What's New
November 14, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute has posted three new Publications of Note by outside authors on subjects of interest to our audience:
- Tim Brennan, 'Night of the Living Dead' or 'Back to the Future'? Electric Utility Decoupling, Reviving Rate-of-Return Regulation, and Energy Efficiency
- Bronwyn Howell, The End or the Means? The Pursuit of Competition in Regulated Telecommunications Markets
- Andrea Renda, I own the pipes, you call the tune: The net neutrality debate and its (ir)relevance for Europe
October 30, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute announced today a new research project that will delineate the budget and economic benefits provided by highly skilled immigrants working in the United States. TPI's research will be underwritten by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest private-sector funding source for economic research in the United States.
October 9, 2008 - Expert Panel Will Include Policy Advisers to Presidential Candidates Obama and McCain
October 8, 2008 - TPI vice president for research and senior fellow Scott Wallsten finds in a new paper that the government's DTV coupon program has increased the price of digital-to-analog converter boxes by $21-$34, meaning that the subsidy is primarily benefiting retailers rather than consumers. The $40 coupons made available to all households means that consumers pay $0 for any retail price less than $40 for eligible boxes, thus diminishing price competition among retailers. Given the increase in prices, the coupon program may not provide much additional incentive for consumers to purchase converter boxes.
October 8, 2008 - TPI Senior Fellow Arlene Holen has prepared the attached comparison of the technology policies of the two presidential candidates.
September 20, 2008 - Washington, D.C.-Regional transmission organizations have not produced lower wholesale prices for electricity and the states in these RTOs have higher average prices than regulated states, according to a study released today by the Technology Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
September 16, 2008 - Scott Wallsten will be a guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show WAMU 88.5 FM on Tuesday, September 16 from noon - 1pm to discuss net neutrality and network management in the U.S.
September 10, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute is hosting a conference to discuss this country's energy future, highlighted by a preview of the next Administration's policy options from Douglas Holtz-Eakin representing the McCain campaign and Jason Grumet representing the Obama campaign.
August 7, 2008 - TPI Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow Scott Wallsten discusses international broadband statistics at Pike & Fischer's Broadband Policy Summit IV.
August 5, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Creel as vice president for finance and operations.
June 5, 2008 - Technology Policy Institute president and senior fellow Thomas Lenard filed comments today with the Federal Communications Commission on its proposal to auction the 2155-2175 MHz band (AWS-3) subject to rules that would require the winner to offer a basic tier of free wireless broadband service that virtually the entire U.S. population could access. The service conditions are similar to those contained in a 2006 application by M2Z to obtain this spectrum for free.
June 3, 2008 - Transatlantic Perspectives on Broadband Policy, Inter- versus Intra-Platform Competition, A Centre for European Policy Studies-Technology Policy Institute Event, Monday, June 9, 2008, 8:30-11:00 AM, National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
May 19, 2008 - The OECD Broadband Rankings are a flawed and misleading basis for policy making, according to Technology Policy Institute vice president for research and senior fellow Scott Wallsten.
May 12, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Arlene Holen as senior fellow. "Arlene has a wealth of experience in high-level government positions working on a broad range of economic and budget issues," said TPI president Tom Lenard. "She is precisely the right person to help us get our Health IT project off the ground. I am thrilled she has decided to join us."
May 8, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute released a summary of the event on "Network Management: The Latest Battle over Net Neutrality" that took place on February 29, 2008. The panelists discussed the controversy surrounding Comcast's network management practices and evaluated the economic, legal, and engineering aspects of network management based on evidence from the United States and Japan. They also discussed the potential impacts of possible proposed regulations.
May 5, 2008 - Reverse auctions can be an effective tool for reducing universal service subsidies and distributing them more efficiently, according to a new paper released by Technology Policy Institute vice president for research and senior fellow Scott Wallsten. The FCC's action last Thursday capping the USF increases the pressure to find ways to do more with the available universal service funds. Reverse auctions are at the top of the list of available policy measures.
May 1, 2008 - The Technology Policy Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul H. Rubin as senior fellow. "Paul Rubin is one of the country's most talented law and economics scholars," said TPI president Tom Lenard. "His expertise in the economics of advertising, consumer protection, and competition will be invaluable to TPI. He has been at the forefront in studying information and privacy issues in both the offline and online worlds. I am thrilled he will be working with us."
April 28, 2008 - Washington, DC - TPI is a think tank that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. Its mission is to advance knowledge and inform policymakers by producing independent, rigorous research and by sponsoring educational programs and conferences on major issues affecting information technology, communications, and energy policy. TPI was founded in 2007.
February 5, 2008 - Washington, DC - iGrowthGlobal president Thomas Lenard today filed comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) on the Midterm Review of the 2006 Joint Project Agreement (JPA) that NTIA has with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). NTIA is requesting comments on whether ICANN is making progress toward fulfilling its responsibilities under the JPA, and on the continued transition to the private sector of the technical coordination and management of the Internet's domain name and addressing system.
January 24, 2008 - Washington, DC - While the United States has moved away from unbundling regulations in recent years, the European Union has increasingly adopted them in order to stimulate broadband investment. A new paper by Scott Wallsten assembles a unique panel dataset to test the effects of different types of unbundling regulations on broadband penetration and speeds across OECD countries. Wallsten finds that unbundling regulations do not promote broadband investment and may even reduce it. He also finds, however, that rules that make it easier for an entrant to interconnect are positively correlated with broadband penetration and speed.
January 14, 2008 - Washington, DC - Economist Scott Wallsten will join iGrowthGlobal ( www.igrowthglobal.org) January 14th as Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow. In this capacity, he will help coordinate and supervise iGG's research program and also conduct his own research.
November 13, 2007 - Washington, DC - iGrowthGlobal, in partnership with the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC), Keidanren, Packet Clearing House (PCH) and the World Information Technology Alliance (WITSA), is sponsoring a workshop on "Qualifying, Quantifying, and Meeting the Challenge of Internet Access Costs" at the IGF meeting in Rio.
November 5, 2007 - Washington, DC - iGrowthGlobal (www.igrowthglobal.org) announced today the appointment of Dr. Thomas Lenard as president and senior fellow. He succeeds Garland McCoy, who will hold the title of founder and chief development officer.