On Easter, Google Doodle Celebrates Union Leader Cesar Chavez

March 31, 2013 | Filed Under Business, Christianity, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Easter, Ethics, Google, Government, Corruption, Holiday, Inernet, Liberals, PCism, Progressives, Society/Culture, Technology, Unions, Warner Todd Huston, Western Civilization | No Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

This year, March 31 is Easter Day, the day that American Christians celebrate Jesus Christ having risen from the tomb to join his Father in Heaven. But instead of hosting a doodle celebrating that sacred holiday, this March 31, Google is celebrating the birth of famed union activist Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 and is most well known for organizing south western farm workers into unions in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. In 1962, Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with fellow activist Dolores Huerta. By 1972, the NFWA had merged with another union to become the United Farm Workers union (UFW).

Under Chavez, the UFW constantly used violence, threats, and strong arm tactics to coerce workers into joining the union and the FBI often investigated Chavez for ties to the Communist Party.

So on this March 31, Google has chosen to celebrate the life of a union activist instead of the Risen Christ with its “doodle.”

A Google “doodle” is a cartoon graphic celebrating a day of historical interest. The doodle is placed on the search engine’s main landing page just above the search field. Doodles are often whimsical and animated.

Google’s most recent doodles include Bangladesh Independence Day, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro’s 167th Birthday (Portugal), Persian New Year, St. Patrick’s Day, Hungary National Day, Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky’s 150th Birthday, and Women’s Day.
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Bait and Switch: Law Goes From Protecting Your Email to Allowing Gov’t Into Your Email

November 20, 2012 | Filed Under 1st Amendment, Anti-Americanism, Blogging, Computers, Congress, Constitution, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, DOJ, Email, Ethics, Free Speech, Freedom, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Liberty, Nanny State, Net Neutrality, Patriot Act, Progressives, Regulation, Security/Safety, Technology, The Law, Twitter, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new law that was originally meant to strengthen the privacy of your email was recently re-written to allow government more access to your private emails and other digital files.

When H.R. 2471 went to the Senate, Democrat Senator Pat Leahy quickly rewrote the whole thing to allow federal policing agencies to have the power to search your digital files without a warrant.

As CNET reports it,

Leahy’s rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies — including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission — to access Americans’ e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.

This is, of course, an example of the government going too far for security. And you know the old saying so often attributed to Ben Franklin, “Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.”

Also, I can’t stress more, here, that is the Democrats doing this. This is not a GOP effort.
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Study: Most Social Media Users Into Politics

October 23, 2012 | Filed Under Blogging, Computers, Conservatives, Democrats/Leftists, Facebook, Google, Inernet, New Media, Republicans, Technology, Twitter, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that two thirds of social media users are also active in politics.

The study found that 66 percent of adult social media users (which is 39 percent of all U.S. adults) had promoted political or socio-political issues and one third used their social media to post their own opinions and to share content about political matters.

35 percent used their social media to urge others to vote and 28 percent have used tools to to post links to stories or articles on politics. Pew found that the conservative and liberal social media users were most apt to do the latter.
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Google, Big Obama Donors, Bans Firearm Accessory Sales in Ads

July 2, 2012 | Filed Under 2nd Amendment, Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Business, Capitalism, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Google, Government, Corruption, Guns, Inernet, Liberals, Media, Media Bias, President, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Second Amendment, Schmecond Amendment. Google wants you to know that it is thinking of your “safety” as it announces that it has banned anything to do with firearms on its Google Shopping service. That’s what they’ve told HamLund Tactical, a Texas-based company that deals in ammunition and firearms accessories, anyway. Further, firearms customers have recently found that Google Shopping won’t give them any search results for firearm-related products anymore even though the change over isn’t supposed to fully take effect until July 1.

The folks at HamLund Tactical posted the letter they received from Google on a gun enthusiast’s message board called 68forums. In that letter, Google informs dealers in firearm accessories and ammunition that they will no longer be allowed to sell their wares through the Google service.

