The Technology Policy Institute’s 2012 Aspen Forum will be held August 19 – 21 at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado.
Miscellaneous
Online Activities Crowding Out Socializing, Relaxing
Online leisure time is beginning to crowd out other, offline activities such as socializing, relaxing and watching traditional television, finds Scott Wallsten in “What Are We Not Doing When We’re Online?” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. Leisure time spent watching online video appears to be taking the place of traditional television viewing, albeit not rapidly or as ubiquitously as some have claimed. In addition, younger people are rapidly abandoning email and replacing it with texting and social networking applications.
CAF Should Incorporate Cost-Effectiveness in Subsidy Distribution
The proposed Connect America Fund intended to provide broadband to high-cost areas should abandon a cost-based approach in favor of a value-based approach in which subsidies depend on whether the incremental benefits are worth the cost, argues Scott Wallsten in “How to Create a More Efficient CAF by Incorporating Demand and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis,” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. A cost-effectiveness analysis focused on willingness to pay and incremental effects can ensure the CAF is more efficient than the current universal service high-cost fund.
The Role of Government in Promoting R&D, Testimony before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Senator Hatch, and members of the Committee for inviting me to testify here today. My name is Scott Wallsten, and I am vice president for research and senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute as well as a senior policy fellow at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy.
Permanent Tax Credit Needed to Boost Research and Development
Government funding for research and development should focus on activities that would not happen otherwise to avoid crowding out private sources of funding, stated Scott Wallsten in testimony today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. During the hearing, “Tax Reform Options: Incentives for Innovation,” Wallsten suggested that a permanent tax credit for qualified R&D would help stimulate additional innovation in the private sector.
TPI Aspen Forum Videos Now Available
Webcasts are now available of the discussion panels and keynote speakers at the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum. TPI’s Aspen Forum brought together notable representatives from business, government, and academia in a relaxed, informal setting to discuss and debate the key public policy issues surrounding information and communications technology.