Wireless with Strings Attached explains why net neutrality laws threaten a thriving wireless market and shows how the desired benefits of net neutrality are already being accomplished with market forces.

Net neutrality is the latest slogan in the battle over the “digital divide,” the notion that high technology in general, and the Internet in particular, automatically created a vast new division of haves and have-nots, which will persist unless politicians pass new laws and impose new regulations.

RFID is a useful technology already enjoying multiple applications, which are certain to expand. That a new technology sparks fear is understandable, especially a device so small that it can be placed under the skin and used to track the bearer. Some who are concerned about RFID do not want to ban the technology but ask for simple rules for tag placement and use.

The Pacific Research Institute commissioned this review of 52 major muni telecom networks that compete in the cable, broadband, and telephone markets. This analysis demonstrates that these public systems are financial disasters. Many received their initial funding through suspicious means, including insider loans at special rates. As many as 19 were originally financed with questionable non-interest-bearing loans from public utilities. As of 2004, long after the initial start-up phase, 13 were still shamelessly dependent on these schemes and were unable to break even financially. Muni networks demand constant reinvestment; the ones in our sample have raided more than $840 million from taxpayers over twenty years. Analysis of the total track record of muni systems shows that 77 percent of the time they don’t pay their way.

Upgrading America’s Ballot Box: The Rise of E-voting 2nd Edition
By: Sonia Arrison, Vince Vasquez
10.1.2006

In the months following the 2000 Florida vote fiasco, federal lawmakers began work on new legislation to overhaul America’s electoral system. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was signed into law on October 2002, allocating billions of taxpayer dollars to replace antiquated voting systems that have proven disastrous in post-election recounts. Nearly 700 counties have now procured direct recording electronic (DRE) devices, or “e-voting” machines, a type of cutting-edge technology that has quickly moved the country away from its perilous punch card past.

Cutting the Cord: Streamlining the Video Franchising Process
By: Sonia Arrison, Vince Vasquez
4.1.2006

Convergence is the ongoing theme in the nation’s communications marketplace, and for the most part it is happening at a decent pace. One area, however, where positive change is not happening fast enough is video service. This lag can be traced to the cable franchise regulatory system whereby local governments set the terms and conditions for businesses to enter the video market.

Capital Expenditures and California Telecom Reform
By Arthur B. Laffer, Ph.D., Sonia Arrison, Andrew Coors, Gregory A. Stein, Vince Vasquez, and Wayne H. Winegarden, Ph.D.
3.1.2006

Deregulation Lessons for Telecommunications in California from the Airline and Natural Gas Industries
By Arthur B. Laffer, Ph.D., Sonia Arrison, Andrew Coors, Gregory A. Stein, Vince Vasquez, and Wayne H. Winegarden, Ph.D.
3.1.2006

Digital Welfare: The Failure of the Universal Service System
By: Vince Vasquez
2.1.2006

In the months following the 2000 Florida vote fiasco, federal lawmakers began work on new legislation to overhaul America’s electoral system. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was signed into law on October 2002, allocating billions of taxpayer dollars to replace antiquated voting systems that have proven disastrous in post-election recounts. Nearly 700 counties have now procured direct recording electronic (DRE) devices, or “e-voting” machines, a type of cutting-edge technology that has quickly moved the country away from its perilous punch card past.