Last year, we were appalled when the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a search warrant to Microsoft demanding that it hand over the emails of an Irish drug suspect stored on a server in Ireland. The incident raised major questions about the ability of U.S. companies to operate overseas.
Oxfam International, a UK-based non-profit, changed its mission to ending poverty and injustice. While Oxfam’s historic focus had been ending world hunger, its U.S. affiliate is now campaigning to bite the hands that feed the world most efficiently.
At the end of 2012, there were 634 million websites scattered across the world. In the U.S., physical connections to websites are carried by dozens of commercial backbone operators and large last mile ISPs (Internet Service Providers), such as those using cellular, satellite, cable, fiber or plain old copper. As well, there are hundreds of smaller ISPs, including many small ISPs, over builders, Wi-Fi and WiMax networks.
The Network Neutrality saga began a decade ago when “bits just wannabe free” thinking embraced a theme of socialized broadband benefits from privatized investment. The early, aggressive Net Neutrality backers were website sources with the highest internet volumes at that time (search and email, music downloads, and a handful of video sources).
Entertainers and ticket sellers have a right to earn an honest living, but we’re tired of being mugged at the ticket booth. Shameless greed has become standard practice and it’s neither entertaining nor sportsman-like conduct. Ticket vendors have perfected the art of trolling. They slap high fees on ticket sales and for the event tickets that are returned and resold, total fees sometimes 75 percent above or even higher than the ticket’s face value.
Tesla sells its electric cars directly to customers, no middleman, and customer demand is so brisk that a backlog of has developed. The popularity of the cars and the direct sales model is very disturbing to automobile dealers, and in some states they have enlisted politicians to hobble Tesla’s distribution model. Five states have banned Tesla direct sales and four have imposed nasty restrictions or have similar legislation pending.
Winning lawyers from the big tobacco award of $246 billion are preparing to take on “big food.” We can expect disruptions in our food supply due to packaging, promotion and labelling changes, ultimately ingredient changes and price hikes, and especially limits on that most heinous of demons – sugar.
The farm bill (S. 954) plans for the U.S. sugar cartel to continue the tradition of pillaging Americans. Already through the Senate, the bill needs House action, notably removal of government’s obligation to ally with the sugar cartel against American consumers, workers, and taxpayers.
Google is blocking Microsoft’s YouTube phone application again. When confronted about why the app is being blocked, Google has demanded that Microsoft’s app be written in HTML5, even though neither Google’s Android platform nor Apple’s iPhone used HTML for their YouTube apps.
The Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act (ITFFA) from Senators Wyden and Thune has roots going back to 1998. It’s an example of good legislation achieved through bipartisan cooperation.
