Digital Platforms Aren’t Telecoms and Their Regulations Shouldn’t Rhyme
Modern tech markets share several key economic characteristics with the telecommunications markets of the recent past, a new working paper from Georgetown Law’s Jonathan Nuechterlein and Howard Shelanski argues. And while telecom regulators have over the years sought to address these key issues of network effects, economies of scale, and switching costs through various interventions, ... Digital Platforms Aren’t Telecoms and Their Regulations Shouldn’t Rhyme
Lutnick’s BEAD Pivot: Progress Through Pragmatism
The U.S. Commerce Department plans to revamp the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program with a shift toward a more technology-neutral approach, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced yesterday, adding that his department is also exploring ways to cut the program’s red tape. Lutnick’s announcement follows criticisms of BEAD’s initial focus on fiber-optic ... Lutnick’s BEAD Pivot: Progress Through Pragmatism
Media-Ownership Regulations in a Streaming World: Time to Change the Channel
Today’s media landscape bears little resemblance to the one that existed when most existing broadcast and cable regulations were created. While consumers increasingly access video content through streaming platforms subject to minimal oversight, legacy media providers continue to operate under restrictive regulatory frameworks designed for a bygone era. This regulatory asymmetry creates economic inefficiencies and ... Media-Ownership Regulations in a Streaming World: Time to Change the Channel
Video Competition in 2025: It’s Literally on Heebee
If you’re of a certain age, you remember the old days of watching TV. Over the antenna, you could get the three major networks, PBS and, in larger markets, perhaps some independent channels—some of which would begin airing programming from the new Fox network in 1986. If you made enough money, you could get a ... Video Competition in 2025: It’s Literally on Heebee
Law & Order: Affordable Broadband Edition
New York State lawmakers decided in 2021 to take a swing at making internet service more affordable with the state’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA). The law says that internet providers in New York must offer low-income subscribers two plans: A basic plan with at least 25 Mbps download speeds for no more than $15 a ... Law & Order: Affordable Broadband Edition
NTIA’s BEAD Technology Guidance: In Search of a Bang for the Buck
Created as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is supposed to provide $42.45 billion to U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia to help with broadband planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption—all overseen by ... NTIA’s BEAD Technology Guidance: In Search of a Bang for the Buck
The T-Mobile/UScellular Transaction: Can a Merger Increase Competition?
Last year, T-Mobile announced its intention to enter into a transaction with UScellular. The deal would include acquiring UScellular’s wireless operations, including its wireless customers and stores, as well as select spectrum assets. In addition, T-Mobile would enter into a long-term agreement to lease space on more than 2,000 UScellular towers. Valued at $4.4 billion ... The T-Mobile/UScellular Transaction: Can a Merger Increase Competition?
Title I for All: Time to Modernize America’s Outdated Telecommunications Rules
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision striking down the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) latest net-neutrality rules did more than just settle a decades-long debate about broadband regulation; it also exposed a fundamental flaw in the United States’ approach to communications policy. In a nutshell, the issue is that we treat traditional telephone ... Title I for All: Time to Modernize America’s Outdated Telecommunications Rules
The Year in Telecom: A Hootenanny Roundup
They say that when you’re raising kids, the days drag on, but the years fly by. The same could be said for this year in telecom policy. In 2024, the telecommunications industry faced a whirlwind of regulatory changes, legal challenges, and more than its fair share of fire drills without a fire. Let’s use this ... The Year in Telecom: A Hootenanny Roundup
Forced Sharing: Stepping Stones or Stumbling Blocks?
Recent headlines about the U.S. Justice Department’s (DOJ) antitrust case targeting Google Search echo a familiar policy script. In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Thomas Lenard and Scott Wallsten warn that forcing Google to share its technology could undermine innovation—a lesson they say we should have learned from telecommunications policy decades ago. In 1996, ... Forced Sharing: Stepping Stones or Stumbling Blocks?
What Project 2025 Can Tell Us About Brendan Carr’s FCC Priorities
My high-school-aged son came home from school the day after Election Day in distress. His history teacher spent the entire class listing the Parade of Horribles in Project 2025 and its dire consequences for the United States. I asked my son, “Project 2025 is more than 900 pages. Do you think your teacher read it?” ... What Project 2025 Can Tell Us About Brendan Carr’s FCC Priorities
FCC’s New Satellite Rules: Sharing Is Caring
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September, SpaceX provided a masterclass in public relations by handing out thousands of Starlink satellite-broadband kits, waiving monthly fees, and enabling emergency alerts over cellular networks in affected areas. Not only did the effort generate significant goodwill for the company, but it also demonstrated that satellite technology can ... FCC’s New Satellite Rules: Sharing Is Caring
