Publications

Regulation and Technology

Author(s): 
Anthony Falzone
Publication Date: 
January 13, 2013
Publication Type: 
Academic Writing

This Article consists of some general observations and a few examples that illustrate them. First, technology can benefit tremendously from government involvement. Regulation may be part of that involvement, but thinking just in terms of regu‐ lation obscures some important points. When people talk about regulating technology, they usually assume technology is a private good, and the question becomes whether—and how— the government should regulate private property. This ob‐ scures the truth that technology is frequently a product of pub‐ lic and private collaboration. Read more » about Regulation and Technology

Managing Autonomous Transportation Demand

Author(s): 
Bryant Walker Smith
Publication Date: 
December 18, 2012
Publication Type: 
Academic Writing

“Today we are well underway to a solution of the traffic problem.”1 This claim, made by Robert Moses in 1948, is as true today as it was then. Which is to say, not at all. In the middle of the last century, the preferred solution to “the traffic problem” was more cement: new highways, bridges, and lanes. Read more » about Managing Autonomous Transportation Demand

Automated Vehicles are Probably Legal in the United States

Author(s): 
Bryant Walker Smith
Publication Date: 
November 1, 2012
Publication Type: 
White Paper / Report

Now available in hardcopy and for Kindle (with hyperlinks).

This paper provides the most comprehensive discussion to date of whether so-called automated, autonomous, self-driving, or driverless vehicles can be lawfully sold and used on public roads in the United States. The short answer is that the computer direction of a motor vehicle’s steering, braking, and accelerating without real-time human input is probably legal. The long answer, contained in the paper, provides a foundation for tailoring regulations and understanding liability issues related to these vehicles. Read more » about Automated Vehicles are Probably Legal in the United States

The Next Big Battle in Internet Policy

Author(s): 
Barbara van Schewick
Marvin Ammori
Publication Date: 
October 2, 2012
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

For two years, network neutrality, the nation’s most high-profile and contentious Internet policy conflict has taken a backseat to other debates—privacy investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, cybersecurity orders from the White House, proposed copyright legislation like SOPA and PIPA, software patents in courts, and censorship abroad. After nearly a decade of (rarely productive) debate, net neutrality—restrictions on Internet service providers to ensure consumers experience freedom online—has rarely been in the news since early 2011. Read more » about The Next Big Battle in Internet Policy

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