Starting July 1 Google has implemented the new policy, HamLund was informed. “We do not allow the promotion or sale of weapons and any related products such as ammunitions or accessory kits on Google Shopping. In order to comply with our new policies, please remove any weapon-related products from your data feed and then re-submit your feed in the Merchant Center,” the letter says.

This goes for knives as well as firearms and related products.
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EU’s Regulated Mobile Prices Higher than US Competitive Mobile Prices

June 1, 2012 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Free Trade, Google, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Regulation, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

The EU’s latest round of mobile price regulation provides a golden opportunity to show how market competition produces much better results for consumers than government price regulation. Ironically, the European Parliament voted this week to lower mobile roaming charges by mid-2014 to levels that will still be much higher than America’s competitive wireless market prices are today.

Per New York Times reports, the EU mandated price for making a roaming mobile voice call will be reset from 35 cents a minute today to 19 cents a minute by mid-2014, and the price for receiving a roaming mobile voice call will be reset from 11 cents a minute today to 5 cents by mid-2014. Putting this in perspective, Recon Analytics’ research shows that Americans pay 4.9 cents a minute vs. 16.7 cents a minute for Europeans — ~70% less; and because of these dramatically lower American wireless prices, Americans consumers use more than twice as much wireless as Europeans, 875 minutes of use per month vs. 418 minutes for Europeans. Simply, the EU’s ~50% mandated price reductions will still have European consumers paying much more for mobile usage even if one incorrectly were to assume that competition won’t further lower the market price for American consumers like it has every year.
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Netflix’ Net Neutrality Corporate Welfare Plan

May 26, 2012 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Ethics, Free Trade, Google, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Jobs, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Regulation, Scott Cleland, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Apparently Netflix is angling to become Silicon Valley’s king of corporate welfare. We learn from a New York Times economics column advocating for an Internet industrial policy that “Netflix is trying to build a coalition of businesses to make the case for… net neutrality.” And that the “online video powerhouse Netflix started a political action committee to complement a budding lobbying effort in support of the idea that all content must be allowed to travel through the Internet on equal terms” — translation: always at no cost to Netflix.

But Netflix isn’t in need of public assistance; it is America’s video subscription leader with 23 million subscribers. Netflix has $3.3b in annual revenues, $1.2b in gross profits, $800m in cash, a 34% return on equity, and a market valuation multiple over twice the market’s. And Netflix flexed its exceptional pricing power last year in raising its prices 60% without losing many subscribers.

Netflix’ net neutrality plan is a shameless Washington plea for corporate welfare via Government price regulation of privately-owned broadband networks so… Netflix’ uniquely voracious 33% usage of the Internet’s traffic peak does not cost Netflix anything! Greedily, Netflix is asserting that it somehow has an inalienable “right” to forever gorge on nearly a third of the Internet’s peak capacity without any obligation, responsibility or expectation to either responsibly use, or contribute to the cost of operating or investing in, the Internet infrastructure that they use more than any entity.
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Verizon-Cable Opponents Goading FCC to Overreach its Authority Again — Part 9 of Series

May 17, 2012 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Jobs, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Regulation, Scott Cleland, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Opponents urging the FCC to block the Verizon-Cable secondary market spectrum transaction are pushing the FCC into dangerous institutional territory, effectively goading it to: overreach its statutory authority; ignore FCC precedent, evidence, and facts; and game its own spectrum-screen process. The same FreePress radical fringe — that goaded the FCC to flout the D.C. Appeals Court decision and pass the Open Internet Order and Data-Roaming Order — are at it again.

The FreePress radical fringe who care not for the rule of law, are again goading the FCC to trump up some new public interest rationale and statutory theory to allow the FCC to transmogrify its limited public interest authority into unbounded authority that disregards the law, FCC precedent, or the facts. This radical manipulation of the process may be good for forwarding FreePress’ anti-business, Internet commons goals, but it is not good for the institution of the FCC, which is a creature of Congress and subject to the rule of law. And nor is it good for the American public.

