Tech Policy Podcast
Episodes
#140: Comparing EU and US Tech Policy
16 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union (EU) and the United States have a lot in common. We share many of the same values, including free speech and the right to privacy. ...
#139: Make America Boom Again
10 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Since 1973, supersonic flight over land has been illegal in the US. In those days, supersonic planes were loud, gas-guzzling, and inefficient beasts, ...
#138: New York's Crackdown on Airbnb
07 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
New York has dealt a major blow to Airbnb, HomeAway and other short-term rental platforms. Recently, Governor Cuomo signed a law banning platforms fro...
#137: Cuba's Digital Future
01 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Under decades of communist rule, Cuba lagged far behind much of the world in technology and digital connectivity. In 2014, less than 30 percent of Cub...
#136: The Age of Emulation
28 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A robot-driven world is often a mainstay of science fiction titles like Terminator and I, Robot. While that future may be far off, emulations — com...
#135: Bug Bounties
27 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We know that hacking can get you in trouble with governments and companies. But could it also make you rich? Or even a hero? Hollywood has long portra...
#134: California Regs on Self-Driving Cars
26 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, the Obama administration released non-binding “guidelines” for self-driving cars, telling states not to create their own regulations jus...
#133: Russian Hacking and Surveillance
21 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Snowden has been living in Russia for over three years under political asylum after leaking classified documents about American surveillance p...
#132: Indiana E-Cig Law Struck Down
17 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Vapers in Indiana scored a federal court victory recently, as Judge Richard Young ruled that Hoosiers can buy e-vapor products not approved by the sta...
#131: Uber Battles in Montreal, London
12 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
London’s black cabs have long been icons in the British capital. But Mayor Sadiq Kahn is worried that pressure from Uber and other ride-sharing comp...
#130: The Future of Internet Governance
07 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard a lot of news recently about President Obama and Ted Cruz debating whether the US should “give away the Internet.” But there’...
#129: Surveillance on Arab-Americans
30 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever gone through airport security, you’ve felt the effect of the 9/11 attacks. But for Arab-Americans, the impact is a lot more serious...
#128: Mobile Money in Africa
27 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Cell phone ownership in Africa has ballooned over the last decade, bringing the benefits of the Internet to developing populations. In particular, mob...
#127: Rules of the Driverless Road
22 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
“Driverless cars” is a hot topic this year, especially as self-driving Ubers hit the roads in Pittsburgh. This week, the National Highway Traffic ...
#126: Who Watches the Watchmen?
20 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We know from the Snowden leaks that the NSA and other intelligence agencies are watching us. But who watches the watchers? Congress is responsible for...
#125: An Economics-Free Zone
16 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is the FCC an “economics-free zone?” The agency routinely issues regulations that will have a major impact on businesses and consumers. But does t...
#124: Suing a Website
13 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever been wronged by a website? Have you ever wanted to sue it? Before you rush to hire a lawyer, you may wanna check up on federal law first...
#123: Flytenow and Plane-sharing
09 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
You’re probably familiar with Uber and ride-sharing. But do you ever wonder why there isn’t something similar for air travel? A plane-sharing app?...
#122: Saving Local News
07 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s media landscape looks nothing like the 1970s. Back then, newspapers, radio, and television were the only games in town. But despite such ins...
#121: An Uber Bailout For Taxis
01 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no secret that ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft have disrupted the taxi industry. While many cities have embraced the fierce competiti...
#120: From 4G to 5G
31 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The wireless industry is gearing up for 5G, the next generation of networks. And don’t let the numbers fool you — 5G speeds are going to be much f...
#119: FCC Loses on Government Broadband
26 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When government-run broadband networks in Chattanooga, TN and Wilson, NC sought to expand beyond their cities’ boundaries, they ran into state restr...
#118: Subsidizing Uber
25 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about Uber and ride-sharing on this show, it's usually about regulatory battles. Today, we’re not talking about restricting or banning ...
#117: FBI Spying on Journalists
22 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when the FBI wants to spy on journalists? This summer, The Intercept obtained classified rules revealing a largely unrestrained proce...
#116: Digital Free Speech Part 2 with FEC Commissioner Lee Goodman
19 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Election Commission has long taken a light-touch approach to regulating online speech. But two recent cases involving livestreaming and fi...
