MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'fcc'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:28:39 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902405&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI8niYC-xAnE%2F By Jim HarperIt might be tempting to laugh at France’s ban on words like “Facebook” and Twitter” in the media. France’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel recently ruled that specific references to these sites (in stories not about them) would violate a 1992 law banning “secret” advertising. The council was created in 1989 to ensure fairness in French audiovisual communications, such as in allocation of television time to political candidates, and to protect children from some types of programming. Sure, laugh at the French. But not for too long. The United States has similarly busy-bodied regulators, who, for example, have primly regulated such advertising themselves. American regulators carefully oversee non-secret advertising, too. Our govern... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902405 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:35:53 +0100 4902405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653306&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSM08H5Zny0A%2F By Jim HarperRandy May of the Free State Foundation has a characteristically good post about the AT&T/T-Mobile merger entitled: "The AT&T and T-Mobile Merger: Thinking Things Through." Among other smart ideas, Randy highlights the competitive game-playing that goes on in the merger review arena: When considering competitive and market impacts for purposes of merger reviews, observe the extent to which various competitors, often many competitors, mount vigorous campaigns designed to convince the antitrust authorities and the regulators that if the merger is approved there will be an absence of competition. Note the incongruity. There's level-headed thinking aplenty in this post from a long-time Federal Communications Commission and telecom-industry watcher. Check it out. Thinking Th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653306 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:38:57 +0100 4653306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631465&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fue904-gifrM%2F By Jim HarperMatt Yglesias takes my recent post gathering three links a little too seriously. Beyond their subject matter---the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile---the theme running through the links was that they were all to the TechLiberationFront blog, not that "the federal government should not try to manage the development of the communications marketplace." My humor is a little odd. Not everyone gets to come along.... But it's true that the federal government should not try to manage the development of the communications marketplace. So I'll defend that, and first principles, which Yglesias claims to have reached their limits when it comes to communications. First, I'll refine my thesis: the government should not manage the communications marketplace. What is a "marketplace"?... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631465 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:46:43 +0100 4631465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622229&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSfmPjGV3c8s%2F By Jim HarperNews that AT&T plans a purchase of T-Mobile has brought out a lot of commentary. On the TechLiberationFront blog, Larry Downes critiqued the emotional reaction of some advocates for government-managed communications. On the TechLiberationFront blog, Jerry Brito noted how the deal highlights the artificial spectrum scarcity created by the Federal Communications Commission. And on the TechLiberationFront blog, Adam Thierer catalogued a series of thoughts on various aspects of the merger. Picking up a theme? That's right: the federal government should not try to manage the development of the communications marketplace. Voices on the AT&T – T-Mobile Merger is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622229 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:19:07 +0100 4622229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281300&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEndHZeya-Tg%2F By Jim HarperIs there something special about December? Perhaps it’s the spirit of giving that had the Federal Communications Commission voting yesterday to regulate Internet service. At the beginning of the month—December 1st—the Federal Trade Commission issued a report signaling its willingness to regulate online businesses. No, it’s not the fact that it’s December. It’s the fact that it’s after November. November—that’s the month when we had the mid-term election. The FCC and FTC appear to have held off coming out with their regulatory proposals ahead of the elections because the Obama administration couldn’t afford any more evidence that it heavily favors government control of the economy and society. There was already plen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281300 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:29:57 +0100 4281300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277813&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-1GQ_-u9ML8%2F By Jim HarperLarry Downes has depth of knowledge and a way with words, both of which he puts to good use in this C|Net opinion piece on the FCC’s vote today moving forward with public-utility-style regulation of Internet service. If you’re interested in learning detail about the issues, it’s a good read. My favorite part is the conclusion: The misplaced nostalgia for an Internet that has long since evolved to something much different and much more useful has led to the adoption today of rules that may have a similar effect. The FCC’s embrace of open-Internet rules may indeed preserve the Internet—but preserve it in the same way amber preserves the bodies of prehistoric insects. That gloomy outcome isn’t certain, of course. Internet technology has a wonde... