The Heartland Institute

The financial benefits of tiered-pricing plans for residential and business customers may exceed unlimited plans by as much as 25 percent annually, according to a study by the Technology Policy Institute, Washington, DC. “Residential and Business Broadband Prices, Part 1: An Empirical Analysis of Metering and Other Price Determinants ...

Saul Anuzis has announced he's running for chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. The former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party pits himself against sitting RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Anuzis garnered respect in the state for employing strategies resulting in recent Republican takeovers of the governorship, state ...

Although representing only 13 percent of all mobile phone users, smartphone owners account for two-thirds of worldwide cellular traffic, according to research by Informa Telecoms & Media (ITM), a telecommunications strategy and consulting company headquarter in the United Kingdom. In North America, smartphones account for 86 percent ...

The Federal Communications Commission unanimous approval of white spaces for wireless networking access has raised concerns signals carried on the spectrum could be sniffed by hackers. Even with current, less powerful wi-fi signals, there have been several news reports of hackers picking up hot spot wireless signals. Even though ...

On November 15,20 I 0, Paul de Sa, Doug Sicker and Marilyn Sonn met with John Eberhard (Vice President, Technology & Distribution, ESPN) and Susan Fox (Vice President, (Jovernment Relations, 'The Walt Disney Company). During this meeting, Mr. Eberhard and Ms. Fox stressed a few points with respect to the FCC's AllVid Notice ...

The European Union this week firmly grasped something seemingly elusive to three of five members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission: so-called network neutrality is a bust Last Thursday the EU punted on the issue, declaring existing regulations precluded imposing more stringent rules, preferring instead to pursue a wait ...

As the economy continues to struggle with unemployment near double digits, allowing the Federal Communications Commission to impose network neutrality regulations could cause the loss of another 300,000 jobs, according to a report from the Washington, DC-based Phoenix Center. It’s not just any jobs that would be affected, the ...

In response to requests from federal law enforcement and national security officials, members of Congress are drafting a bill to grant enhanced wiretapping capabilities enabling them to intercept communications of encrypted e-mail transmitters such as BlackBerry, social networking Web sites such as Facebook, and software that allows ...

Public concern over potential health effects and property values resulted in a six-month moratorium on the construction of telecommunications towers in Blaine, Minnesota. The Blaine City Council meeting agenda in October included a motion to grant a conditional use permit to construct a 100-foot Monopole tower, but emotional comments ...

Donna Brazile, appearing in the October 2010 issue of Oprah Winfrey s O magazine, says she supports reinstituting the Fairness Doctrine, the controversial Federal Communications Commission policy rescinded in 1987. In her monthly column for the magazine, the former campaign manager of Al Gore s 2000 presidential campaign lightheartedly ...

Two recent rulings by the Seventh Circuit Court have cleared up some confusion regarding the federal Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. The court dismissed a suit brought against Houston, Texas anesthesiologist Dr. Eric Chan by an Illinois-based company with a similar Web address, notding Chan s site specifically gave a ...

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered the implementation of education programs on cyberbullying and safe use of social networking sites for schools and libraries receiving E-Rate funds. E-Rate, officially the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, provides discounts to assist most U.S. schools and ...

In response to requests from federal law enforcement and national security officials, members of Congress are drafting a bill to grant enhanced wiretapping capabilities enabling them to intercept communications of encrypted e-mail transmitters such as BlackBerry, social networking Web sites such as Facebook, and software that allows ...

Congress is considering two legislative proposals that would restructure the Internet in the wake of last July’s Wikileaks disclosure of 77,000 classified Afghan war documents and its release of 15,000 more in October. First, in the name of preventing copyright infringement, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act ...

The Commission made a handful of changes to its rules for CableCARDs. Some of those rule changes were prompted by prior failed attempts by the FCC to artificially create or prop up certain segments of the set-top box market. Overall, however, the Commission preserved its basic regulatory restrictions on set-top box functionalities ...

The broadcasting industry is asking Congress not only to mandate installation of FM receivers in all new smartphones but require TV chips in those handheld devices as well. The National Association of Broadcasters, the major trade group representing the television and radio industries, is calling for the FM receivers mandate in ...

The Federal Communications Commission is expected this fall to implement a database designed to prevent interference between wireless devices use of white spaces and digital television broadcasts. The database would monitor and track usage of white spaces the broadcast frequencies between those used by digital television broadcasters ...

For the second time since January 2010, money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been directed to Michigan s Upper Peninsula and northern part of the Lower Peninsula for broadband buildout. The two grants total $103 million. Merit Network, an Ann Arbor, Michigan company, received $33 million in January and another ...

The Federal Communications Commission has launched a Parents Place Web site, stating the site will help parents navigate the complex media landscape of the Internet with their children. Parents Place, launched in September, provides information on topics such as how to locate educational television and radio programs suitable for ...

A U.S. House of Representatives draft proposal for network neutrality legislation released September 27 was abandoned for lack of Republican support later the same week. The proposed legislation called for the FCC to enforce rules established by Congress. Specifically, the bill would deny the commission authority to reclassify the ...