#115: Brexit and Tech
18 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This summer, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Most of the fallout focused on the stock market and value of the pound, but what do...
#114: The Internet of Cars
15 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Cars these days often come with mobile data connections and entertainment systems. But as we move toward autonomous vehicles and car-to-car communicat...
#113: Wikipedia for Data
12 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Most people are familiar with Wikipedia, but there's a lot more to "open data" than the convenience of checking how tall your favorite Olymp...
#112: Verizon Shifts on Business Broadband
10 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is Verizon moving away from broadband and fiber deployment? Earlier this month, the company filed an ex parte with the FCC indicating support for pric...
#111: FDA Cracks Down on E-Cigs
09 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is the FDA putting e-cigs and vapor products out of business? Yesterday, the FDA’s “Deeming Rules” took effect. The rules will force e-cig manuf...
#110: TechFreedom Appeals FCC Power Grab
04 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What’s next in the litigation over Title II and the FCC’s “net neutrality” rules? In June, the FCC scored a victory when the D.C. Circuit Cour...
#109: Small Business and the Internet
01 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
While most people associate the structure of the Internet with major companies like AT&T and Comcast, the reality is that small and medium-sized b...
#108: Microsoft Beats Justice Department in Ireland
27 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Can a US warrant compel Microsoft to give the Justice Department customer data stored in Ireland? The Obama administration thought so, but last week, ...
#107: Digital Free Speech (w/ FEC Commissioner Lee Goodman)
25 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Political speech has flourished on the Internet, thanks in large part to the First Amendment and a lack of regulation from the Federal Elections Commi...
#106: GOP Tech Platform: The Good, Bad, the Vague
22 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
While Trump hasn’t said much specifically about tech policy, the GOP platform does, believe it or not, have a tech section. There’s plenty to li...
#105: GOP Platform: Who Governs the Internet?
20 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The GOP’s 2016 platform says that Obama “threw the internet to the wolves, and they — Russia, China, Iran, and others — are ready to devour it...
#104: Legal Hacking
18 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is encryption really a problem for law enforcement? If so, what’s the solution? In recent months, the FBI has faced legal pushback over its use of h...
#103: A Network for the Future
15 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a broadband network that's smart. It teaches itself. It repairs itself. And maybe, it's even self-aware. No, we're not talking about Skynet, b...
#102: The FBI and Browser Spying
12 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Should the FBI need a warrant to look at your browser history? What about other records about how you use the Internet? Recently, Sens. John McCain (R...
#101: Government and the Internet of Things
08 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to the Internet of Things — think connected cars and coffee makers — is there a role for government? If so, what should that be? Inc...
#100: Centenario
05 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Here's to 100 episodes! Evan and Berin discuss their big milestone, their recent travels to Europe, and fallout from the court decision on net neutral...
#99: Controlling the Price of Business Broadband
29 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Who should set the price of broadband? Businesses, or the government? While the FCC doesn’t (yet) regulate the price of your home Internet connectio...
#98: Uber for Planes?
24 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Given the success of tech in the sharing economy, you might be asking yourself: why don’t we have Uber for planes? Well, we might have, but the Fede...
#97: Space Regulation
22 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
With recent budget cuts to NASA, exploration of the final frontier has increasingly fallen to the private sector. But what kind of regulatory environm...
#96: Recharging Hotels
20 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about hotels and the sharing economy, it’s usually about the hotel industry’s war against Airbnb, HomeAway, and other home-sharing si...
#95: Cybersecurity Myths
15 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
With all the headlines around cyber attacks, there’s a lot of confusion and myths surrounding data security. Sometimes, the simplest explanation is ...
#94: Email Privacy in an Emergency
09 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Email privacy reform passed unanimously in the House, but the Email Privacy Act has hit a snag in the Senate. Though the bill’s core mission — req...
#93: Activism, or Slacktivism?
07 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Digital activism is often little more than trending hashtags and caps-locked arguments that devolve into Hitler comparisons, but a new company is hopi...
#92: Government Hacking
06 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If you get hacked, should the government hack back? Recent efforts have been made to fight the use of illegal botnets, but many privacy advocates are ...
#91: Democrats Divide on Uber
02 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tech policy has gotten scant attention in the 2016 election, but Uber and the sharing economy are starting to break through. While Trump hasn’t said...
