Solveig Singleton

The purpose of this research project was to uncover and examine case studies of the commercialization of traditional knowledge derived from the United States, and to observe how the existing IP structures in the U.S. facilitated the commercialization of traditional knowledge, and to what degree the existing IP structures aided or hindered both commercialization and the sharing of access and benefits.

FCC and legislative proposals to reserve a segment of spectrum for a content-filtered national wireless broadband provider would deprive many more entrepreneur-driven wireless services, small and large, of spectrum and capital. The risky business plan means a politically favored broadband provider looking for special treatment or bailouts in years to come.

This Guide to Communications Policy explains in plain language the issues and opportunities that policy makers face in considering the future of the U.S. communications industry. It supplies legislators otherwise at the mercy of regulatory jargon with the tools to make intelligent, principled decisions. The Guide reflects a nonpartisan but distinctly free-market approach that, if followed, will lead to investment, job creation, and new products and services for consumers.

This guide explains the issues public policymakers face in considering the future of the U.S. telecommunications industry, offering in "plain English" the tools to make intelligent and principled decisions. It presents a set of guiding principles, based on the notion that less telecom regulation ultimately benefits consumers. It also explains commonly heard telecom-industry terms.