Fans of any good spy drama know the scene well. Our hero is out in the streets, frantically chasing down some goons. Back at headquarters, an army of analysts sit at their consoles monitoring security camera feeds and offering real-time guidance to our hero as she navigates the cluttered crossways. In the dramatic telling, it’s […]
Archive | Government
How to Understand the FCC’s Thinking in the Trump Era
It’s nearly impossible for most people to digest the flood of news issuing out of Washington since the inauguration of President Donald Trump and keep their day job. So it’s no surprise that his pick for Federal Communications Chairman, Ajit Pai, flew mostly under the radar. But Pai’s FCC will be at the center of […]
India’s Set-top Box Market: Poised for a Shakeup?
India is well known as a huge market for set-top boxes (STB). In addition to a thriving direct-to-home satellite business, the country is nearing the end of the digitization of its cable TV system—an effort which saw a massive upgrade of cable boxes across the country. DTC estimates that over 195 million set-top boxes shipped […]
Six Predictions for 2014
‘Tis the season for venturing far out on the analytical limb, throwing caution and humility to the wind and staking out a few predictions. Fully aware that any (all?) of these may come back to haunt me, I offer up the following in the spirit of provocation. 1. Everyone’s TV plans crystallize but Apple’s. While […]
Over-the-Top Video’s Future in the Court’s Hands
Depending on which headline you believe, the internet you enjoy is either about to be liberated from onerous, innovation-strangling government regulation or surrendered into the greedy hands of monopolistic telecom firms eager to harness their oligarchic leverage to stamp out the competition. Why such apocalyptic hysteria? Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for […]
Colombia: There is No Risk in Staying
While watching the History Channel mini-series, “The Men Who Built America,” I am reminded of how much willpower is exerted to create something out of nothing, or to transform something that doesn’t work into something that does to transform society. One of my tech compatriots with ties to the digital TV business, whom I amazingly […]
The Battle to Save Netflix Moves to Washington
The future of over the top video (at least in the United States) is increasingly moving into the hands of the U.S. federal government. On June 16, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department was investigating whether cable companies were discriminating against video providers such as YouTube and Netflix by treating their data […]
Boxee’s Battle
As we’ve noted before, “cord cutting” is more media myth (and marketing hype) than an actual phenomena but that doesn’t mean the term is entirely useless. In fact, “cord cutting” is often portrayed in the tech press as a heroic act of defiance by consumers and small upstart firms challenging the Goliath of Big Cable. […]
Solving SOPA
Monday January 23, 2012 – Stewart Wolpin Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, Wired, et al, all have had their say about SOPA – the Stop Online Piracy Act, officially H.R.3261, and the Senate version, PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), officially S.968 with their Web blackouts and/or protests on January 18. In the wake of the blackouts and White House opposition, […]
It’s 10:00, Do You Know Where Your Intellectual Property Is?
Monday August 22, 2011 – Greg Scoblete Intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of any technology business. It is a source of innovation, of new products and services, and, failing that, a means of extracting lucrative settlements in court. It’s safe to say that without IP, there isn’t much of a technology industry. It’s also […]