#90: Media Ownership
31 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The media and advertising markets are more competitive than ever, and it’s been awhile since radio, TV stations, and newspapers were the only games ...
#89: Arizona Tackles Airbnb, Home Sharing
26 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
There are two kinds of states: those that recognize home sharing, and those that pretend it isn’t happening. While regulations that provide a framew...
#88: Regulating Fantasy Sports
25 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How are states handling the controversial issue of regulating daily fantasy sports, including companies like DraftKings and FanDuel? As the industry h...
#87: High School Surveillance Debate
24 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re looking for a nuanced, thoughtful debate on government surveillance, you probably won’t find it in Congress. But look no further than Am...
#86: Supreme Court Decides in Spokeo
23 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Spokeo is a search engine for people. But unlike your phone book, Spokeo claims to glean its information from public databases, such as social media p...
#85: Privacy in the Golden Age of Surveillance
20 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In the “Golden Age of Surveillance,” are limits on government data collection really enough to protect privacy? Is mass surveillance inevitable? I...
#84: WhatsApp with Brazil?
19 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
WhatsApp has over a billion users worldwide, and the Facebook-owned encrypted messaging app is particularly popular in Brazil, where it’s used by 93...
#83: Europe's War on Google
17 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
News broke yesterday that Google will soon face a 3 billion euro fine from the European Commission after 6 years of antitrust investigations from EU r...
#82: Tech Policy in Europe
16 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union (EU) is an interesting case for tech policy. While individual member states get direction from Brussels, where the EU is headquarte...
#81: How Stuff Works: Software-Defined Networking 101
13 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Internet is getting smarter. And as the way we use the Internet is changing, the way we manage its traffic must change too. Evan and AEI Economics...
#80: FCC Comm'r Ajit Pai Dissents on Charter-TWC Merger
12 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai joins the show to discuss his dissenting vote in the FCC’s approval of the Charter-Time Warner merger. Late last month, th...
#79: Uber Shuts Down in Austin, TX
12 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Uber and Lyft have ceased operations in Austin, TX following a failed vote on a referendum to overturn regulations adopted in December by the city cou...
#78: Permissionless Innovation
10 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Should innovation require permission? Should entrepreneurs have to get government approval before experimenting with new products and business models?...
#77: Facebook Bias? The Right Over-Reacts
10 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is Facebook biased against conservatives? Gizmodo ran a story today based on interviews with former contractors for Facebook, who “curated” the ot...
#76: Little Rock's Taxi Monopoly is on Trial
06 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Taxi monopolies have clashed with ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft across the country. But what happens when the clash is between two taxi co...
#75: War on Drug Phones
05 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Has the War on Drugs become a war on phones? The Apple v. FBI saga made encryption a household issue, but while that case focused on counter-terrorism...
#74: The Role of Phone Companies in Surveillance
04 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What role should telephone and other technology companies play in national security and surveillance? Who should be in charge of collecting and storin...
#73: On Amazon's Design, Gov't Knows Best
03 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
You may have seen this story in the news: a child runs up thousands of dollars worth of purchases on her parent’s Apple, Google, or Amazon app store...
#72: Regulating Bitcoin
02 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How does one regulate Bitcoin and other virtual currencies? This is question is puzzling many lawmakers and bureaucrats struggling to navigate a new, ...
#71: How Stuff Works: Bitcoin 101
29 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last few years, bitcoin and other virtual currencies have become increasingly viable alternatives to traditional money. Yet for most people, ...
#70: Auctioning the Airwaves
28 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As the demand for mobile data explodes, so does the need for spectrum holders to free up the airwaves for wireless carriers. While free, over-the-air ...
#69: TWC-Charter Merger and FCC Extortion
27 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Department of Justice approved the merger of Charter and Time Warner Cable, the sixth and third biggest broadband providers in America....
#68: Uber Settles a Lawsuit
26 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Uber settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company misclassified its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. W...
#67: Killing the Cable Box
25 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The FCC wants to “unlock” the cable box. But shouldn’t the agency be helping to kill the box? The FCC recently proposed rules that would force c...
#66: Government Transparency
21 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
These days, it costs almost nothing to publish information online. So why isn’t more government information available to the public? Taxpayers spend...
#65: Student Debt and Technology
20 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Our national student debt is sittin’ pretty at $1.3 trillion, and the number is rising by $3,000 every second. Can technology help solve the problem...
