The Spectrum Exchange: Networks, Security, and Innovation
Article
AEIdeas

The Spectrum Exchange: Networks, Security, and Innovation

Spectrum management is crucial to our digital future as it provides the invisible regulatory framework enabling efficient and equitable allocation of finite radio frequency resources. Without comprehensive, forward-thinking spectrum policies,…

Free Speech Tradeoffs and Roleplaying Chatbots: Sacrificing the Rights of Many to Safeguard a Few?
Article
AEIdeas

Free Speech Tradeoffs and Roleplaying Chatbots: Sacrificing the Rights of Many to Safeguard a Few?

First Amendment law entails tradeoffs. Consider Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, a case the US Supreme Court heard in January. It involves an online age-verification statute that ostensibly is designed…

The Supreme Court Seems Unlikely to Revive Nondelegation Doctrine in FCC Case
Article
AEIdeas

The Supreme Court Seems Unlikely to Revive Nondelegation Doctrine in FCC Case

Earlier this month, I previewed the arguments in Federal Communications Commission v Consumers’ Research. The case asks the Supreme Court whether the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) violates the nondelegation…

Another Courtroom Loss for AI Creations, as “Automatoners” Prevail Again
Article
AEIdeas

Another Courtroom Loss for AI Creations, as “Automatoners” Prevail Again

Last month, a federal appeals court confirmed what most legal regimes around the world—patent offices, administrative judges, and even supreme courts—have long held: Machines cannot themselves create. Readers of this…

Return of the Landline: A Regressive or Welcome Scenario?
Article
AEIdeas

Return of the Landline: A Regressive or Welcome Scenario?

If there has been one inexorable trend in the telecommunications industry over the past 30 years, it has been the decline of the household landline phone connection. While Figure 1 illustrates the…

The Press Clause’s Disputed Meaning and Its Implications for Trump-Era Journalism
Article
AEIdeas

The Press Clause’s Disputed Meaning and Its Implications for Trump-Era Journalism

A burgeoning battle among academics and attorneys involving a centuries-old communications technology––the printing press––could impact journalists’ current claims to constitutional protection against President Trump’s ceaseless attacks on news organizations. Indeed,…

DOGE, Open Up the MAX Database!
Article
AEIdeas

DOGE, Open Up the MAX Database!

My most recent post “Haste Controls Waste!” sought to reconcile my misgivings about the speed of current government reforms with decades of staunch and thoroughgoing resistance. Now let’s talk about…

How much might AI legislation cost in the US?
Article

How much might AI legislation cost in the US?

Policymakers are rushing to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), but the economic impact of these regulations remains largely unexplored. While the European Union and the United Kingdom have produced cost estimates, recent developments in the…

How the Founders Addressed Facial Recognition Technology
Article
AEIdeas

How the Founders Addressed Facial Recognition Technology

If you study Fourth Amendment law and jurisprudential trends, you can—at least in a figurative, tentative, hopeful, and possibly illusory sense—see the future. Subject to all those caveats, I have…

Unpacking the Data Dilemma (with Cristina Alaimo and Jannis Kallinikos)
Podcast

Unpacking the Data Dilemma (with Cristina Alaimo and Jannis Kallinikos)

As the US pushes for a TikTok ban and the EU leads the way in data-privacy regulation, experts warn that overly restrictive policies might inadvertently stifle innovation and economic growth.…

Busting Tech Myths (with Robert Atkinson and David Moschella)
Podcast

Busting Tech Myths (with Robert Atkinson and David Moschella)

Is technology really addictive, or is that just another myth? What hidden benefits of AI are we overlooking? And how will the landscape of innovation shift as lawmakers tighten the…

Securing the Web with Route Origin Authorizations (with Grace Abuhamad and Robert Cannon)
Podcast

Securing the Web with Route Origin Authorizations (with Grace Abuhamad and Robert Cannon)

NTIA is championing Route Origin Authorizations or ROA’s as part of the Biden Administration’s cybersecurity plan to fend off nation-state hackers and cyberattacks. In tandem with this effort, on June…

Inside Tech’s $2 Trillion Technical Debt (with Ken Silva)
Podcast

Inside Tech’s $2 Trillion Technical Debt (with Ken Silva)

Outdated systems, sloppy code, and years of quick fixes have created a growing issue of “technical debt” in businesses. This unseen threat poses security risks, slows innovation, and leaves companies…

Borderless Banking: How Crypto Cuts Through Red Tape (with Candace Kelly)
Podcast

Borderless Banking: How Crypto Cuts Through Red Tape (with Candace Kelly)

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected economically, blockchain-based financial networks offer new solutions for facilitating seamless international trade, remittances, and humanitarian aid. What specific advantages do blockchain-based financial networks offer…

Defending the Digital Realm (with Jason Hogg)
Podcast

Defending the Digital Realm (with Jason Hogg)

The proliferation of cyber threats has evolved into a crisis: Last year, there were 880 million cybercrime complaints resulting in over $12 billion in losses. Analysts suggest that cybercrime is…