Miscellaneous

Barry Diller’s new Aereo venture may turn out to be the ultimate Catch-22. Aereo is possible only because of the existence of broadcast television, but broadcasters view it as a threat and have warned that they may stop broadcasting. If that happens, broadcast television and Aereo could both cease to exist.

This is in response to ICANN’s request for comments on the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) Beijing Communique of 11 April 2013. The GAC Communique recommends that ICANN implement a range of regulations (which the GAC calls “safeguards”) for all new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) covering areas ranging from malware to piracy to trademark and copyright infringement. The GAC proposes specific safeguards for regulated and professional sectors covering areas as diverse as privacy and security, consumer protection, fair lending and organic farming. Finally, the GAC proposes a “public interest” requirement for approval of new “exclusive registry access” gTLDs.

The Technology Policy Institute and the Progressive Policy Institute will host a luncheon discussion on tax reform and simplification on May 7th from 11:45am to 1:15pm.

In the midst of juggling paperwork and forms during tax season it’s tempting to imagine a world where your income tax forms spontaneously appear in your mailbox or inbox, filled out by the good graces of the IRS, ready for signature, free of charge. Return-free filing is touted in a recent piece by ProPublica and NPR, which makes the case that Americans could be spared needless frustration, anxiety and paperwork were it not for the lobbying efforts of Intuit, maker of TurboTax, and the pernicious influence of anti-tax activists. Unfortunately, the facts tell a different story and return-free filing advocates rest their case on a number of fallacies.

The Federal Communication Commission’s recent Mobility Fund Phase 1 Auction should be considered a “qualified success,” illustrating that reverse auctions and cost-effectiveness measures can be efficient ways to distribute Universal Service subsidies, explains Scott Wallsten in “Two Cheers for the FCC’s Mobility Fund Reverse Auction,” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. However, in order to address possible issues with future reverse auctions, the Commission should consider analyzing auction eligibility requirements, how it evaluates bids, and using different auction designs to discourage strategic bidding.

Individual operators of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) should determine if registration policies should be “open” or “closed,” recommends Technology Policy Institute President Thomas Lenard in comments filed with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Leaving the decision to the operator allows experimentation and innovation in business models and promotes flexibility, making it easier to allocate gTLDs to the highest-valued use as business models or economic conditions change.

Robert W. Crandall, one of the most prominent industrial organization economists working today, has joined the Technology Policy Institute as an Adjunct Senior Fellow. “Bob has done fundamental research in telecommunications, antitrust and other areas of regulatory policy,” said TPI president Tom Lenard. “We are extremely pleased he is joining us.”