The FreePress coalition appreciates that the FCC is in search of relevance in the broadband Internet era, and is preying on that uncertainty to goad the FCC to re-imagine its own legal authority by declaring broadband a Title II common carrier service and/or by interpreting their limited public interest authority boundlessly. If the FCC determines it needs new authority, it must seek it from Congress.
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Google’s Poor & Defiant Settlement Record

May 15, 2012 | Filed Under Dr. Don Boys, Google, Inernet, New Media, Scott Cleland, Technology, Twitter | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s poor and defiant track record in respecting government agreements and settlements is likely one of the reasons the FTC hired an undefeated former Federal prosecutor and litigator to lead their Google antitrust probe and potential litigation against Google. The EU and the FTC are naturally exceptionally skeptical about negotiating an antitrust settlement with Google, given the substantial evidence that shows Google is consistently less-than-trustworthy in abiding by its agreements with Governments.

Specifically, the evidence shows that Google has not abided by either of its privacy agreements with the FTC concerning Street-View WiSpy or Google-Buzz, nor has Google fully-abided by its criminal Non-Prosecution-Agreement with the DOJ concerning its advertising of illegal prescription drug imports. In addition, Google attempted to broadly game the justice system in negotiating a Google Book Settlement that would have rewarded it with a partial monopoly for its mass copyright infringement.
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Consumer Groups’ Advocacy Hypocrisy

May 8, 2012 | Filed Under Blogging, Computers, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Consumer groups by definition, are supposed to be protecting consumers’ interests — not be pushing a special interest political agenda under the guise of the “public interest.” Let’s spotlight a recent and blatant hypocrisy whereby consumer groups near-completely ignored an instance of obvious widespread consumer harm (the FCC’s proposed fine of Google for obstructing its Street View wiretapping investigation), while in another contemporaneous issue, consumer groups gang-pummeled a non-issue to push a political Internet commons agenda (strongly objecting to Comcast’s new market offering where XBox usage does not apply to a user’s 250 Gig monthly data cap.)

Google Street View Wiretapping: Why is Google obstructing a Federal wiretapping investigation affecting the privacy of literally tens of millions of American households’ — not a consumer protection issue? How come consumer groups routinely and loudly call for FCC investigations of broadband companies’ legal marketplace actions, but are silent on the obvious obstruction of a Federal investigation into Google allegedly being involved in potentially the largest wiretapping and mass invasion of citizens’ privacy by a corporation in U.S. history? How is it in consumers’ interest for the government to not be able to determine if Google actually violated Federal law or not?
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Google’s PR Strategy in Advance of the EU’s Monopoly Charges — A Satire

May 3, 2012 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Crony Capitalism, Google, Inernet, New Media, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Confidential Memorandum:

To: All 11,342 Google PR/Spokespeople

From: Brandi Sparkles, Google PR Chief & Googlerati Whisperer

Subject: PR Statement/Strategy in Advance of EU’s Monopoly Charges

We expect the European Union’s antitrust authority to issue a Statement of Objections against Google shortly, which will charge Google with being a monopoly that anti-competitively ranks its own content #1 while ranking its competitors’ content where few will find them.

So you can help rally the Googlerati in the media to Google’s side and organize a chorus of Google adoration among the masses to make this problem blow over, we are sharing an advance copy of our public statement for public dissemination and also a copy of our confidential PR strategy for this event, so you can be in the know. But remember, this PR strategy is not for public distribution.
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AAI’s Analysis of Verizon-Cable Is Industrial Policy Not Antitrust

April 30, 2012 | Filed Under Business, Computers, Economy/Finances, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Reading through The American Antitrust Institute’s white paper on Verizon-Cable, it is striking how little analysis is relevant to antitrust/market-competition and how it is basically a thinly-veiled tacit pitch for the DOJ and the FCC to pursue an aggressive industrial policy for the wireless industry.

