Revisiting the Regulatory Status of Broadband Internet Access: A Policy Framework for Net Neutrality and an Open Competitive Internet

A decade of broadband access deregulation has landed the FCC at a legal deadend. After the D.C. Circuit\u27s Comcast decision, the FCC finds itself unable to enforce its net neutrality goals. To reassert its jurisdiction over net neutrality, the FCC proposes to reclassify broadband Internet access as a Title II telecommunications service while continuing to forbear from most other facets of common carrier regulation. The FCC\u27s current dilemma results from an unfortunate combination of unverified predictive judgments associating deregulation with investment; overly optimistic assessments of competition in the consumer broadband market; the abandonment of the bright line between transmission and content; and elimination of unbundling requirements for broadband services. The FCC needs now to revisit-and revise-the factual, legal and policy judgments that have brought it to the current situation. Reclassification is factually and legally the proper regulatory course, but its benefits would be seriously undermined by broad presumptive forbearance. Last mile broadband Internet access offered by incumbent local exchange carriers and cable companies is unambiguously pure transmission, i.e., telecommunications service. Facilities-based Internet access providers should be required to offer downstream rivals equivalent last-mile broadband access as a wholesale telecommunications service on a nondiscriminatory basis; under this framework, telcos and cable companies could continue offering broadband bundled with content and applications as competitive, non-regulated information services. Given the demonstrated ability of facilities-based carriers to use their control of bottleneck last mile access to discriminate against downstream rivals, there can be no justification for the FCC to forbear from applying most Title II obligations to broadband access providers. Combining these two threads, the authors conclude that by restoring competitors\u27 ability to purchase basic broadband access as a platform for their own retail Internet access entry, the FCC has the opportunity to create more competition, with less explicit net neutrality regulation, than by reclassification alone

An improved national house price index using Land Registry data

The methods of constructing house price indices in the UK have lagged behind those employed in some Western countries. The deficiencies in these methods weaken the decision-making ability of investors, stakeholders and policy makers. This paper reviews existing methodologies and introduces the repeat sales regression (RSR) method in a UK context, utilising Land Registry data. Particularly, we build upon the argument presented by Leishman and Watkins (2002) that some deficiencies of the existing indices can in part be remedied through the application of the repeat sales regression method using Land Registry Data. We initially summarise evidence and conclusions drawn from previous studies in order to demonstrate through application that repeat sales regression analysis on the recently released Land Registry `price paid' dataset, is the preferable methodology for the measurement of house price movements in England and Wales; addressing some of the shortcomings associated with the current methodologies. We present empirical research conducted by the author, illustrating the first application of repeat sales regression for England and Wales using Land Registry data

Calorimetric and Electron Spin Resonance Examination of Lipid Phase Transitions in Human Stratum Corneum: Molecular Basis for Normal Cohesion and Abnormal Desquamation in Recessive X-Linke Ichthyosis

Lipids appear to play a critical role as regulators of stratum corneum desquamation. In this study, we observed discrete lipid phase transitions at physiologic temperatures in both normal human scale (NHS) and in lipid extracts of NHS by differential scanning calorimetry. In contrast, such thermal transitions were not observed in recessive x-linked ichthyosis scale (RXLIS). To gain further insight into the molecular basis of the lipid phase transitions in NHS vs. RXLIS, comparable samples were evaluated by electron spin resonance, utilizing the perdeuterated probe, di-t-butyl nitroxide. Upon electron spin resonance analysis, both NHS and RXLIS demonstrated thermal phase transitions in the physiologic range; however, the nature of the lipid environments in each type varied. Whereas the environment of the spin probe was more polar in NHS than in RXLIS, the spin probe partitioned into a more “fluid” environment in RXLIS; i.e., the spin probe was more mobile in RXLIS titan in NHS lipid matrices. Because an alteration in the cholesteryl sulfate : cholesterol ratio is the primary lipid abnormality in RXLIS, model cholesterol-fatty acid-cholesteryl sulfate mixtures were prepared in proportion to the lipid composition of NHS and RXLIS. Differences were observed in both thermal transitions and in lipid microenvironments in these mixtures that paralleled those observed in scale samples. Based on these results, a model is proposed that invokes abnormal hydrogen bonding, due to increased cholesteryl sulfate, as the mechanism for the abnormal desquamation in recessive X-linked ichthyosis

Markerless Escherichia coli rrn Deletion Strains for Genetic Determination of Ribosomal Binding Sites