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277813 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 03:21:38 +0100 4277813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277817&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCjLLM0eqWBw%2F By Jim HarperThe FCC moves forward with a proposal to regulate Internet service today. It’s a bad idea. The one thing that pleases me about the ongoing debate over Internet regulation is the durability of Tim Lee’s November, 2008 Cato Policy Analysis, “The Durable Internet: Preserving Network Neutrality without Regulation.” My introduction of it is a good synopsis. The arguments against government regulation in the name of “net neutrality” have not changed: A good engineering principle is not made better if dogmatized and given to lawyers and bureaucrats to enforce as law. The FCC and its regulatory regime are almost sure to be captured by major ISPs and turned to their benefit, used to suppress competition and blunt innovation. A premise of net neutrali... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277817 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:16:32 +0100 4277817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097902&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvGeylL-OA40%2F By Jim HarperThe Federal Communications Commission has established a new advisory group called the “Technological Advisory Council.” Among other things, it will advise the agency on “how broadband communications can be part of the solution for the delivery and cost containment of health care, for energy and environmental conservation, for education innovation and in the creation of jobs.” This is an agency that is radically overspilling its bounds. It has established goals that it has no proper role in fulfilling and that it has no idea how to fulfill. As we look for cost-cutting measures at the federal level, we could end the pretense that the communications industry should be regulated as a public utility. Shuttering the FCC would free up funds for better purposes... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097902 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:37:38 +0100 4097902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907589&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn2zmGKPmp08%2F By Jim HarperThe Washington Post editorializes this morning on the “Google-Verizon” proposal for government regulation of the Internet: For more than a decade, “net neutrality” — a commitment not to discriminate in the transmission of Internet content — has been a rule tacitly understood by Internet users and providers alike. But in April, a court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission has no regulatory authority over Internet service providers. For many, this put the status quo in jeopardy. Without the threat of enforcement, might service providers start shaping the flow of traffic in ways that threaten the online meritocracy, in which new and established Web sites are equally accessible and sites rise or fall on the basis of their ability to ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907589 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:42:22 +0100 3907589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880825&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQNUAe3pc8aA%2F Google and Verizon’s proposed framework for net neutrality regulation has provoked cries of protest from advocates of aggressive regulation at places like Free Press and Public Knowledge. Some of the loudest objections have concerned the distinction between the “public Internet,” which (at least for wireline broadband) would be subject to neutrality requirements, and vaguely defined “differentiated” or “managed” services—presumably things like IPTV or digital telephone service—which would not. This, according to the pro-regulation camp, would amount to a massive loophole that defeats the purpose of imposing neutrality rules. As Public Knowledge writes in their press release: Thus, it is conceivable under the agreement that a network provider co... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880825 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:39:39 +0100 3880825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865249&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FX_8p44ekc58%2F By Jim HarperA Pew Internet and American Life poll out this week finds: “By a 53%-41% margin, Americans say they do not believe that the spread of affordable broadband should be a major government priority.” Non-Internet users are less likely than Internet users to say the government should prioritize spreading access to high-speed connections. The federal government spent $7.2 billion in “stimulus” money on the premise that the federal government is supposed to do this kind of thing. And the Federal Communications Commission’s “National Broadband Plan” is premised on the idea that there is supposed to be a national broadband plan. It isn’t, and there’s not. Much as I love using the Internet for work, entertainment, and social connectio... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865249 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:55:59 +0100 3865249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831429&cid=t_108220_113_f&fid=34695&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedicalConnectivityConsulting%2F%7E3%2FIRmndyj1m_M%2F A public meeting on Converged Communications and Healthcare Devices Impact on Regulation (see here) was convened by the FDA and FCC on July 26-27, 2010. The major topics addressed by panels were (1) Current State of Wireless Health & Lessons Learned, (2) Innovator Perspective, (3) Healthcare Provider, Clinician & Patient perspective, (4) Investor and Research & Development perspective, (5) Reliability - How to Define Quality of Service, and (6) Electromagnetic Compatibility - How to Promote EMC. A complete transcript of the meeting will be forthcoming at the conference link given above, or at www.regulations.gov using the docket number FDA-2010-N-0291. The docket folder currently includes about 35 written comments made in advance of the meeting including from concerned citizens... Medical Connectivity Consulting blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831429 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:09:20 +0100 3831429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3780352&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FAP2Nf2gpfH4%2F By Robin Strongin. It didn’t receive much attention in the context of oil wells being capped and financial services legislation being passed, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a step last week that could make a profound difference for Americans who live in rural parts of the country. The FCC voted unanimously to have the federal government pay a greater share of broadband Internet costs for rural health care providers, and the commission also expressed its intent to subsidize the construction of broadband networks. Why is this important?  