The white paper presumes that because the DOJ blocked the AT&T/T-Mobile merger to preserve T-Mobile as a disruptive fourth wireless competitor, and because T-Mobile now claims it needs more spectrum, that the government should intervene somehow to effectively redirect the spectrum to T-Mobile and away from Verizon.

The huge flaw in the AAI’s analysis is its central presumption, which is contrary to longstanding spectrum auction law, that the government, not market forces, should allocate spectrum. The analysis ignores that the law of the land allocates spectrum via property rights and auctions enabling the spectrum to find the party that most economically values it and has the most economic incentive to put it to productive use. The AAI’s analysis appears biased against existing law in assuming that the only or primary reason that the largest wireless providers would want more spectrum would be to anti-competitively keep it from its smaller competitors, and not the obvious and real reason that they want to provide better, faster, more reliable mobile broadband service to more people in more of the country to make more money.
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Libel By Any Other Name

October 18, 2011 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Gary Krasner, Google, Inernet, Liberals, Rick Santorum, Technology | Comments Off

-By Gary Krasner

If you thought the pro-Democrat company, Google, was the only company actively tarnishing the name “Santorum” by showcasing a false definition of it, you can now add Wikipedia and Firefox browser to that list.

For several years and currently, if you Googled “Santorum”, you would get this as the FIRST entry out of over 2 million hits:

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –
Santorum
spreadingsantorum.com/
Santorum 1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.
2. Senator Rick Santorum.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

A gay activist, Dan Savage, created the website and the false definition. It is the only website that displays that erroneous definition. Google “defends” itself by disingenuously claiming a passive role. Yet Google has yet to explain why it gives it the top priority in its search results.

But now, there are other companies joining Google in the defamation campaign against Senator Rick Santorum.
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Twitter Screws Me For The GOP Debate

September 12, 2011 | Filed Under Elections, Google, GOP, Government, Inernet, New Media, Republicans, Technology, Twitter, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Well, I don’t know about you, but I never knew that Twitter shut people down if they make a bunch of Tweets in a row! I just found that out tonight. I was half way through the Live Tweeting the GOP debate and Twitter shut me down telling me that I went over the Twitter limit!

So, tonight the initials of my name really do mean What The Heck?

Yours, Warner Todd Huston

Why We Can’t Trust Government on Technology

April 29, 2011 | Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Business, Capitalism, Computers, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Jobs, Liberals, Net Neutrality, PCism, President, Society/Culture, Technology, Warner Todd Huston, Western Civilization | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Free market advocates have for years been fighting the anti-capitalist left over government control of the Internet, a battle that has reached a temporary plateau when Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) arbitrarily decided that it was in full control of the Internet and by fiat implemented the left’s long-sought net neutrality rules. This isn’t the only technology kerfuffle that the federal government is involved in, either.

Another techno-mess has been raging over a contract being considered by the Department of the Interior for its new email/messaging system using a cloud computing solution. The fight has been between Microsoft and Google and the results tends to prove that the government is as tech stupid as a Luddite on steroids. It tends to show that the government simply can’t be trusted with technology issues, whether net neutrality or otherwise.
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Net Neutrality: Free Press Loses a Schtick Contest

October 28, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, FCC, Free Trade, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Lobbyists, Net Neutrality, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Recently Comm Daily (subscription required) reported that an FCC decision on net neutrality was unlikely before its January meeting. While uninteresting in itself the one remarkable line in the story had to be this quote from a senior FCC official:

“While they are busy handing out waffles and making posters, we are focused on creating jobs and protecting consumers.”

The FCC official was referring to Free Press, the group that has been relentlessly attacking the FCC and many Democrats for not jumping off the cliff for net neutrality.

