While policymakers focus on driving residential broadband adoption as a key factor in economic recovery and growth, little research supports claims that such policies can have short-term economic effects, explains Scott Wallsten in “The Future of Digital Communications Research and Policy.” To assist policymakers, researchers should focus on the effects of broadband use in business to measure how the technology will impact productivity and, ultimately, in what ways it will shape the economy. The piece was first published in “The Future of Digital Communications: Policy Perspectives,” a collection of essays sponsored by Time Warner Cable, and will be published in the forthcoming volume of the Federal Communications Law Journal.
Broadband
High-speed data connections, or broadband, are critical to the economy. Our work on broadband covers a wide range of topics, including the digital divide, wireline and wireless provision, spectrum, net neutrality, competition, and more.
Satellite Broadband: Line-of-Sight, Not Out of Mind
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) estimates that firms would need subsidies totaling…
Wireless and Spectrum Issues Explored at Aspen Forum
The explosive growth in smartphone use, emerging 4G networks, and the tantalizing possibility of wireless broadband as a substitute for wireline broadband have brought spectrum issues to the front of telecom debates. The Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum will feature a roundtable discussion on spectrum and wireless topics such as the growing scope of wireless industries and competition in those areas, how to clear spectrum as called for by the National Broadband Plan, and how the U.S. and other countries are meeting growing challenges facing wireless. The session is one of three off-the-record discussions scheduled at the TPI Aspen Forum, to be held August 22 – 24 at the St. Regis in Aspen, Colorado.
Effective Broadband Adoption Solutions Discussed at Aspen Forum
A recent Federal Communications Commission report found that between 14 and 24 million people lack access to broadband. What are the best ways to expand access to unserved or underserved communities? What similar programs have been successful in the past? What are the most promising new ideas? How can the government encourage broadband deployment and adoption in these communities? Two leading technology experts who have been active in this area will discuss these questions and how they are addressed in the National Broadband Plan in the session, “Serving the Underserved: What Are the Best Ways to Do It?” at the TPI Aspen Forum, scheduled for August 22nd -24th.
An Economic Overview of the Implications for Online Video of the Proposed Comcast-NBCU Transaction
An Economic Overview of the Implications for Online Video of the Proposed Comcast-NBCU Transaction
President Obama’s Spectrum Announcement
The Obama Administration announced last week that it is adopting as Administration…
Aspen Forum to Explore What’s Next for Broadband Policy
Promoting broadband has become a top priority for policymakers hoping it will spur innovation and economic growth. How will new proposals, from the National Broadband Plan to regulatory reclassification affect broadband deployment, adoption and investment? What would be the impact of extending Universal Service Funds to broadband? Is wireless a viable substitute for wireline broadband? How will new pricing models affect the broadband ecosystem? What is the prospect for a re-write of the Communications Act? These issues will be explored at the TPI Aspen Forum discussion panel entitled “Whither Broadband Policy? The FCC, Congress, and the Courts.”
The FCC Tries to Find Its Way
Three months after the Comcast decision the FCC issued a Notice of…
The FCC’s New Wireless Competition Report: The Right Way to Look at the Industry
“If we had any more innovation [in wireless] I think our heads…
The National Broadband Plan: Economics, Politics and Policy
The Technology Policy Institute and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research have released the complete agenda for “The National Broadband Plan: Economics, Politics and Policy,” a full-day conference scheduled for June 9th at Stanford University. The conference will feature a keynote luncheon address by ICANN President and CEO, Rod Beckstrom, former Director of the National Cybersecurity Center and successful tech entrepreneur.