Technology & Society
Getting cheaper and better cable services to consumers has been difficult because the laws governing the sector have proved tough to change. This week, officials in two states announced key decisions that may significantly change the terms of the debate.
There’s a policy issue before Congress so pressing that even Hollywood actors like former “Charmed” star Alyssa Milano are blogging about it. It’s called “Net neutrality,” and its purpose is to control what network owners can charge for their services.
Below is the press release announcing a study I just co-authored on cable franchise issues. I’m reproducing the entire release below b/c it’s a good summary of the paper and why you should read it. New Study says Consumers are
About a month ago, a bi-partisan group of senators released a statement supporting cable franchise reform. Now key members of the House of Representatives appear to agree. At this rate, consumers might actually see national reform that will slash cable
The recent news that AT&T made a deal to acquire BellSouth has elicited two reactions: one, an assumption that communications prices will go up; and the other, an assumption that prices will go down. It’s always tough to predict exactly
Some members of Congress want to tax the Internet, and they’re trying to do it under the guise of “telecom reform.” That’s a trick Americans won’t like. It’s time to send Washington a message, loud and clear: hands off the
For those who think their cable bills are soaring to all-time highs, it might be reassuring to know that a bipartisan group of U.S. senators agree. At a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing, members pondered the reasons for the rate
Recently, there’s been a lot of chatter about the openness of the Internet being under attack. While the Net is indeed facing a threat, it’s not the one that some pundits make it out to be. Read more about the
After a year of heading in the right direction, the California Public Utilities Commission veered off course last week when Commissioner Dian Grueneich initiated a dangerous move towards old command-and-control regulation. Grueneich claimed to be staking out a middle ground
JiWire says that San Francisco has 801 public hotspots — more than anywhere else in the US. The Chron’s Ryan Kim wrote a news piece about it today. I hope the mayor reads it.
San Francisco supervisor Chris Daly is holding a hearing today “to discuss how the City can have a more consumer-driven rather than tech industry-driven process for establishing a TechConnect network in San Francisco.” If you’d like to testify, the hearing
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rocked the political world recently with the appointment of Susan Kennedy, Democrat and Public Utilities Commissioner (PUC) as his chief of staff. Republicans might feel snubbed, but Kennedy’s appointment is good for the technology sector. A
The city of New Orleans announced it will offer “free” WiFi over a network it deploys and owns. Everyone knows that “free” is not really free, making this one more disaster to add to the city’s woes. Using taxpayer dollars
Mayor Gavin Newsom has been pushing the idea of “free WiFi” in San Francisco, but it would be anything but free. The Mayor’s play to grant special status to only one WiFi provider in San Francisco would essentially create a
In a move that makes Jim Carrey’s character in “The Cable Guy” look angelic, the California Cable and Telecommunications Association (CCTA) recently circulated a letter to Sacramento lawmakers in an attempt to scare them into protecting cable’s dominant video market
Should high-speed Internet access continue to develop in the marketplace, or should government bureaucrats take over? In this national debate, Americans need to consider how political management of key services often results in disaster, as in the aftermath of Hurricane
Revolutionary innovation and competition have shaken up the telecommunications sector, prompting at least three important mergers. Government officials who set the rules of the game are now faced with key decisions that will affect the future of communications in America.
Gavin Newsom, San Francisco’s controversial mayor, was in the spotlight again this week as he and his staff contemplated which lucky company will get the rights to provide WiFi access around the city. The real question is, why is government
San Francisco and a number of other cities are considering getting into the broadband business, but that would be a disaster for consumers, small business, and communities. Read the Municipal Broadband Compact here and PRI’s comments to SF city here.
Chinese officials recently announced they will no longer consider death tolls and other relevant information about natural disasters to be state secrets. On the same day, China Telecom blocked Internet phone service from Skype. That left observers wondering whether freedom