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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's two appointees to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will soon be sworn in. Many hope these winds of change will lift California's stagnant telecom policy out of its slump, making 2005 a pivotal year for communications jobs and technology. One of the ...
Many people think of scientific disciplines, such as chemistry or physics, as purely fact-based endeavors, not concerned with the fuzzy field of politics. That's rarely the case because when humans are involved, things often get messy. A perfect example is the question of cold fusion. Back in 1989, ...
Last weekend, hundreds of die-hard fans gathered at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas to see the stars and mingle with other sci-fi-minded folks. Costumes and attitudes aptly demonstrated their commitment to the Star Trek philosophy, which has many similarities to American ideals. When asked to ...
It's not clear why the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) chose San Francisco, home of "Protesters R Us" and "Rent-a-Mob," for its annual convention this week. But one thing is for sure, the byproduct has been a measure of enlightenment, particularly concerning the protesters. These are 1960s...
This week, federal regulators unleashed yet another telecommunications decision that will slow down progress, costing American jobs and economic growth. Technology's mantra of "faster, better, smaller and cheaper" is constantly running up against a bureaucratic mantra of "slower, mediocre, fumbling ...
The holiday season has arrived, and with it will come higher mortality rates. For a number of reasons, including stress and cold weather, more people die around this time of year. While many accept death as a natural certainty, there is a growing movement that aims to do away with it. In The Scien...
The issue of government-provided broadband was in the news again this week as Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed a bill restricting the ability of cities to offer telecommunications services. This was a good move for a number of reasons. At any level, government-provided broadband -- what s...
TV programs like The Swan and Extreme Makeover demonstrate that when medicine meets the marketplace, the results can be stunning. But while new technologies and investments drive the latest health services, entrenched political interests threaten progress. Take, for instance, the recent controversy ...
Last week's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision on Internet telephony helped move the country towards President Bush's goal of ubiquitous broadband access by 2007. While this is welcome news, there's still much work to be done, and it's unclear whether the FCC has the will to make the ...
Someday, someone might write a book called "Everything I Needed To Know About Economics, I Learned in My 'Second Life.'" That's because the multiplayer online gaming space "Second Life" provides, along with fun, valuable lessons about economics and human behavior. Created by the San Francisco-based...
In this year's election, around 40 million people cast their votes digitally instead of by paper. For many, this was a relief because it meant avoiding discussions over hanging chads. But some computer experts warn of grave problems with electronic voting, making one wonder if technology makes vot...
This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a microchip that can be implanted in humans to provide access to medical records. Privacy regulation advocates were predictably horrified, but the chip does not create the privacy crisis some might imagine. The VeriChip, made by Applied Dig...
This week at the annual Telecosm conference at Lake Tahoe, Steve Forbes argued that many regulations, which mainly expand the power of government officials, are like a cancer that eats away at the benefits of capitalism. He's right, and that's exactly why the Telecom Act of 1996 needs to be revised...
The hot topic at this week's massive Telecom '04 conference in Las Vegas was voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), otherwise known as Internet telephony. VoIP revolutionizes telecommunications, but as attendees discovered, an obsolete pro-regulatory mindset threatens its growth. VoIP is disrupting t...
California, a state that prides itself on experimentation and rebelliousness, has recently turned its attention to stem cell research issues. On the November ballot is Proposition 71, which proposes to create a new and expensive government-funded stem-cell research apparatus. While finding cures to ...
Last week California's Public Utilities Commission had an opportunity to undo some of the damage price controls have wreaked on the telecom sector. Instead it clung to a losing strategy that rewards sloth and punishes innovation. The PUC approved a below-cost wholesale rate that SBC can charge compe...
This week, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a study on the outsourcing of jobs overseas, prompting at least two Seattle-based unions to call for government action. But while protectionism might be a typical reaction, America's future depends on embracing trade. The reasons to support gre...
When politicians express interest in designing technology standards, the nation's tech community should be greatly concerned and react appropriately. One of those times is now and the issue is radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. RFID tags are like the bar codes on a cereal box but different ...
When historians look back at the Google IPO, it's likely they will judge it a huge success. That's because the search-engine company stepped out of a process that rewarded financial insiders and moved toward a more free-market approach. Perhaps it's no surprise that the company challenging elite Wal...
Many believe that "as California goes, so goes the nation." If such is the case, dark days await the nation's telecom sector. The problem stems from the iron grip of regulators on telecom providers. The 1996 Telecom Act set out rules that were supposed to create more competition by mandating that th...
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