About the Author
My name is Kevin A. Thompson, I am an intellectual property attorney in Chicago, Illinois with the firm Davis McGrath LLC. I practice in the areas of domestic and international trademark, copyright, and internet issues. Internet law is my real love, especially how trademarks and copyrights intersect there. The focus of this blog is the digital world, its impact and legal framework. I write about recent issues, cases, and controversies. I also give my general thoughts about the Internet and its impact upon us and our society.
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Is this the day the world changed?
The results of the FCC’s wireless spectrum auction are of particular interest to more than just people in the telecom industry, as it will significantly impact how people access the Internet for years to come.
It’s no big surprise that Verizon is the big winner, but I especially enjoyed reading Susan Crawford’s analysis of the issue of what Verizon will do with it entitled “Why Block C Matters.” Susan is an ICANN board member, as well as a law professor at Cardozo Law School. I agree with her that it confirms the existing business model of handheld devices being used to access the Internet.
It also means that we’re going to have to deal with Verizon’s dominance in this segment of the market.
It also means that we’re going to have less options for wireless access than we otherwise would have had if others would’ve won the bidding.
It also means that we’re going to have a company who can bring market pressures to bear to discriminate against other carriers, all while promising in public to have an “open” network.
I wonder if we will someday look back on this day as the day in which the wireless Internet changed.
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