As far as can be determined, this is the first time the FCC has ever called out Free Press for its buffoonery. And it’s about time, too. This may be a sign that the FCC has realized that the far left will never stop attacking them – Free Press’s business model depends on staying to the Left of whatever the FCC does — so it’s pointless to try to make them happy.

Who is Free Press? Taking a look at its Flickr photo stream shows why nobody, Republicans or Democrats, actually take Free Press seriously.
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Net Neutrality Update

September 21, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, FCC, Free Trade, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Liberals, Net Neutrality, New Media, Taxes, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you are as worried as I am about the left’s effort to force ever larger amounts of big government onto our lives, then you should be looking into the issue of Net Neutrality. To that end a few times a week I’ll be posting some links and info about Net Neutrality to help you all get your feet wet on this important issue.

Here are just a few of the latest articles on Net Neutrality for your information:

The FCC Again Resumes its Unauthorized Internet Agenda
The Washington Examiner, By Seton Motley

The estimable John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable reports: The (Federal Communications Commission-FCC) is issuing a public notice to “improve the FCC’s understanding of business broadband needs,” calling it the “next step” advancing the FCC’s small business broadband agenda.

Only one problem with this FCC assertion. They’re not supposed to have a small business broadband agenda. Or a broadband agenda. Or any sort of Internet agenda at all.
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What is Wrong With Net Neutrality?

September 15, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Computers, Dave McClure, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off

-By Dave McClure, President and CEO of the US Internet Industry Association

Net neutrality. It sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong. Net neutrality is the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) misguided and misunderstood attempt to regulate the Internet. Net neutrality has taken many chameleon-like shades in the evolution to its current state, but its inherent dangers to the future of the Internet remain. Because of a recent Washington DC District Court decision concluding the FCC did not have the authority to regulate the Internet as it exists today, the FCC has embarked on a quest to reclassify broadband Internet service as it is today and classify it under an outdated monopoly era statute know as “Title II” of the Communications Act in which the FCC does have express authority over Title II services.

The FCC is concerned that broadband service providers will discriminate against content from competitors in order to more readily provide applications that would benefit them. Despite no evidence to this end, the FCC has been successful in generating the fear that without regulation, the Internet will change for the worse. The entire idea of introducing new regulations to preserve the already free and open nature of the Internet is paradoxical. Remember the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” The Internet is certainly not broken; in fact, it may be the “least broken” sector of our economy, with service providers investing billions of dollars into network infrastructure and innovations in the face of a recessive economy.
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Net Neutrality Update

September 3, 2010 | Filed Under Barack Obama, Business, Capitalism, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, FCC, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Lobbyists, Net Neutrality, Taxes, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here are just a few of the latest articles on Net Neutrality for your information:

Most Important Net Neutrality story today: F.C.C. Seeks More Input on Wireless Internet Rules, The New York Times

The FCC is requesting more comment time in order to get past the midterm elections and put their decision phase into the lame duck Congressional session. It is likely that this calculation was made in order to allow the FCC to grab control of the Internet without much resistance from a less active and less powerful Congress.

As Ed Morrissey says of this move, “Well, isn’t that … convenient? Pushing a renewed power grab until after the midterms leaves Genachowski with a lame-duck Congress that may not feel particularly motivated to reassert its own authority as it did earlier with Genachowski. It also gives Genachowski a small but valuable window in which to push through potentially radioactive policies while Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid control Capitol Hill and hope a Republican House forgets about it in their haste to undo ObamaCare and conduct investigations into White House conduct.”

Folks, we need to contact those congressmen on the Internet Subcommittee in the House of Representatives. CLICK HERE to find out what congressmen are members of this committee.

