Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai raised an important issue when he decried the incomprehensible state of our rural universal service funding in a speech and op-ed article in Nebraska. However, despite claiming that “The Internet is the greatest free-market innovation in history”… Pai eschews free-market principles in his proposal to modernize the rural universal service subsidy program to promote broadband Internet access.
Miscellaneous
Aspen Forum Registration Discount Extended through July 4th Weekend
Discounted registration for the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum has been extended through Tuesday, July 7th to accommodate the upcoming holiday weekend. The discount of $500 off the regular registration fee is available for industry and trade association attendees.
TPI Aspen Forum Panel: Whose Rules? Internet Regulations in a Global Economy
With virtually every country, regional group, and intergovernmental organization focusing on promoting and regulating aspects of the Internet, the tech industry is often faced with differing rules and attitudes towards privacy, antitrust, net neutrality and other regulatory issues affecting internet platforms. Will the results be the death of the internet economy by a thousand, well-intentioned governmental acts, or a safer, more globally accepted internet world? The discussion panel “Whose Rules? Internet Regulations in a Global Economy” at the 2015 TPI Aspen Forum, will focus on the practical issues facing companies, governments, and others trying to work in or regulate an environment with constantly changing technologies and services, as well as increasingly complex and often conflicting rules and policies.
TPI Aspen Forum Opening Panel: Fall and Rise of the Regulatory State
Today’s policymakers, particularly in the technology space, seem to favor preemptive interventions consistent with the “precautionary principle” of regulation. This holds that it is better to prevent problems before they happen but eschews cost-benefit analysis when creating rules. In contrast, previous academic research documenting regulatory costs led to a loosening of regulatory regimes. What accounts for the newfound infatuation with the regulatory state? An all-star panel of academics will discuss this shift in attitudes towards the regulatory state and its possible consequences during the opening session: “Fall and Rise of the Regulatory State” at this year’s TPI Aspen Forum.
Event – Innovation, Regulation, and the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy
The European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy is intended to break down the numerous barriers to cross-border online activity that currently exist in the European Union. The proposal covers a broad array of policies, including harmonizing EU rules for online purchases of goods, improving cross-border parcel delivery, integrating telecommunications regulation, and reducing burdens of different VAT regimes. While many of these proposals do not seem controversial – at least on this side of the Atlantic – some require closer scrutiny. For example, the strategy document includes a section on online platforms, reflecting the support of some officials for a general regulatory framework for “essential digital platforms.” In addition, the Commission is launching in tandem with the Digital Single Market Strategy a competition law inquiry in the e-commerce area.
Ridesharing Services Improve Traditional Taxi Service
Competition introduced by the rising popularity of ridesharing services, such as Uber, is improving the consumer experience of both ridesharing and traditional taxicabs users, explains Scott Wallsten in “The Competitive Effects of the Sharing Economy: How is Uber Changing Taxis?” released today by the Technology Policy Institute.
Nomi Enforcement will Not Improve Consumer Welfare
“From a public policy perspective, the goal of the FTC’s enforcement actions should be to maximize net social benefits,” explains Thomas Lenard, Technology Policy Institute President and Senior Fellow, in comments filed today with the Federal Trade Commission. “In the case of Nomi Technologies, the Commission failed to show that its Consent Agreement will yield any net benefits. Indeed, it is questionable whether the Agreement will yield any benefits at all.”