Single-copy rrn strains facilitate genetic ribosomal studies in Escherichia coli. Consecutive markerless deletion of rrn operons resulted in slower growth upon inactivation of the fourth copy, which was reversed by supplying transfer RNA genes encoded in rrn operons in trans. Removal of the sixth, penultimate rrn copy led to a reduced growth rate due to limited rrn gene dosage. Whole-genome sequencing of variants of single-copy rrn strains revealed duplications of large stretches of genomic DNA. The combination of selective pressure, resulting from the decreased growth rate, and the six identical remaining scar sequences, facilitating homologous recombination events, presumably leads to elevated genomic instability

Exploring the Role of Contextual Integrity in Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System Workaround Decisions: An Information Security and Privacy Perspective

Many healthcare providers in the US are seeking increased efficiency and effectiveness by rapidly adopting information technology (IT) solutions such as electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Legislation such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which codified the adoption and “meaningful use” of electronic records in the US, has further spurred the industry-wide adoption of EMR. However, despite what are often large investments in EMR, studies indicate that the healthcare industry maintains a culture of system workarounds. Though perhaps not uncommon, the creation of informal workflows among healthcare workers is problematic for assuring information security and patient privacy, particularly when involving decisions of information management (e.g., information storage, retrieval, and/or transmission). Drawing on the framework of contextual integrity, we assert that one can often explain workarounds involving information transmissions in terms of trade-offs informed by context-specific informational norms. We surveyed healthcare workers and analyzed their willingness to engage in a series of EMR workaround scenarios. Our results indicate that contextual integrity provides a useful framework for understanding information transmission and workaround decisions in the health sector. Armed with these findings, managers and system designers should be better able to anticipate healthcare workers’ information transmission principles (e.g., privacy norms) and workaround patterns (e.g., usage norms). We present our findings and discuss their significance for research and practice

Electronic and traditional savings accounts in colombia: A spatial agglomeration model

The purpose of this article is to apply a multivariate spatial statistics technique: cluster analysis or spatial agglomeration, in order to classify departments into groups based on behavior in the number of active, inactive electronic savings accounts and savings traditional active accounts, with database available as of September 2017 in the bank of Colombia. The selection of this type of accounts was due to the fact that the financial product with the highest penetration in the Colombian population in September 2017, continued to be the savings account; 73.5% of the population had this financial product. However, this percentage is far from the target of 84% proposed in the National Development Plan. The findings show that the departments where electronic accounts are most used are Cauca, Bogotá, Meta, Casanare, Arauca, Vichada, Huila, Amazonas, Guainía, Vaupés, Caldas, Chocó, Sucre, La Guajira, César, Norte de Santander, however, the levels of penetration of this type of product are very low yet in the Colombian territory

Tourism policy and destination marketing in developing countries: the chain of influence

Tourism marketers including destination marketing organisations (DMOs) and international tour operators play a pivotal role in destination marketing, especially in creating destination images. These images, apparent in tourist brochures, are designed to influence tourist decision-making and behaviour. This paper proposes the concept of a “chain of influence” in destination marketing and image-making, suggesting that the content of marketing materials is influenced by the priorities of those who design these materials, e.g. tour operators and DMOs. A content analysis of 2,000 pictures from DMO and tour operator brochures revealed synergies and divergence between these marketers. The brochure content was then compared to the South African tourism policy, concluding that the dominant factor in the chain of influence in the South African context is in fact its organic image

Digital media in primary schools: literacy or technology? Analyzing government and media discourses

This article examines the political and the media discourses concerning the Portuguese governmental program responsible for delivering a laptop named “Magalhães” to all primary school children. The analysis is based on the official documents related to the launch and development of the initiative as well as the press coverage of this topic. The main purpose is to recognize the dominant public discourses and to find out what the media select for the debate in the public sphere. This analysis was done with a particular focus on the critical media literacy framework. The results reveal that the press highlighted the negative aspects of that program and that this framing could have a strong impact on how it was accepted and understood by the public opinion. Analysis also reveals that the governmental initiative was predominantly driven by technological objectives, in particular the access to technology, rather than media literacy objectives.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This paper is part of a three years project named "Navigating with 'Magalhaes': Study on the Impact of Digital Media in Schoolchildren" funded by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and co-funded by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (ERDF: European Regional Development Fund) through COMPETE - Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (Operational Competitiveness Programme)