Some Other Articles of Interest:

Network Neutrality is Engaged in the California Senate Race, by Seton Motley

The Pro-Network Neutrality ‘Coalition’ is Collapsing, by Seton Motley

The Public is Learning the Truth about Net Neutrality, by Seton Motley

Net Neutrality – Casting A Wide Regulatory Net To Neuter Us All – Part I, by Van Harvey

Tech at Night: Net Neutrality DOOM, by Neil Stevens

Here are a few anti-Net Neutrality organizations and Web Resources that are worth looking in on occasionally:

StopNetRegulation.org
The Technology Liberation Front
The Progress and Freedom Foundation
-Multimedia pages with some great videos and podcasts
MediaFreedom.org
Tech at Night, Neil Stevens of RedState
Tech Daily Dose, National Journal
Tech Meme
The Hill’s Hillicon Valley Blog
Politico’s Morning Tech Blog
Scott Cleland’s Precursor Bog

Here are some industry websites that follow Internet regulations:

We hope that you will post our articles and press releases. We also hope that our emailings will interest you enough to join the fight and write a few blog posts about Net Neutrality.

At stake is no less our freedom to blog not to mention the innovation of a free market.

Feel free to drop me a line at igcolonel@hotmail.com and do let me know if you are interested in helping to get the free market, conservative narrative on Net Neutrality out to your readers. This issue is vitally important for the freedom and success of our Internet.

This effort is in association with the United States Internet Industry Association (USIIA).

The FCC’s ‘Blight Touch’ & ‘Muddle Ground’

June 29, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Clearly proponents of net neutrality and public-utility regulation of broadband, have learned how to manipulate language and metaphors to mask and move their agenda; what they haven’t learned is that the language and metaphors used to promote policy changes must be true in order to make legitimate, successful, and lasting public policy.

The communications plan for the FCC’s proposed broadband regulation of the Internet is full of fiction, fantasy and misdirection. What’s increasingly obvious is that proponents of preemptive proscriptive broadband regulation think people are stupid, that they don’t know what words mean and that they will gullibly swallow whatever is said without thought or question.
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FCC Broadband “Believe it or Not!”

June 26, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

With due credit to “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!®,” so much odd and bizarre is happening at the FCC in the “name” of “broadband” that the topic calls for its own collection of: “Believe it or Not!®” oddities.

The FCC insists that its Title II reclassification effort to regulate broadband networks is not “regulating the Internet,” when the law the Supreme Court and the FCC all define the Internet to include broadband networks!

The FCC, certain that the D.C. Circuit Court decision on Comcast vs. the FCC was incorrect, decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court!

The FCC, an administrative agency created, funded, and overseen by Congress, completely ignored a majority of Members of Congress who wrote the FCC opposing FCC reclassification of broadband as a common carrier!

The FCC plans to justify new broadband Title II regulation with some regulatory forbearance by arguing that the market facts simultaneously warrant both more, and less, broadband regulation — at the very same time!

The FCC claims the “soundest legal foundation” for broadband is the opposite of what the DC Circuit Court, Congress, legal experts and industry think is sound!

The FCC justified pursuing its Title II reclassification effort by characterizing it as the “broad consensus” view, but the non-partisan Association of State Legislatures and a bi-partisan majority of Members of Congress opposed the FCC in writing!

The FCC claims it has an open mind in approaching the Notice of Inquiry, but a majority of FCC votes, are on record already supporting new broadband regulation!

The FCC claims ‘immaculate mis-conception’ to explain how “series of tubes,” the FCC appears intent on officially declaring the Internet a series of telephone lines!

Strange but true.

“Believe it or Not!®”
_________________
Scott Cleland is one of nation’s foremost techcom analysts and experts at the nexus of: capital markets, public policy and techcom industry change. He is widely-respected in industry, government, media and capital markets as a forward thinker, free market proponent, and leading authority on the future of communications. Precursor LLC is an industry research and consulting firm, specializing in the techcom sector, whose mission is to help companies anticipate change for competitive advantage. Cleland is also Chairman of NetCompetition.org, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Precursor LLC and an e-forum on Net Neutrality funded by a wide range of broadband telecom, cable and wireless companies. He previously founded The Precursor Group Inc., which Institutional Investor magazine ranked as the #1 “Best Independent” research firm in communications for two years in a row. His latest op eds can be seen at www.precursorblog.com.