Over the past 25 years, according to the Center for Health Transformation, over 500 rural hospitals have shuttered their facilities.  And, while 25 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, only about one in ten doctors ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3780352 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:31:39 +0100 3780352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750042&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsGNN_KbrNZ4%2F By Ilya ShapiroToday, we celebrate a free speech victory in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.  In the case of Fox Television v. Federal Communications Commission, the three-judge panel struck down the FCC’s indecency policy for being “unconstitutionally vague” and “creating a chilling effect that goes far beyond the fleeting expletives issue” (e.g., stray f-bombs) that was at the heart of this case. The case was before the Second Circuit after it was remanded by the Supreme Court last year.  Cato adjunct scholar Robert Corn-Revere, acting in his capacity as partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, is lead counsel for co-petitioner CBS.  Bob wrote an article for last year’s Cato Supreme Court Review in which he characterized the case as the first act of many... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750042 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:47:33 +0100 3750042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3621658&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjE7Biud9oeU%2F By Jim HarperLast week, I referred obscurely to “folks wanting to install the FCC as the Internet’s regulator,” cautioning that this same Federal Communications Commission is our national censor. A friendly correspondent points me to an article in Ars Technica about the demand for speech controls coming from the same groups that want the FCC to control the Internet’s infrastructure, groups such as Free Press, the Media Access Project, and Common Cause. Is there a parry to the charge that this is a demand for censorship? The signatories to the regulatory filing “respectfully request[] that the FCC . . . inquire into the extent and effects of hate speech in media, and explore possible non-regulatory ways to counteract its negative impacts.” The filing doe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3621658 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:43:50 +0100 3621658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607485&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNsFlrbiXSNI%2F By Jim HarperAmid charge and countercharge about who is shilling for whom in the debate over Internet regulation, Peter Suderman has the right focus in a short piece on Reason’s Hit & Run blog. The Federal Communications Commission’s Chairman is claiming that he only wants to regulate the Internet’s infrastructure, but one of his colleagues, Commissioner Michael Copps, is non-denying that he wants to censor the Internet. There may be exceptions, but it’s usually pretty safe to assume that anytime a politician or bureaucrat dodges a question while calling for “a national discussion about” the proposal at hand, what he or she really means is, “I want to indicate that I support this idea without actually going on record as supporting it.” Th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607485 Thu, 27 May 2010 15:43:17 +0100 3607485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3569791&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4VhUqDbTis8%2F By Jim HarperThe New York Times starts its commentary on proposed Internet regulations with a clever ad hominem argument: “The Republican attack on the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to classify broadband Internet access as a telecommunications service sounded a lot like the G.O.P. talking points on health care reform.” The GOP are being like themselves. Accordingly, Times readers should think their viewpoint is yucky. It’s not the most substantive argument you’ll come across today. There are good reasons not to encumber the Internet with regulations designed for the telephone system. Here are four: The Internet is not like the telephone system, and the FCC  doesn’t have the institutional ability to manage a changing, competitive system o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3569791 Mon, 17 May 2010 14:25:00 +0100 3569791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3490622&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYcRga91QNG4%2F By Jim HarperA few weeks ago, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the FCC’s claim of authority to regulate Internet service. That was good news—and it sure didn’t create a crisis. It meant that the FCC would have to get authority from Congress if it wanted to regulate the Internet. But a little hiccup in that plan quickly emerged: Congress won’t let the FCC regulate the Internet. Bills to do that have been floating around Capitol Hill for years, and they’ve never gotten traction. So the proponents of government-controlled Internet access services have worked up an end-run around Congress: They want the FCC to try to reclassify Internet access from an unregulated “information service” to a “telecommunications service,” su... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3490622 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:45:01 +0100 3490622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3443674&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4JTBrNJycos%2F By Jim HarperIn the wake of today’s ruling in the D.C. Circuit that the FCC had exceeded its authority in attempting to regulate access to the Internet, I did a number of radio interviews and a radio debate with Derek Turner of Free Press, a leading advocate of Internet regulation. The debate was a brief, fair exchange of views. I was struck, though, to hear Turner refer to the situation as a “crisis.” Sure enough, in a Free Press release, Turner says three times that the ruling creates a “crisis.”  