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Showing results for:  “Dr. Miles”

Ajit Pai and Risk-Taking at the FCC

It would be impossible to describe Ajit Pai’s tenure as chair of the Federal Communications Commission as ordinary. Whether or not you thought his regulatory style or his policies were innovative, his relationship with the public has been singular for an FCC chair. His Reese’s mug, alone, has occupied more space in the American media ... Ajit Pai and Risk-Taking at the FCC

A Reflection on Commissioner Pai, Chairman Pai, and Public Service

Much of this symposium celebrates Ajit’s contributions as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and his accomplishments and leadership in that role. And rightly so. But Commissioner Pai, not just Chairman Pai, should also be recognized. I first met Ajit when we were both minority commissioners at our respective agencies: the FCC and Federal Trade ... A Reflection on Commissioner Pai, Chairman Pai, and Public Service

Pai’s Legacy of Progress in Closing the Rural Digital Divide

I was having a conversation recently with a fellow denizen of rural America, discussing how to create opportunities for academics studying the digital divide to get on-the-ground experience with the realities of rural telecommunications. He recounted a story from a telecom policy event in Washington, D.C., from not long ago. The story featured a couple ... Pai’s Legacy of Progress in Closing the Rural Digital Divide

Doublespeak in the Debate About Rural Broadband Buildout

As Thomas Sowell has noted many times, political debates often involve the use of words which if taken literally mean something very different than the connotations which are conveyed. Examples abound in the debate about broadband buildout.  There is a general consensus on the need to subsidize aspects of broadband buildout to rural areas in ... Doublespeak in the Debate About Rural Broadband Buildout

How Will the Application of Antitrust Law Change During the Coronavirus Crisis?

[TOTM: The following is part of a blog series by TOTM guests and authors on the law, economics, and policy of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The entire series of posts is available here. This post is authored by Steve Cernak, (Partner, Bona Law).] The antitrust laws have not been suspended during the current COVID-19 crisis. ... How Will the Application of Antitrust Law Change During the Coronavirus Crisis?

The Snobbery of Bashing Big Tech

In the spring of 1669 a “flying coach” transported six passengers from Oxford to London in a single day. Within a few years similar carriage services connected many major towns to the capital. “As usual,” Lord Macaulay wrote in his history of England, “many persons” were “disposed to clamour against the innovation, simply because it ... The Snobbery of Bashing Big Tech

The Amazon-Whole Foods merger: Natural and organic competition in the evolving grocery industry

What actually happened in the year following the merger is nearly the opposite: Competition among grocery stores has been more fierce than ever. “Offline” retailers are expanding — and innovating — to meet Amazon’s challenge, and many of them are booming. Disruption is never neat and tidy, but, in addition to saving Whole Foods from potential oblivion, the merger seems to have lit a fire under the rest of the industry. This result should not be surprising to anyone who understands the nature of the competitive process. But it does highlight an important lesson: competition often comes from unexpected quarters and evolves in unpredictable ways, emerging precisely out of the kinds of adversity opponents of the merger bemoaned.

George Mason University School of Law to be Renamed “Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University”

I am sharing the press release below: George Mason University receives $30 million in gifts, renames School of Law after Justice Antonin Scalia Largest combined gift in university’s history will support new scholarship programs Arlington, VA— George Mason University today announces pledges totaling $30 million to the George Mason University Foundation to support the School ... George Mason University School of Law to be Renamed “Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University”

FCC Majority Approves Anticompetitive Rulemaking that Would Reduce Efficiency in Video Programming and Lower Welfare

On February 18, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted three-to-two in favor of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) fancifully entitled “Expanding Consumers’ Video Navigation Choices, MB Docket No. 16-42; Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices, CS Docket No. 97-80”.  The NPRM, in the words of the FCC’s press release, will “create a framework for providing ... FCC Majority Approves Anticompetitive Rulemaking that Would Reduce Efficiency in Video Programming and Lower Welfare

Hazlett on the Apple e-books case: The Apple case is a throwback to Dr. Miles, and that’s not a good thing

The Apple e-books case is throwback to Dr. Miles, the 1911 Supreme Court decision that managed to misinterpret the economics of competition and so thwart productive activity for over a century. The active debate here at TOTM reveals why. The District Court and Second Circuit have employed a per se rule to find that the ... Hazlett on the Apple e-books case: The Apple case is a throwback to Dr. Miles, and that’s not a good thing

Swimming Against the Tide: The FTC’s Misguided Antagonism to Health Care Integration

There is a consensus in America that we need to control health care costs and improve the delivery of health care. After a long debate on health care reform and careful scrutiny of health care markets, there seems to be agreement that the unintegrated, “siloed approach” to health care is inefficient, costly, and contrary to ... Swimming Against the Tide: The FTC’s Misguided Antagonism to Health Care Integration

A New Kingsbury Commitment: Universal Service through Competition?

For those in the DC area interested in telecom regulation, there is another great event opportunity coming up next week. Join TechFreedom on Thursday, December 19, the 100th anniversary of the Kingsbury Commitment, AT&T’s negotiated settlement of antitrust charges brought by the Department of Justice that gave AT&T a legal monopoly in most of the U.S. in ... A New Kingsbury Commitment: Universal Service through Competition?