The U.S. Trade Representative has been working on two important trade agreements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). Each of the agreements provides opportunities for the U.S. to expand its reach into the global market, while protecting and promoting U.S. manufactured goods overseas. The agreements also present an opportunity […]
Providing Relief from Internet Taxes
On July 15, 2014, the House of Representatives passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, which would have made the moratorium on taxes for Internet access permanent. Unfortunately, because of legislative wrangling in the Senate, the bill failed to become law.
Time to Reform FCC’s Designated Entity Program
There is a problem when a large business is able to use a federal program designed to help small and minority-owned businesses in order to obtain discounts from the government.
Intellectual Property Is Personal
On February 26, 2015, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) held a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss intellectual property (IP) rights, including copyrights, patents, brand recognition and trademarks.
Plain Packaging Spreads to Ireland
Following Australia’s 2012 foray into plain packaging, the Irish Senate adopted a resolution to restrict the use of corporate logos and trademarks on cigarette packaging on March 3, 2015.
Capital Investments Don’t Happen Overnight Mr. Wheeler
On February 26, 2015, the three Democratic commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a monumental decision to regulate the Internet under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. In other words, they thought it was a good idea to apply an 80 year-old statute intended to regulate the monopoly Bell telephone system […]
Preempting State Law Is a Slippery Path
On February 2, 2015, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler released a statement supporting the petitions from Chattanooga, Tennessee and Wilson, North Carolina requesting federal preemption of state laws that restrict municipal broadband networks.
The FCC’s Taxpayer Funded Holiday Spending Spree
With the holidays behind them, Americans are determining the aftermath of their annual holiday spending spree. For the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the spending spree at taxpayer expense has just begun. On December 11, 2014, the FCC met to vote on changes to the E-Rate program, which is part of the Universal Service Fund (USF).
Municipal Broadband Proposal Seeks to Overturn State Laws
The President continued his preview of the State of the Union address on January 14, 2015 by announcing that among the top priorities for this year will be “removing barriers” for faster Internet speeds.