Although “the Internet” seems ethereal, it is in fact a network of networks that connects billions of users around the world. The capabilities of the Internet are dependent on the reach of those networks. Many governments worldwide are considering how to effectively and efficiently make robust networks available to their citizens to enable them to access the Internet.
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"To close the digital divide, the federal government needs to view broadband like the US Postal Service when it was first developed, concentrating on connecting all citizens rather than just communities where the service makes economic sense." — Randal Picker, Professor of Law, University of Chicago
"Making capacity available in real time at market prices limits hoarding and encourages innovation. Unleashing our brilliant start-up ecosystem through such market mechanisms, along with opportunities for unlicensed access to wireless capacity, is America’s best hope to beat China in 5G." — Kevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, University of Pennsylvania
"Today, the Internet is a space where every Californian, no matter the color of their skin or the size of their wallets, has equal chance of reaching people online. It's a space where we the people—not AT&T and Comcast—determine what succeeds in our economy, our culture, and our democracy." — Barbara van Schewick, Professor of Law, Stanford University
"Net neutrality protections are absolutely consistent with a free market framework. They are really a way to protect all these free markets that arose from and depend on the internet." — Barbara van Schewick, Professor of Law, Stanford University
"…the Pai proposal isn’t merely tinkering with some of the rules imposed by the Obama administration but, rather, is eliminating the FCC oversight in place for decades. He is, in fact, coming close to eliminating the agency as a relevant institution." — Tim Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia University
"If the FCC bans paid prioritization, then consumers will eventually shoulder the cost of expanding network capacity, not Netflix. ISPs will pass down the cost to users since Netflix cannot pay for fast lanes." — Christopher Yoo, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania
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December 31, 2020
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Symposium: 25th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996—Looking Ahead to the Next Telecommunications Act
March 12, 2021,
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High-speed Internet access – often referred to as “broadband” – is a set of technologies that, taken together, are recognized as a potential catalyst for global economic and social change.
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This paper looks at how regulators can support more competition between different wireless services.
January 31, 2011
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