An April 1, 2015 Pew Research Center study found that 64 percent of Americans own a Smartphone, and 19 percent “rely to some degree” on their Smartphones to access online services and information. The study also found that 7 percent of Americans owning a Smartphone do not have either traditional broadband access at home or other “easily available alternatives” for going online. On October 29, 2015, Pew released its report, “Technology Device Ownership: 2015,” which found that 68 percent of U.S. adults now own a Smartphone.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Intellectual Property
On October 5, 2015, negotiations for the TPPA concluded and a summary of the 30 chapters of the agreement was released. Chapter 18 of the agreement specifically discusses the rights and responsibilities of each TPP member nation in protecting IP. The 12 TPPA member nations are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
Cyber-Security Should Not Take A Back Seat
The federal government spends approximately $80 billion annually on information technology (IT) systems. An April 2, 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the number of data breaches increased by 143 percent from 10,481 reported incidents in 2009 to 25,566 incidents in 2013. The federal government must take immediate action to protect vulnerable systems and remediate risk.
Keeping Rates Technology Neutral
Americans across the nation are increasingly accessing broadband services using a variety of tools and connecting not only through wireline services, but also with their wireless devices. As demand grows for increased connectivity, so does the need to expand the infrastructure these devices rely upon. To meet this demand, wireless carriers often find it necessary […]
Time Wasting Away With Internet Tax Ban Set to Expire
On December 16, 2014, the Internet Tax Freedom Act was temporarily extended in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83), keeping the ban on Internet access taxes in place until September 30, 2015. Unfortunately, time is once again running out and only the House of Representatives has taken any action on the ban, this time making it permanent.
FITARA Plans Moving Forward
Federal agencies were required to submit their implementation plans for the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) by August 15, 2015. The plans were developed and submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and indications from Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott, is that many agencies are embracing the changes to their […]
Clarity Needed in Taxation of Digital Goods
With technology changing the way consumers listen and view music and videos, state and local governments are now looking toward taxation of digital goods and services to increase their tax revenues. Currently, 17 states require by statute that taxes be paid on digital goods and services, and another eight states plus the District of Columbia […]
The Rural Broadband Boondoggle
In the 2009 stimulus bill, Congress allocated $2.5 billion to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to fund its Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), all of which was supposed to be spent by the end of June 2015. This was a massive influx of money for a small agency whose previous annual average budget for broadband programs was approximately $290 million in direct loans and grants.
The IP Transition Is Coming
An innovative and ever changing communications landscape benefits everyone. This is one of the reasons the IP transition is an important component to the future of communications. While the evolution of the transition from copper to fiber may not necessarily be on everyone’s radar screen, how this transition is managed will have ramifications for years […]
Big Government Threatens Internet Independence
Americans will celebrate their freedom from tyranny on July 4. Unfortunately, these freedoms are rapidly eroding due to an increasing amount of government regulation and intervention into everyone’s daily lives.