Recall that in 2007 Comcast degraded the service it provided to a tiny group of customers using a bandwidth-hogging protocol called BitTorrent. Recall also that before the FCC acted, Comcast had stopped doing this, relenting to customer complaints, negat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3443674 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:29:18 +0100 3443674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370399&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTWFjZgHYkas%2F By Jim HarperIn a highly symbolic gesture, the Federal Communications Commission published the executive summary of its “National Broadband Plan” in one of the most opaque formats going: It’s a PDF scan of a printed document. This means you can’t cut and paste the bullet point that says: “Increase civic engagement by making government more open and transparent, creating a robust public media ecosystem and modernizing the democratic process.” Can an agency that publishes documents in inaccessible formats be relied on to deliver transparency? Did you know that this is Sunshine Week?! Let’s segue from symbolism to substance . . .  That bullet and the many that accompany it explode the FCC’s proper authority and propose an industrial policy f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370399 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:19:41 +0100 3370399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350259&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FveEyZjNPb1s%2F By Jim HarperI’ve seen plenty of stories and gotten a fair number of calls from reporters about the national broadband plan. They generally want to get some insight from down in the weeds of the communications world. What do you think of this part? What do you think of that? But I’m keeping my eye on the ball: This is another industrial-policy boondoggle. It’s a government spending program, created by the so-called “Recovery Act,” that will distort the communications marketplace, and it comes at the cost to taxpayers of having their resources taken from them and handed out to the firms that are best equipped to lobby for government succor. I don’t care which community gets 1-gigabit connections. The money to pay for it should have been left with the Ame... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350259 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:40:15 +0100 3350259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012363&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fzbr6LhwOBIQ%2F The American Consumer Institute has released a collection of essays addressing the likely consequences of ”‘Net Neutrality” regulation for investment in broadband and for consumer welfare. These are important things to consider, in case it needs saying. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012363 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:22:55 +0100 3012363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934652&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNVdsezqzPHA%2F Jeff Eisenach and Adam Thierer have a great essay in The American honoring the 50th anniversary of Ronald Coase’s article “The Federal Communications Commission.” It’s timely given the FCC’s proposal to establish public utility-style regulation of the Internet under the banner “net neutrality,” and it’s a good general warning to Neo-Progressives who “see market failure as the source of most problems, and government as the centerpiece of most solutions.” (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934652 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:22:23 +0100 2934652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927290&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJFugYms2TSU%2F Some people have labored under the impression that “net neutrality” regulation was about the government stepping in to ensure that large corporations would not control the Internet. Now that the issue is truly joined, it is clear (as exhibited in this Wall Street Journal story) that the debate is about one set of corporate interests battling another set of corporate interests about the Internet, each seeking to protect or strengthen its business model. The FCC is surfing the debate pursuing a greater role for itself, meaning more budget and power. Tim Lee’s paper, The Durable Internet, dispels the idea that owners of Internet infrastructure can actually control the Internet. The preferred approach to “net neutrality” is to let Internet users decide what they w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927290 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:27:51 +0100 2927290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923238&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoSkodqtmGXU%2F In an effort to achieve “network neutrality” online, the FCC is starting to write new regulations for Internet providers.  Reuters reports: U.S. communications regulators voted unanimously Thursday to support an open Internet rule that would prevent telecom network operators from barring or blocking content based on the revenue it generates. The proposed rule now goes to the public for comment until Jan. 14, after which the Federal Communications Commissions will review the feedback and possibly seek more comment. A final rule is not expected until the spring of next year. Cato Director of Information Policy Studies Jim Harper appeared on Fox News this week to discuss the FCC decision. “This is governmental tinkering with a market place that is working really well and gr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923238 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:33:03 +0100 2923238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865641&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqKJtIi6Cw_w%2F Lovers of free speech should feel their stomachs turn when they look at the actions of the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission these days. Not that they took a sharp turn with the Obama administration, or with the chairmanships of Jon Leibowitz or Jules Genachowski. These are run-of-the-mill bureaucracies, constantly reaching for new powers, nevermind even constitutional limits on the federal government’s authority. Item 1: Blogger, You’re an Advertiser Now Via the L.A. Times blog, the FTC issued a guidance document yesterday requiring bloggers who write testimonials about products to disclose large gifts or payments, or they