Policy & Regulation

Policy & Regulation / Most Commented

Cybersecurity Standards Competition

The conventional wisdom in the world of legacy standards-making is that monolithic standards produce, if not accelerate, better products and services. Conformance, certification, and associated labelling schemes to implement those standards were believed essential to trust. Although competition law seems now evolving in the other direction, regulatory standards-making bodies themselves have been accorded considerable anticompetitive cartel liability protection. more

FCC Clears SpaceX, T-Mobile Deal to Expand Coverage to Dead Zones

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted T-Mobile and SpaceX approval to extend mobile coverage to remote areas using satellite technology. This marks the first authorization of its kind, allowing collaboration between a wireless carrier and a satellite operator to utilize spectrum bands traditionally reserved for terrestrial services. more

The Challenge Facing African TLDs

Africa's digital ecosystem is growing rapidly, with internet access becoming a central driver for innovation, business, and socio-economic development. As this digital adoption expands, so too does the importance of domain governance, particularly the effective management of Top-Level Domains (TLDs). Unfortunately, over the years, African registries have struggled to manage their TLDs, often leading to missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and a loss of competitive edge in the global domain market. more

11 Information Economy Policy Reversals Coming to a Marketplace Near You!

In the wake of the election, sweeping policy shifts in the information economy are set to accelerate. Expect fast-tracked FCC reforms, Starlink subsidies, and AI-driven oversight to redefine media, tech, and regulatory landscapes. From relaxed antitrust to intensified media control, these eleven reversals signal a move toward deregulation and Chicago School libertarianism, with lasting impacts on U.S. markets and governance. more

Biden Administration to Back UN Cybercrime Treaty Amid Controversy

The Biden administration is poised to support a contentious United Nations cybercrime treaty, a move likely to spark debate over potential abuses, according to top officials.  more

Why We Need to Discard the Word “Multistakeholder”

A CircleID post by Alexander Klimburg takes aim at my article, "The Power to Govern Ourselves," delivered at the Gig-Arts conference in June. That speech, available here on the blog, argued that: "Multistakeholder does not describe a governance model. It never has. It was always a compromised Public Relations concept," one that muddied the distinction between governance by state actors and non-state actors. What really made the Internet institutions unique was their break with sovereignty. more

EU Internet Advocates Push Back Against Telecom “Fair-Share” Fees

In a joint statement to the European Commission's new tech appointee, Henna Virkkunen, a coalition of internet advocacy groups has firmly opposed recent proposals aimed at imposing network fees on content providers. more

Broadband Labels are Here

On October 10, all ISPs in the United States were supposed to have implemented and posted broadband labels. The labels were required as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Large ISPs had to post labels six months ago, and now the requirement is for all ISPs. I looked at the ISPs in a few counties I'm very familiar with, and I found a few ISPs in each county that have not posted labels that I can find on their website. more

Decoding Internet Governance Stakeholders, Part 2: Private Sector

The "Decoding Internet Governance Stakeholders" series of articles invites the community to ponder what underlies the labels that define our interactions, roughly 20 years after the "Tunis Agenda for the Information Society" called for the "full involvement of governments, business entities, civil society and intergovernmental organizations", as well as to "make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities". more

Supreme Court Delivers One-Two Punch to Agency Power

At the end of its 2024 term, the Supreme Court made two landmark rulings that limit federal agencies' regulatory powers. Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo curtails their ability to create new regulations, while SEC v. Jarkesy reduces their capacity to enforce existing laws. These decisions significantly weaken agencies like the FCC in regulating sectors of the national economy, marking a substantial shift in administrative authority. more

Book Review: Forks in the Digital Road - Key Decisions in the History of the Internet

At first glance, this book looks like another history of the Internet, but it is much, much more. The authors use their engineering and scholarly understanding of what constitutes Internet history to identify forks in the digital road and key past decisions that shaped the Internet's path. The first part of the book maps out the core technical and policy decisions that created the Internet.  more

The Role of Chronic Radio Interoperability Impediments in the Butler, PA Assassination Attempt

There are many inconvenient truths about radio spectrum sharing and transceiver interoperability that require full ventilation and resolution. Spectrum users want exclusive access and - news flash - they do not like to share! Campaign events, like the Trump Bulter, PA rally, require short notice, forced cooperation between and among federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, as well as a variety of other government agencies. more

Malaysia Plans Internet “Kill Switch” to Curb Online Abuse

Malaysia is advancing legislation for an internet “kill switch” aimed at curbing online abuse and illegal activities. This initiative, spearheaded by the country’s Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said, seeks to hold social media and messaging platforms accountable for content disseminated through their services. more

Phishers Exploit the Cybercrime Supply Chain Despite the Availability of Effective Countermeasures

Interisle Consulting Group today released its fourth annual Phishing Landscape report investigating where and how cybercriminals acquire naming and hosting resources for phishing. Our study shows that cybercriminals evolved their tactics for obtaining attack resources, including sharply increasing their exploitation of subdomain and gateway providers. more

Rethinking Digital Sovereignty: The Pitfalls of an Infrastructured Approach

In an era where our lives are increasingly intertwined with digital technologies, a recent development in the realm of digital sovereignty has sparked a pressing concern for nations and individuals alike. The concept of digital self-determination, once hailed as a great equalizer, has become a battleground for power, privacy, and control, with governments and tech giants vying for dominance in the digital realm. more