Here’s the question: in a world where the design of a 3D printed gun is freely available on the internet, can we—or should we–regulate open source design? Or are limits impossible in a world of anonymous file sharing? Does any attempt at control go against the whole spirit of open source, decentralized innovation?
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Congress, the White House and the FCC’s new chairman Tom Wheeler have all come out in favor of setting our phones free, but the telcos who can actually grant our handsets liberty have been slow to heed the governmental call. Because of that, Wheeler sent a veiled threat letter to the CTIA imploring it to amend its Consumer Code to include a policy ensuring our rights to get our phones unlocked once we’re off contract. Apparently, the FCC has been working with the CTIA for eight months to craft a policy that requires telcos to:
The two sides are in agreement with four of the five requirements, with the only sticking point being the bit about service providers having to notify us when our devices are eligible to be unlocked. Tom Wheeler, however, isn’t willing to see The Wireless Association’s side of things because “absent the consumer’s right to be informed about unlocking eligibility, any voluntary program would be a hollow shell.” Furthermore, he wants the new unlock policy put in place before the holidays this year, whether by the CTIA’s voluntary or the FCC’s regulatory action. Looks like we’ll be getting phone freedom for Christmas this year. We like the sound of that.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: FCC letter to CTIA [PDF]
Almost exactly two years ago, Wired published a feature about Bitcoin, comparing the cryptocurrency to "overhyped Silicon Valley IPOs." The headline read, matter-of-factly, "The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin." And, while the magazine was right about the rise, the fall is still to come.
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App catalogs are flush with titles that allow users to play doctor, but according to the FDA, most of them are harmless and don’t warrant regulatory oversight. Instead, the agency has announced that it’ll take a more reactive, risk-based approach and will only require approval for mobile apps that “present a greater risk to patients if they do not work as intended.” Specifically, the FDA will scrutinize apps that perform the functions of regulated medical devices — such as an ECG monitor — along with those that are used as accessories to regulated medical equipment. As a telling statistic, only 100 mobile apps have received FDA clearance within the past decade, so imagine what would happen to the agency’s workload if it tried to exercise control over the Apple App Store and Google Play Store combined.
Filed under: Science, Software
Via: The New York Times
Source: FDA
The California Public Utilities Commission approved ridesharing companies early this year, but it offered only a few temporary guidelines while it worked on a formal rule set. Today, the regulator has published those definitive rules. Companies like Lyft, SideCar and Uber now have to get a CPUC license to operate under a new Transportation Network Company category. To maintain that license, they’ll have to run background checks, train drivers, hold a minimum level of insurance, inspect cars and drop employees who abuse alcohol or drugs. The requirements won’t necessarily eliminate tension with Los Angeles and other cities that believe they have jurisdiction over taxi-like services. However, the CPUC’s move gives California ridesharing companies a degree of comfort — they can keep operating in many cities without fear of being shut down.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: TechCrunch
When Google acquired Waze, it said that it would keep the newly purchased company at arm’s length. Well, we now know exactly how separate Waze will be, at least for the foreseeable future. Google has promised the UK’s Office of Fair Trading that it won’t touch Waze’s business operations while the British regulator determines its authority over the deal. The search giant has also offered to warn if there are any substantial changes in staff, business plans or customer numbers for both itself and Waze. The terms may not last forever — if the OFT decides to review the acquisition, it can reject Google’s offer. For now, though, Waze will (mostly) remain a distinct entity.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: Office of Fair Trading (PDF)
So far, governments have had polarized reactions to Bitcoin: they either recognize it as a fully regulated currency or ban it outright. Germany, however, has just taken a more nuanced position. The country now recognizes Bitcoin as private money that stays tax-free for personal uses, such as non-commercial internet auctions. You’ll only have to pay taxes on business transactions. While the decision doesn’t give Bitcoin as much weight as the euro, it should reassure Germans who want to stay on the right side of the law.
[Image credit: Zach Copley, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: RT News
Source: Die Welt (translated)
Unfortunately, decrees such as the one just approved in Vietnam are seemingly becoming more common, not less. Similar outcries were voiced after both Iran and Belarus laid down draconian laws about how their citizens were to interact with the internet, and now Vietnam is being shelled by residents and outsiders alike for a new decree that essentially bars the sharing of outside news. The specific verbiage states that “personal electronic sites” (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) “are only allowed to put [sic] news owned by that person.” In other words, sharing of information from “press organizations or government websites” is now outlawed, as is the act of providing “general information” on profiles and blogs. Exact punishments are apparently still being drafted, but whatever arises, you can bet that the Vietnamese government is going to take a huge amount of flack for crossing this line.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechDirt
Source: Bangkok Post
When you think about it, does anyone really know what’s going on behind the scenes of the internet? While you’re attempting to figure out how “42” is the obvious answer to that, French regulator ARCEP is moving ahead with an investigation into Verizon and AT&T. Specifically, the two have failed in an attempt to block the aforesaid entity from investigating interconnection agreements.
For those unaware, these types of deals are widely viewed as being able to undermine net neutrality, and we’ve seen the FCC look into similar matters here in the United States. The long and short of it is as follows: with high-bandwidth services growing rapidly, ISPs far and wide are contemplating the move to extract additional revenue out of backbone providers by charging them to deliver heavy traffic to end users. It’ll be interesting to see what ARCEP digs up — something tells us the findings will be known well beyond the borders of France.
Filed under: Internet, Verizon, AT&T
Via: GigaOM
Source: ARCEP
The CRTC is eager to shake the cobwebs from Canada’s TV regulations, many of which got their start before cable arrived, let alone Netflix or YouTube. Accordingly, it’s planning a round of consultations in the fall that will ask both the public and the industry what rules they want to change. Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais expects the discussion to center around the CRTC’s approach to internet content — some of the old licensing restrictions might not apply when it’s easier to both publish and watch online video. The agency isn’t likely to create a utopia full of cord cutting and à la carte TV subscriptions, but its recent attempts at fixing a broken cellular market give us hope that at least a few broadcasting policies could change for the better.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: The Globe and Mail
Source: CRTC
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