will run afoul of the FTC’s regulations on advertising. Is that the right thing to do? Yep. Is that an appropriate thing to r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865641 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:20:13 +0100 2865641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838906&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FY3bsaNyxMtU%2F So asks the Washington Post in a cogent editorial about FCC Chairman Jules Genachowski’s speech proposing to regulate the terms on which broadband service is provided. (More from TLJ, Julian Sanchez, and me.) The WaPo piece nicely dismantles the few incidents and arguments that underlie Genachowski’s call for regulation. As the debate about “‘net neutrality” regulation continues, I imagine it will move from principled arguments, such as whether the government should control communications infrastructure, to practical ones: Will limitations on ISPs’ ability to manage their networks cause Internet brown-outs and failures? (This is what Comcast was trying to avoid when it ham-handedly degraded the use of the BitTorrent protocol on its network.) Will regulat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838906 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:17:55 +0100 2838906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820200&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCji2_WdGivM%2F Julian Sanchez has already done a fine job of assessing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s speech announcing his plan for federal regulation of the Internet. There was nothing really new in it. No substantial problems justifying regulation have emerged, and—Genachowski’s claims to modest aims aside—any ‘net neutrality regulation is likely to be a substantive morass. Says Julian: [I]t absolutely reeks of the sort of ad hoc ‘I know it when I see it’ standard that leaves telecoms wondering whether some innovative practice will bring down the Wrath of Comms only after resources have been sunk into rolling it out.” If the FCC goes ahead with regulating the Internet, the public will get a good look at what closed systems are really like. The FCC... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820200 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:06:23 +0100 2820200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473207&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGYMhSY3Fe08%2F Who’s the top dog in American business these days? Washington, says the Washington Post: That’s one of the main themes of this week’s Capital Connection conference put on by the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association. . . . This time, policy wonks and government insiders will also be there. Reed E. Hundt, former Federal Communications Commission chairman, and Tommy G. Thompson, former Health and Human Services secretary, will be speaking, as will VentureBeat blog author Matt Marshall and GigaOm author Om Malik, two well-known technology bloggers. Washington hasn’t been a frequent stop for them in the past. It’s just one more sign of the region’s growing clout in the business and technology world. This is where stimulus dollars are doled out, where the economic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473207 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:27:15 +0100 2473207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452387&cid=t_108220_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGx8njAY3rrU%2F Politico reports that President Obama’s nominee to head the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, is expected to pursue “‘net neutrality” regulation of broadband Internet service. In his paper, The Durable Internet: Preserving Network Neutrality without Regulation, Tim Lee shows why regulation is not needed to preserve the good engineering principle he calls “end-to-end.” His paper also shows how regulation intended to serve consumer-friendly ends is often captured and used by regulated industries to suppress competition and artificially raise profits, denying consumers the benefits of free markets. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452387 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:21:23 +0100 2452387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1024187&cid=t_108220_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fscoop-amias-10x10-going-global.html CHICAGO—This is just a quick post to draw your attention to a story posted on Digital Healthcare & Productivity this morning: The American Medical Informatics Association is expanding its 10x10 program internationally, with the goal of training 20,000 informatics professionals outside the U.S. by 2020. AMIA chief Dr. Don Detmer will make the announcement during his annual "state of the association" speech at 12:30 pm CST today. But you heard it here (or at DHCP) first.Also coming in today's DHCP newsletter is news from today's American Health Information Community here in Chicago that the Federal Communications Commission will award $400 million in grants over the next three years to connect small and rural healthcare facilities in 42 states and three territories. (Source: Neil Versel's ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1024187 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:44:00 +0100 1024187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612150&cid=t_108220_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fwe-liberals-feel-your-pain-neil.html Cue the tiny violins...Media Matters - Boortz accuses Media Matters of trying to manipulate "some whimpering old woman executive somewhere": "On the May 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host Neal Boortz accused Media Matters for America -- which he referred to as 'Media Myrmidons' and 'Brocksters,' a reference to Media Matters President and CEO David Brock -- of 'waiting for one little statement that you can take out of its total context and just go on a rampage with, with your Web postings and see if you can pull that Don Imus thing off all over again, see if you can find some whimpering old woman executive somewhere that'll just [say], 'Oh! Oh, my God! We've got to do something now.' ' Boortz also said, 'And it's not just me, you're doing the same thing to [right-win... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612150 Mon, 14 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 612150