FCC & Google’s Extreme Internet Makeover — A Preview

June 24, 2010 | Filed Under Budget, Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

At its Thursday meeting, expect the FCC to adopt Google’s PR script to try and better sell the FCC’s upcoming “Extreme Makeover” of Internet regulation.

The centerpiece of the FCC and Google’s “extreme Internet makeover” plan is the creation of an entirely new, Google-inspired, regulatory classification called “Broadband Internet Connectivity Service” or BICS.

The BICS extreme makeover is designed to enable the promotion of integrated “edge” products and services like Google Voice, Google TV and Google’s Chrome/Android operating systems and empower the FCC to implement its National Broadband Plan on its own without additional Congressional authorization or action.

Predictably, the FCC’s Google-oriented-BICS-scheme has three fatal flaws, making it a disaster waiting to happen.
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Americans want online privacy — per new Zogby poll

June 19, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Regulation, Scott Cleland, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

American consumers clearly want online privacy, per a national poll conducted over the weekend by Zogby International, that was commissioned by Precursor LLC.

In a nutshell, over 80% of Americans are concerned about the security and privacy of their personal information on the Internet; about 90% of Americans consider some common industry behaviors to be unfair business practices; and about 80% of Americans support a variety of stronger consumer protections of their privacy online.
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Google’s ‘Total Information Awareness’ Power

June 12, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

A one-page graphic of all the information Google has…

To help you picture both the enormity and unprecedented power of what Google knows about you and the world’s information—public, private and proprietary—I have organized all the world’s information types that Google collects onto a one-page chart/PDF: “Google’s ‘Total Information Awareness’ Power.”

For those who really want to understand Google and its impact on most everyone and most everything, please read and study this one-page chart/PDF, because much valuable work and insight has gone into it.

While the chart is visually packed with information that many may find difficult to unpack or digest, the chart itself is an apt metaphor for both how much information Google has, and also how difficult it is for all of us to get our head around all the information Google routinely collects and uses.

A short refresher on where the term “Total Information Awareness” came from and why it is aptly employed here.
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FCC Exceptionalism and Supremacy?

June 5, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Often stepping back to gain perspective, and to try and see the forest for the trees can be highly instructive. However, if one steps back to see the big picture of how this FCC is attempting, unilaterally, to change U.S. Internet policy, the view is surreal.

Increasingly, this FCC is becoming an island. It is insisting on self-asserting its exceptionalism and its supremacy over the Internet and It is ignoring an overwhelming amount of important and contrary input, advice and evidence from Congress, the Courts, DOJ, FTC, past FCCs, industry and the public.

Simply, this FCC increasingly appears to view itself as exceptional and as the supreme authority on and over the Internet, unconstrained by Congress, the courts, law, economics, markets or the public.
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The Electronic Conscience

May 21, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Computers, Google, Inernet, John Armor, Net Neutrality, Technology, YouTube | Comments Off

-By John Armor

What is the impact of the current forms of gathering and transmitting information from person to person? Can people be affected by communications they don’t use, or even know how to use?

There were five of us around a table in church this morning. All of us used the internet at least somewhat. Most of us did not use Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Our uses of the photo and video capacities of this generation of cell phones, fell someplace in the middle. But with some thought, the answer was clear. Whether or not we use these means of communication, they do affect us,

I grew up in a small town, Salisbury, Maryland. The town was small enough, and everybody knew everybody else’s children enough, that when you did something wrong, folks would tell on you. Odds are your mother would know about it before you even got home to tell your side of the story.

