Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: July 10, 2014

Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate

CRS – Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate. Angele A. Gilroy, Specialist in Telecommunications Policy. July 2, 2014.

“As congressional policy makers continue to debate telecommunications reform, a major point of contention is the question of whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. The move to place restrictions on the owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet, to ensure equal access and non-discriminatory treatment, is referred to as “net neutrality.” There is no single accepted definition of “net neutrality.” However, most agree that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network, and they should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network. What, if any, action should be taken to ensure “net neutrality” has become a major focal point in the debate over broadband regulation. As the marketplace for broadband continues to evolve, some contend that no new regulations are needed, and if enacted will slow deployment of and access to the Internet, as well as limit innovation. Others, however, contend that the consolidation and diversification of broadband providers into content providers has the potential to lead to discriminatory behaviors which conflict with net neutrality principles. The two potential behaviors most often cited are the network providers’ ability to control access to and the pricing of broadband facilities, and the incentive to favor network-owned content, thereby placing unaffiliated content providers at a competitive disadvantage.”

Dignified Jobs and Decent Wages The Next 50 Years of Civil Rights and Economic Justice

Center for American Progress, Maryam Adamu | July 10, 2014: “This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Years of organizing and civil disobedience culminated in a seminal piece of legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex. A few years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, Martin… Continue Reading

Asymmetric Information and Inventory Concerns in Over-the-Counter Markets

Cujean, Julien and Praz, Remy, Asymmetric Information and Inventory Concerns in Over-the-Counter Markets (July 10, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2464399 “We study how transparency, modeled as information about one’s counterparty liquidity needs, affects the functioning of an over-the-counter market. In our model, investors hedge endowment risk by trading bilaterally in a search-and-matching environment. We… Continue Reading

Equilibrium Commodity Trading

Leclercq, Emmanuel and Praz, Remy, Equilibrium Commodity Trading (July 10, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2464400 “We develop an equilibrium model of commodity spot and futures markets in which commodity production, consumption, and speculation are endogenously determined. Speculators facilitate hedging by the commodity suppliers. The entry of new speculators thus increases the supply of the… Continue Reading

Wireless Substitution: Estimates From National Health Interview Survey, July–December 2013

Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., and Julian V. Luke – Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics: “Preliminary results from the July–December 2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that the number of American homes with only wireless telephones continues to grow. Two in every five American homes (41.0%) had  only wireless telephones (also known… Continue Reading

EPIC Defends FOIA Victory in Federal Appeals Court

“EPIC has filed a brief in response to an appeal by the Department of Justice in EPIC v. DHS, concerning the government policy to disrupt cellular networks. EPIC won a major FOIA victory when a federal district court ruled that the DHS could not withhold “SOP 303,” a government procedure to shut down cellular phone service. EPIC sought the… Continue Reading

FTC Alleges Amazon Unlawfully Billed Parents for Millions of Dollars In Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges

News release: “Amazon.com, Inc. has billed parents and other account holders for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children, according to a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed today in federal court. The FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds to consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently banning the company from billing parents and… Continue Reading

Juvenile Cases Help Push Immigration Court Backlog to New High

“As of the end of June 2014, the number of cases awaiting resolution before the Immigration Courts has climbed to an all time high of 375,503 — an increase of more than 50,000 since the start of FY 2013 — according to very timely government enforcement data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)… Continue Reading

Gender Gap Data Visualization

“Organisations always claim that people are their most valuable asset. But few of them fully explore the correlation between their workforce and business performance. Gender Gap overlays human capital data with business performance data, providing a new, consolidated view of the value of your workforce. A NEW VIEW ON WORKFORCE ANALYTICS – Gender Gap converges workforce analytics with… Continue Reading