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Most people ignore state public utilities commissions but this week the California PUC released a well-written report that deserves attention. "Broadband Deployment in California" contains a wealth of facts and identifies key policy problems responsible for slowing broadband rollout and economic growth ...

This year will see many important battles in the communications industry, one of which is currently playing out in the Virginia state legislature. On one side are cable companies and on the other telecommunications firms, but both sides should realize they have a common goal. If they do, and work together, everyone will benefit, including consumers. The immediate controversy involves municipal franchise fees...

William Safire bid farewell to his column at the New York Times this week, but not because he's retiring. Instead, this Pulitzer Prize-winning, former presidential speech writer is moving on to lead an organization concerned with what some call transhumanism ...

While American soldiers risk their lives overseas to protect freedom, broadcasters at home are cowering in the shadows of government censors. The latest story involves Fox Network's decision to electronically blur a cartoon character's posterior for fear of being fined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's two appointees to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will soon be sworn in. Many hope these winds of change will lift California's stagnant telecom policy out of its slump, making 2005 a pivotal year for communications jobs and technology ...

Many people think of scientific disciplines, such as chemistry or physics, as purely fact-based endeavors, not concerned with the fuzzy field of politics. That's rarely the case because when humans are involved, things often get messy ...

Last weekend, hundreds of die-hard fans gathered at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas to see the stars and mingle with other sci-fi-minded folks. Costumes and attitudes aptly demonstrated their commitment to the Star Trek philosophy, which has many similarities to American ideals ...

It's not clear why the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) chose San Francisco, home of "Protesters R Us" and "Rent-a-Mob," for its annual convention this week. But one thing is for sure, the byproduct has been a measure of enlightenment, particularly concerning the protesters ...

This week, federal regulators unleashed yet another telecommunications decision that will slow down progress, costing American jobs and economic growth. Technology's mantra of "faster, better, smaller and cheaper" is constantly running up against a bureaucratic mantra of "slower, mediocre, fumbling and expensive." ...

The holiday season has arrived, and with it will come higher mortality rates. For a number of reasons, including stress and cold weather, more people die around this time of year. While many accept death as a natural certainty, there is a growing movement that aims to do away with it ...

The issue of government-provided broadband was in the news again this week as Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed a bill restricting the ability of cities to offer telecommunications services. This was a good move for a number of reasons ...

TV programs like The Swan and Extreme Makeover demonstrate that when medicine meets the marketplace, the results can be stunning. But while new technologies and investments drive the latest health services, entrenched political interests threaten progress. Take, for instance, the recent controversy over ultrasounds in California ...

Last week's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision on Internet telephony helped move the country towards President Bush's goal of ubiquitous broadband access by 2007. While this is welcome news, there's still much work to be done, and it's unclear whether the FCC has the will to make the right moves ...

Someday, someone might write a book called "Everything I Needed To Know About Economics, I Learned in My 'Second Life.'" That's because the multiplayer online gaming space "Second Life" provides, along with fun, valuable lessons about economics and human behavior ...

In this year's election, around 40 million people cast their votes digitally instead of by paper. For many, this was a relief because it meant avoiding discussions over hanging chads. But some computer experts warn of grave problems with electronic voting, making one wonder if technology makes voting better or worse ...

This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a microchip that can be implanted in humans to provide access to medical records. Privacy regulation advocates were predictably horrified, but the chip does not create the privacy crisis some might imagine ...

This week at the annual Telecosm conference at Lake Tahoe, Steve Forbes argued that many regulations, which mainly expand the power of government officials, are like a cancer that eats away at the benefits of capitalism. He's right, and that's exactly why the Telecom Act of 1996 needs to be revised ...

The hot topic at this week's massive Telecom '04 conference in Las Vegas was voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), otherwise known as Internet telephony. VoIP revolutionizes telecommunications, but as attendees discovered, an obsolete pro-regulatory mindset threatens its growth ...

California, a state that prides itself on experimentation and rebelliousness, has recently turned its attention to stem cell research issues ...

Last week California's Public Utilities Commission had an opportunity to undo some of the damage price controls have wreaked on the telecom sector. Instead it clung to a losing strategy that rewards sloth and punishes innovation ...