FTC’s Google-AdMob Antitrust Checklist

May 17, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Many are missing the forest for the trees in jumping to the conclusion that the two-week extension in the FTC’s review of Google-AdMob means the FTC is reconsidering the FTC’s staff recommendation to block Google-AdMob as anti-competitive.

Google is cleverly trying to misdirect the focus off Google being the actual #2 in-app mobile advertiser, which is buying the actual #1 AdMob market leader, by talking up the potential competitive advertising threat of a distant #3 player Quattro being bought by non-advertising company Apple.

To see the big picture and understand the likely outcome here that the FTC will block Google-AdMob, its helpful to run through the FTC’s likely Google-AdMob checklist decision process.
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FCC Understating Systemic Risks of “Third Way” — Why It’s a Disaster Waiting to Happen

May 11, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Congress, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

The FCC is vastly understating the systemic risk involved in the FCC’s radical “third way” regulatory surgery to the Internet, the communications sector and the economy.

The FCC’s proposed “third way” is an elaborate public relations facade that disguises huge problems and fatal conceptual/practical flaws that will become painfully obvious over time.

The FCC’s proposal is long on politics and soothing rhetoric, but short on real world practicality or legitimacy; it predictably will ultimately collapse under its own weight, complexity and hubris — unfortunately leaving exceptional carnage in its wake.

Simply, this proposal is too inherently contradictory and mind-numbingly complex, and too big not to fail.
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The Multi-Billion Dollar Impact of FCC Title II Broadband — for Google & Entire Internet Ecosystem

May 7, 2010 | Filed Under Computers, Congress, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Liberals, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Investors understandably have focused first on whether or not the FCC will upend the broadband Internet sector by deeming broadband a Title II common carrier service for the first time, and second whether or not the FCC actually has the legal/constitutional authority to do so.

However, as a result of that political and legal focus, what has been almost completely ignored is the potential multi-billion dollar impact of such an FCC decision, which by definition, would make all currently unregulated and un-metered Internet traffic bits, regulated and metered “telecommunications” tele-bits for the first time.

Simply, deeming broadband Title II legally could compel bit metering and bit payments in the U.S. for the first time.
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Chart: How Google-AdMob Creates a Bottleneck; How New DOJ/FTC Merger Guidelines Affect the Deal

May 4, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Government, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Given the FTC is very likely to disapprove Google’s acquisition of AdMob soon, I have prepared a one-page chart that illustrates the core reason the deal is anti-competitive: it would create a substantial bottleneck for advertisers and publishers entering the in-application mobile advertising market.

To help people get up to speed on the deal and the likely FTC disapproval coming up, I have also pulled together a 30-page Google-AdMob backgrounder, which includes a one-page summary, charts, the top 10 reasons the deal is anti-competitive, why Google is a monopoly, how Google has abused its monopoly and why Google’s main antitrust defenses, like “competition is one click away,” are specious.

Google’s Liability Decade: Why Google’s Leadership Ducks Investors

April 30, 2010 | Filed Under Business, Capitalism, Computers, Economy/Finances, Free Trade, Google, Inernet, Net Neutrality, Scott Cleland, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

The abrupt change, that Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt will no longer be accountable to shareholders on Google’s earnings calls, should prompt investors to ask why?

Google claimed that they wanted to put more focus on Google’s strong financials, but they did not disclose any more than Google’s usual barest minimum of information to investors. The most obvious reason for this abrupt change is the literal explosion of real franchise liabilities and risk overhangs to Google that reared their ugly heads this past quarter. Had CEO Schmidt been available to answer investor questions, Google’s exploding liabilities could have dominated the Q&A and the investment narrative coming out of the earnings call.

What has changed, and what Google has been not been open about, is the very serious ripening of three different types of going-forward franchise risks (antitrust, privacy/security and intellectual property) that cumulatively herald a de facto change in Google eras: from the roaring “Growth Decade” of 2000-2009, to the more unpredictable “Liability Decade” of 2010- 2019.
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