Showing archive for: “Law Politics & the Media”
Truth Markets and Their Discontents
Markets might be able to price truth. Whether anyone wants to buy it is another question. In a recent post, we looked at a small cluster of systems that try to use markets to correct misinformation. Start with a simple analogy: bad information is a kind of pollution, a familiar problem in law & economics. ... Truth Markets and Their Discontents
100% Guaranteed (Not a Guarantee): Putting a Price on Truth
In a seventh-season episode of The Simpsons, Bart tunes in to the Impulse Buying Network and spends $350 on an animation cel from The Itchy & Scratchy Show. As part of the pitch, an IBN huckster proclaims: “Each one is absolutely positively 100% guaranteed to increase in value!” An immediate disclaimer follows: “not a guarantee.” ... 100% Guaranteed (Not a Guarantee): Putting a Price on Truth
Speech, Section 5, and Some Curious Scribbling: A First Amendment Story
The line between regulating conduct and regulating speech can be thin—and sometimes, suspiciously convenient. Last week, my International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) colleagues Ben Sperry and Jeff Westling published a post here at Truth on the Market titled “The FCC’s Sleeping Power over the Press.” It’s not about antitrust, but it’s well worth ... Speech, Section 5, and Some Curious Scribbling: A First Amendment Story
The FCC’s Sleeping Power Over the Press
The Trump administration says it wants to end federal censorship. Its recent statements suggest something else. In the executive order “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” the White House asserted: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, an amendment essential to the success of our Republic, enshrines the right of the American ... The FCC’s Sleeping Power Over the Press
The 65-Year-Old Law That Still Shapes How You Watch Sports
Earlier this month, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr asked a pointed question: what happens to local broadcasting if live sports keep migrating to streaming platforms? In a public notice, the FCC seeks comment on sports-broadcasting practices and market developments. The agency focuses on the growing shift of live sports from national broadcast networks ... The 65-Year-Old Law That Still Shapes How You Watch Sports
The FCC Still Thinks You Have Rabbit Ears
Federal video regulation still treats broadcast, cable, and streaming as separate worlds. Consumers do not. The gap between how the law classifies video services and how people actually watch them is widening, and it increasingly distorts competition across the modern media marketplace. Last week, the International Center for Law and Economics (ICLE) hosted a panel ... The FCC Still Thinks You Have Rabbit Ears
The Platform in Your Living Room
Over the last few decades, antitrust scholars and practitioners have scrutinized the role of platforms—particularly intermediaries—in the internet economy. Many intermediary platforms also compete in the markets they facilitate. That dual role raises familiar concerns about self-preferencing and the risk that a firm may advantage its own products or services. Regulators have focused primarily on ... The Platform in Your Living Room
Netflix, WBD, and the Myth of the Streaming Monopoly
The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) assets by Netflix is already being cast as a landmark antitrust “test case.” If past deals are any guide, the critiques will follow a familiar script: narrow market definitions, selective data points, and headline-friendly market-share claims designed to trigger alarm. Yet in a video ecosystem defined by ... Netflix, WBD, and the Myth of the Streaming Monopoly
Google Is Not a Pipe
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, with support from populists on both the political left and right, contends that Google Search is a common-carrier service under Ohio law and should therefore be restricted from prioritizing its own products and services in its search results. After losing at the lower-court level, Yost now brings his suit against ... Google Is Not a Pipe
The War on Social Media Is Really a War on Community
Australia’s online-safety amendment took effect Dec. 10, banning social-media use nationwide by individuals under age 16. Under terms of the law, social-media platforms that fail to take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors from registering and maintaining accounts may face fines up to A$49.5 million. It now appears that the European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, ... The War on Social Media Is Really a War on Community
Affiliates vs Networks: The FCC’s Attempt to Rewind a Broken Tape
The Trump administration has had a mixed approach to date on reforming the broadcasting rules. On one hand, broadcast-ownership reforms have been a key issue this year for Republican appointees at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as they seek to help struggling broadcasters keep pace with their digital rivals. On the other hand, the president ... Affiliates vs Networks: The FCC’s Attempt to Rewind a Broken Tape
Streaming Market Shares: Error 404, Data Not Found
No matter who acquires Warner Bros. Discovery, whether it’s ultimately Netflix or Paramount Skydance, the deal will be one of the largest media mergers in history. Yet antitrust authorities reviewing these transactions face an unusual obstacle: they cannot reliably calculate market shares for the streaming services at the heart of the proposed deals. The standard ... Streaming Market Shares: Error 404, Data Not Found
