Junk email or spam is rapidly choking off email as a reliable and efficient means of communication over the Internet. While the demand for human attention increases rapidly with the volume of information and communication, the supply of attention hardly changes. Markets are a social institution...

The assessment of future mobile data and spectrum demand is an important policy and business strategy question. The orthodox approach to these linked questions starts from a mobile data traffic projection to infer spectrum demand and value. However, future mobile data demand is uncertain, and...

This paper explores a bootstrap modelling approach to estimating the value of mobile, spectrum and data demand. A mobile data forecast is not required, since data growth is modelled endogenously. The approach also dispenses with the notion of a “spectrum crunch” since data demand responds to...

Given the current risk environment, businesses are obligated to do their utmost to protect systems and ensure consumer confidentiality. Unfortunately, even the prudent and vigilant business entities may still be susceptible to data theft or other outside system intrusion. In this respect, sound...

The current dispute between the NFL Network and cable operators over carriage arrangements is a sign the market is working rather than failing. Proposed state legislation mandating arbitration for these disputes negates the programming distributor's ability to negotiate price, terms and...

The loss of private customer data such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, birth-dates, and other confidential information to unauthorized third parties presents a daunting set of challenges and legal obligations to affected businesses. Identity theft has been America's “fastest...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is required by the 1992 Cable Act to produce an "Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming," otherwise known as the "Annual Video Competition Report." These annual reports are eagerly awaited not...

In response to a request for comment from the Federal Trade Commission, this report is divided into three parts:• The FTC's continuing leadership in consumer protection for Internet access• Competition and consumer protection in a changing communications industry• Competition and consumer...

In response to the increasing popularity and economic impact of companies in the Internet ecosystem, the Federal Trade Commission is being implored with vocal but factually vacant calls to revisit its approach to antitrust, and in particular market power, barriers to entry and anti-competitive...

Whether it was the intended strategy or not, Google Fiber, which has now "paused" new deployments, agitated incumbent providers, regulators, and investors to change their approach and policies on gig-speed Internet, initiating a "game of Gigs" that broke a stalemate in investments in...