#64: Encryption is a Global Issue
19 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When the encryption debate is so often framed as “Apple v. FBI,” it’s easy to forget that digital security is a global issue. Nonetheless, how t...
#63: Special Prices for Business Broadband
18 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
While the FCC chooses not to regulate the prices that consumers pay for residential broadband — for now — the same isn’t true for businesses. Sp...
#62: Uber Surge and Price-Fixing
15 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Uber’s surge pricing has come under fire — and not just from drunk passengers who paid exorbitant fares for rides home on New Years’ Eve. A new ...
#61: FCC Shenanigans and Deal-Breaking
14 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Before the last FCC monthly meeting, GOP Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly (previous guests of the show) struck a deal with Democrat Commissioner Migno...
#60: Email Privacy, It's Happening?
13 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is email privacy finally happening? Will Congress finally protect the privacy of Americans’ emails? Will law enforcement finally be required to ge...
#59: FCC Takes on Privacy (w/ FCC Commr. Mike O'Rielly)
12 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly joins the show to discuss the Commission’s foray into privacy. What exactly does the FCC have to do with Internet p...
#58: Banning Encryption
11 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, a pair of Senators introduced a bill that was overwhelmingly described by technology experts as “ludicrous, dangerous, and technically il...
#57: Burner Phones and Terrorism
08 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Pre-paid “burner” phones are often associated with the illegal world, whether it’s drug dealing, organized crime, or even terrorism. But for mos...
#56: FCC Intrigue, Netflix Throttling, and Zero-Rating (w/ FCC Comm’r Mike O’Rielly)
07 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the FCC been up to lately? Short answer: a lot. Luckily for us, a special guest, FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, made time to join the show...
#55: 3D Printing, Free Speech, and Gun Rights
06 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
3D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing, but not without controversy. The technology has made printing guns in your home relatively easy and chea...
#54: Presidential Campaigns & Big Data
05 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How much do the presidential campaigns know about you? Most Americans are probably aware that tech companies and intelligence agencies collect their p...
#53: Don't F@*# With My Call of Duty
01 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Is the FCC f***ing with your Call of Duty? Could strict net neutrality regulation make online video gaming worse? The FCC's Title II reclassification ...
#52: Regulating Airbnb
30 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How friendly is your city to short-term rentals? As Airbnb, Home Away, and other home-sharing platforms grow in popularity, they run into a hodgepodge...
#51: Netflix Wins Hypo(crite) Award
29 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Netflix copped to deliberately downgrading its video quality for AT&T and Verizon customers for the past five years -- without telling anyo...
#50: Regulators Gonna Regulate
28 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
You may not know much about the most important agency in Washington when it comes to regulating new technologies. The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC...
#49: Apple v FBI- On Hold... For Now
24 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Apple’s battle with the FBI in California is on hold for now, but the battle is far from over. This week, a federal magistrate postponed a court hea...
#48: How Stuff Works - The Sharing Economy
23 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What exactly is the “sharing economy?” Regulatory battles with Uber and Airbnb make for flashy headlines, but how much do we know about the sharin...
#47: Government-Run Internet
22 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As cities like Chattanooga, TN and Wilson, NC look to expand government-owned broadband networks (GONs) beyond their borders, they’re running into s...
#46: The Nether
21 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In the future, what will the Internet look like? One playwright imagines The NETHER: a network of virtual reality realms that allow users to log in an...
#45: Sex Trafficking and the Internet
18 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Backpage, the second largest classified ads website after Craigslist, has been embroiled in controversy and legal battles over allegations that its “...
#44: A Lifeline for Broadband
17 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Ever notice those fees on your cell phone or landline telephone bill? The FCC collects them to fund programs like Lifeline, which subsidizes communica...
#43: Drone Safety
15 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Do toy drones endanger the national airspace? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seems to think so. Right before Christmas, the FAA rushed thro...
#42: Broadband Privacy
14 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The FCC is set to issue new regulations on how Internet access providers collect and use consumer data. On Thursday, March 11, the agency released a f...
#41: The War on Hacking
11 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If 2015 was the “year of the hack,” what will 2016 mean for cybersecurity? Will Congress’s hastily-passed cyber bill (CISA) do anything to stop ...