21 – August 23, 2016
St. Regis Aspen Resort
Aspen, Colorado
STUDIES AND COMMENTARY
Comments: Filed with the Federal Communications Commission – An Economic Analysis of the FCC’s Privacy Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
by Thomas M. Lenard and Scott J. Wallsten
May 25, 2016
The FCC has not demonstrated why internet service providers should operate under a stricter privacy regime than other firms that use consumer data for commercial purposes. In addition, the Commission’s proposed rules would reduce competition in both digital advertising and broadband markets, and increase broadband costs for consumers.
Comments: Filed with the Federal Communications Commission in the Matter of Ligado’s Modification Applications
by Thomas M. Lenard
May 19, 2016
The FCC should approve the license modifications for Ligado’s mobile-satellite service networks, which represent a significant block of spectrum that can quickly be deployed.
Comments: Filed with the Federal Communications Commission in the Matter of Expanding Consumers’ Video Navigation Choices; Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices
by Scott J. Wallsten
April 19, 2016
The FCC offers no economic rationale to justify its proposal to impose new regulations on the set-top box market. Specifically, the Commission fails to explain why they believe, despite clear evidence to the contrary, that the video delivery or the set-top box markets are not competitive. The NPRM also shows no evidence of consumer harm and no evidence that consumers would be better off under its proposed rules.
Paper: Website Blocking Revisited: The Effect of the UK November 2014 Blocks on Consumer Behavior
by Michael D. Smith, Brett Danaher and Rahul Telang
April 13, 2016
Evidence suggests that blocking large numbers of sites can still “move the dial” in terms of consumer behavior, but that there may be diminishing returns as remaining pirates may be more dispersed or else have lower willingness to pay for legal content.
Paper: Learning from the FCC’s Lifeline Broadband Pilot Projects
by Scott J. Wallsten
March 23, 2016
Evidence from the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband Lifeline pilot studies demonstrate the difficulty of encouraging non-subscribers to join the network. Without careful attention to this issue, subsidies for broadband provided by the Lifeline program will likely go to those who already subscribe to broadband service, suggesting the program will do little to close the digital divide.
Op-Ed: Supreme Court shows the way on privacy regulations
by Thomas M. Lenard
Published in The Hill
May 27, 2016
Op-Ed: Europe is an Antitrust Outlier
by Thomas M. Lenard
Published in The Hill
April 27, 2016
Op-Ed: Brussels’ Misguided Campaign against Competition
by Thomas M. Lenard
Published in Morning Consult
April 7, 2016
RECENT EVENTS
Event: The FCC’s Privacy Proposal: Help or Hindrance?
April 11, 2016
On April 11, TPI hosted a discussion on the Federal Communication Commission’s notice of proposed rulemaking on regulation of the use of data collected by internet service providers. Speakers at the event discussed: comparisons with the Federal Trade Commission approach, the need for economic and cost-benefit analysis, whether the proposal matches consumer expectations regarding privacy and data collection, and the effectiveness of translating rules intended for Consumer Propriety Network Information collected by telephone networks to broadband providers. A highlight reel of the event can be found here and video of the full discussion can be found here.
Event: ITNX Academic Workshop
TPI’s Scott Wallsten was a moderator at the ITNX Academic Workshop, held May 16-17. The event was organized by Silicon Flatirons and the Massachusetts Institute for Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. More information on the agenda can be found here.
BLOG POSTS
No, The NTIA’s Survey Data Do Not Show a “Tipping Point” in Behavior Due to Privacy Concerns
by Scott J. Wallsten
May 15, 2016
Research Roundup 3: The Research Awakens
by Brandon Silberstein
May 4, 2016
Website Blocking Revisited
by Michael D. Smith
April 14, 2016
