Silicon Valley in the Crosshairs of Regulation

The inquiry will need to determine whether these deals were made for legitimate purposes (such as increasing efficiency and product quality) or for illegitimate ones, such as stifling budding competitors to better control markets. Now that the blush is off the tech rose, this is going to be an interesting inquiry.  

February 13, 2020 0

Shane and Richard on Dominant Platforms and Market Power

So we have a number of issues that may or may not be lawful but are pretty clearly unfair and anti-competitive. What’s Congress going to do about platform power and competition? This question remains to be answered, but the podcast suggests a good way for it to start. 

January 23, 2020 0

With Friends Like Google…

A tip for the politicians of the future who want to address the markets for information and influence: don’t forget to buy your Google Ad Words or you’ll never get elected.

January 14, 2020 0

5G and the Zero Trust Security Model

More than anything, we need network components that are inexpensive and capable of taking part in a comprehensive system of self-checking. We’re more likely to get such a system by building it collaboratively. 

January 3, 2020 0

Milestone for Deregulated Internet Service

Global Internet Use 2019

Net neutrality is an odd issues because it correctly identifies some problems that do take place on the Internet – blocking, throttling, and leveraging platform dominance – while attributing them to the wrong parties. I

December 10, 2019 0

Botched Research on Broadband Investment

To the extent that advocates have praised the Hooton study, they have done so by taking its claims at face value without examining the methodology or by simply expressing glee that Hooton got the “right answer” that comports with their project.

November 20, 2019 0

Wired Trolls 5G Security

Today’s Internet-based tech press is more concerned with monetizing than websites than with imparting good information. Perhaps this is simply the way media is nowadays, but the tendency to exaggerate seems to be amplified when the press addresses the Internet itself.

November 14, 2019 0

Local Muni Broadband Measure Squeaking By

Contrary to popular myth, Colorado is not witnessing a taxpayer revolt against commercial broadband. A number of cities and counties has seized the authority from the state to build broadband networks through regular election ballot measures, but few have proceeded to build anything.

November 7, 2019 0

The Music Man Comes to Lakewood

Fellman, a veritable Music Man, sold the Council on the ballot measure by conjuring various extremely vague partnerships with private companies to serve various unspecified projects.

October 30, 2019 0

DC Circuit Passes the Baton to Congress

I don’t think Congress is ready to regulate any of these things, but it needs to admit we have a problem and commit do the background work on solving it.

October 2, 2019 0