In August 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take a strong step to modernize rules relating to how local franchise authorities will be permitted to regulate cable operators. Section 621 of the Cable Act specifies the limit in percentage that a local franchise authority may charge a cable company to allow it to operate […]
Technology is continually changing, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the video piracy space. In 2014, CAGW President Tom Schatz and I co-authored a report entitled, Intellectual Property: Making It Personal, where we discussed the ongoing issues surrounding the protection of intellectual property rights. In this report, we referred to a study conducted […]
On June 11, 2019, 10 state attorneys general (AGs), in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Virginia and Wisconsin filed a lawsuit opposing the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, claiming that its approval would lead to increased consumer prices and decreased competition. In six of those states, the public utility commission (PUC) […]
One year ago, net neutrality proponents were demanding action, protesting in the streets, and threatening public officials and their families because the internet was going to die when the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) became effective on June 11, 2018. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the RIFO on December 14, 2017, which overturned the […]
As private sector companies continue to build next generation (5G) wireless networks, a controversy over the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction of the 24 GHz frequency is brewing. Spectrum Auction 102 was completed on May 29, 2019, auctioning approximately 2,900 licenses in the 24.25 and 25.25 GHz bands and generating more than $2 billion. This […]
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary and President Trump’s announcement that he opposes nationalization of 5G, this idea keeps resurfacing. And like many other concepts emanating from the Beltway Bandits, this one would be costly and disastrous. It should be buried and not resurrected. The latest argument being raised by proponents is beating China to […]
The House Appropriations Committee released its report to accompany the Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020. Included in the report is language that would restrict the expenditure of funds for the DOD’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud procurement. The committee report prohibits funds from being “obligated or expended to migrate […]
On May 20, 2019, T-Mobile US, Inc. and Sprint Corporation filed documents with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which demonstrated the companies’ commitment to serving rural Americans should their merger be approved. These commitments were quickly followed by announcements from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Brendan Carr that with these additional commitments and the […]
Each year, April 26 marks the celebration of World IP Day, when the importance of intellectual property rights and the achievements gained from its protection are recognized. According to the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) intellectual property (IP) contributes $6.6 trillion to America’s GDP. In 2019, the World IP Day celebration focuses on sports and […]
With all the focus on creating a nationwide fifth generation (5G) network, questions often arise about why it is important for the U.S. to lead in 5G development, the benefits of moving to 5G, and why is there a continual push for more spectrum to be made available for 5G. The first benefit of developing […]
