#99: Controlling the Price of Business Broadband
Who should set the price of broadband? Businesses, or the government? While the FCC doesn't (yet) regulate the price of your home Internet connection, the agency isn't so hands-off when it comes to business broadband. Now the agency is looking to extend monopoly-era copper price regulations to next-gen fiber and cable services. Why? The FCC says there isn't enough competition in the market. Our guest disagrees. Bruce Mehlman, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, joins to discuss. Is the market as uncompetitive as the FCC claims? Are new rules even needed? For more, see Bruce's op-ed in Morning Consult.
#98: Uber for Planes?
Given the success of tech in the sharing economy, you might be asking yourself: why don't we have Uber for planes? Well, we might have, but the Federal Aviation Administration banned Flytenow and other flight-sharing websites. Ironically, it's perfectly legal to share empty seats on a plane through word of mouth or posting on a bulletin board, but as soon as the Internet gets involved, the FAA says no. What's going on here? Jared Meyer, research fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of Uber Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy, joins the show to discuss what happened to Flytenow and what the future of plane-sharing looks like.
#97: Space Regulation
With recent budget cuts to NASA, exploration of the final frontier has increasingly fallen to the private sector. But what kind of regulatory environment are commercial spaceflight companies facing? Evan is joined by Aaron Oesterle and Cody Knipfer of the Space Frontier Foundation. They discuss the past, present, and future of space regulation. What are the challenges facing the industry? What role does Russia play?
#96: Recharging Hotels
When we talk about hotels and the sharing economy, it's usually about the hotel industry's war against Airbnb, HomeAway, and other home-sharing sites. But today, we're talking about the good news story of Recharge, a tech company that enables consumers to rent hotel rooms for a few hours, or even a few minutes. What's behind this latest innovation in what otherwise looks like a stagnant industry. Jared Meyer, research fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of Uber Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy, joins the show to discuss. Why does the company see Starbucks as its biggest competition?
#95: Cybersecurity Myths
With all the headlines around cyber attacks, there's a lot of confusion and myths surrounding data security. Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the right one, and cybersecurity isn't always as complicated as it seems. Human error and physical-world problems play a large role, and not all cyber attacks are created equal. Joining Evan to bust through some common myths is Taylor Barkley, Assistant Director of Outreach for Tech Policy at the Mercatus Center. Does cybersecurity really start with you?
#94: Email Privacy in an Emergency
Email privacy reform passed unanimously in the House, but the Email Privacy Act has hit a snag in the Senate. Though the bill's core mission — requiring warrants before law enforcement can access Americans' online communications — is largely uncontroversial, some Senators are pushing an exception that would allow law enforcement to bypass warrant requirements in an emergency. Evan is joined by Jim Trainum, former police officer and co-chair of the Constitution Project's Policing Reform Committee, who argued in a recent op-ed in The Hill that the emergency exception is both harmful and unnecessary. Is email privacy at an impasse? Can a compromise be reached?
#93: Activism, or Slacktivism?
Digital activism is often little more than trending hashtags and caps-locked arguments that devolve into Hitler comparisons, but a new company is hoping to take advantage of the connective power of the internet to form effective, local groups around specific issues. Evan is joined by Clearvoter Founder Michelle Ray to discuss how her organization plans to turn slacktivism into activism.
#92: Government Hacking
If you get hacked, should the government hack back? Recent efforts have been made to fight the use of illegal botnets, but many privacy advocates are concerned that these policies will excessively expand government hacking powers and impede legitimate security research. Evan is joined by Drew Mitnick, policy counsel for Access Now, to discuss the proposals. Can government fight illegal botnets without harming privacy? Should government need your permission to hack on your behalf?
#91: Democrats Divide on Uber
Tech policy has gotten scant attention in the 2016 election, but Uber and the sharing economy are starting to break through. While Trump hasn't said much, if anything, about ride sharing, erstwhile Republican candidates like Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Carly Fiorina spoke favorably about the on-demand economy and urged government to largely stay out of the way. If the GOP is generally pro-Uber, are Democrats less uniform in their approach? How do Sanders and Clinton feel about the sharing economy? What about high-profile Dems like Elizabeth Warren. Evan is joined (again…) by Manhattan Institute fellow Jared Meyer to discuss Uber in the election and his new book Uber-Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy.