Multimedia

My Kingdom for a Hertz: Can Washington Keep the Mobile Revolution Going?

afearon — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Two years ago, the National Broadband Plan recommended that the government allocate 300 MHz of new spectrum to mobile broadband networks within five years and an additional 200 MHz for various uses within ten years. Since the Plan was published, 20 MHz has been reserved for a Public Safety Network, 40 MHz has been reserved to protect GPS receivers, the Defense Department has asked for 10 years and $12 billion to relocate military applications in the 1755 – 1850 MHz band, Congress has constrained the FCC’s repacking power, and demand for mobile network capacity has continued to grow.

Can Wealthy Countries Stay Rich? Manufacturing and ICT-enabled Services in a Changing Global Economy

afearon — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Sustaining the growth of employment and productivity to ensure expanding real incomes of citizens is a classic policy problem and political necessity for all governments. To stay wealthy, the advanced countries must find ways to produce high-valued-added goods and services with a high-wage, high-skill workforce. Wealthy countries must escape the commodity trap; they cannot compete on the basis of price alone. How has the problem changed? Information technology has transformed both manufacturing and services—but the task of building on the past and imagining the future remains.

Stephen Ibaraki Interview Series: IFIP World Computer Congress

afearon — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Stephen Ibaraki, vice chair of IFIP World CIO Forum and recipient of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional Award, interviews ITIF president Rob Atkinson for another episode in his Outstand Professionals Series. This episode discusses the upcoming IFIP World Computer Congress 2012 taking place in the Netherlands.

Atkinson stresses the importance of ICT and how nations must support IT if they want to remain prosperous and see job growth.

Innovation Thought Leaders' Podcast Series: G-Zero World

afearon — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

As part of the Innovation Podcast Series, Vinny Catalano interviews Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer on what competitiveness and innovation will mean in the "G-Zero" world, as discussed in Bremmer's book Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World.

Innovation Thought Leaders' Podcast Series: Innovation Ecosystem

afearon — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Rob Atkinson appeared on the inaugural episode of the Innovation Podcast series with Vinny Catalano. This episode discussed and debated the innovation ecosystem and what Atkinson hopes to accomplish in upcoming travels to China, Geneva, and the MEP dialogue in Orlando, Florida.

Resolved: U.S. Ex-Im Bank Financing is a Vital Component of U.S. Competitiveness

afearon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Since 1945, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has played a vital role in boosting U.S. exports and competitiveness by providing over $500 billion in financing and insurance for export transactions. In 2010 alone, the Ex-Im Bank provided $24.5 billion worth of export credit financing which backed $34.4 billion worth of U.S. exports, supporting 227,000 jobs at 3,300 U.S. companies.

Stephen Ibaraki Interview Series: Driving Innovation and Investment

afearon — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Stephen Ibaraki, vice chair of IFIP World CIO Forum and recipient of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional Award, interviews ITIF president Rob Atkinson on driving innovation, IT investment, and institutional accountability to the innovation economy.

Taking Stock Podcast - Bloomberg Radio

afearon — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Rob Atkinson and Vinny Catalano appear on "Taking Stock" to discuss innovation and competitiveness. After ITIF's Innovation Consensus Conference, they reflect on the evident need for policies that advance R&D efforts, reform STEM education, and provide considerable investments for start-ups.

The Innovation Consensus: Economic Growth in 2013 and Beyond

afearon — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

American cannot grow and create jobs without innovation. And America cannot solve its fiscal challenges without growth. Yet America's innovation potential, and the global competitiveness that it must fuel, is being challenged by trends both domestic and foreign. And yet despite its importance, the issue is getting relatively little attention. Nonetheless, thinkers across the political spectrum have begun to focus on common-sense solutions.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing on “Where the Jobs Are: Can American Manufacturing Thrive Again?”

afearon — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Rob Atkinson's testimony before the House Committee. The hearing will discussed the administration's plan to revive this important industry and discuss other policy solutions.

Internet Platform Competition and Market Convergence

afearon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

How does competition work in the mobile Internet economy? Traditional anti-trust analysis stove-pipes the players in this dynamic ecosystem in a way that fails to capture the complex interplay of networks, apps, handsets, services, and content. Jonathan Sallet has developed an analysis that more fully portrays competition and cooperation in our new world, the "value circle" concept. Sallet shows that the enablers of mobile apps play multiple roles, often acting as both users and suppliers of services.

Grand Innovation Challenges of the 21st Century

afearon — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Technology has given new meaning to Napoleon Hill's famous quote, "Whatever the mind and conceive and believe it can achieve." This summer, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will convene a conference on Grand Challenges - ambitious goals that are achieved by advancing science, technology and innovation.

Rising Price of Gas; Energy and Government R&D

afearon — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Rob Atkinson appeared on White House Chronicle as a featured expert on the subject of rising gas prices, energy, and government R&D.

Watch this episode.

Transforming Higher Education with IT

afearon — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

President Obama recently announced a new initiative to address the question of higher education affordability. For decades, the cost of college has been growing faster than inflation, putting college out of reach for an increasing number of American families. However, if we are going to keep college cost increases down, information technology will have to play a key role, just as it has in a host of other industries.

Worse Than the Great Depression: What the Experts Are Missing About American Manufacturing Decline

afearon — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Here’s an ugly and overlooked fact: Not only did America lose nearly six million manufacturing jobs in the last decade but the decline as a share of total manufacturing jobs (33 percent) exceeded the rate of loss in the Great Depression. Despite this unprecedented negative performance, most economists, pundits and elected officials are remarkably blasé, largely because they attribute this job loss to superior productivity performance of U.S. manufacturers.

Worse Than the Great Depression: An Interview With Rob Atkinson on American Manufacturing

afearon — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

ITIF President Rob Atkinson sat down to be interviewed on the report Worse Than The Great Depression: What Experts Are Missing About Manufacturing Decline.

Boosting Exports, Jobs, and Economic Growth by Expanding the Information Technology Agreement

afearon — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Think of the technology used in 1996. The proliferation of innovative new products has been astounding. Remarkably, the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which fully eliminates tariffs on covered information and communications technology (ICT) products, has not really been updated in 15 years, and even then did not cover everyday consumer electronic products, such as audio speakers, DVD players, and video cameras. The ITA, with its 73 participating member nations, has been one of the most successful trade agreements ever undertaken.

Which Countries Have the Best Innovation Policies?

afearon — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Which Countries Have the Best Innovation Policies? Rob Atkinson reviews the evidence from The Global innovation Policy Index showing Canada and Signapore are the most innovation-friendly countries.

The Global Innovation Policy Index

afearon — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

The Global Innovation Policy Index, produced by ITIF in conjunction with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, assesses the effectiveness of the innovation policies of 55 countries using 84 indicators grouped into seven core innovation policy areas: 1) trade and foreign direct investment; 2) science and R&D; 3) domestic market competition; 4) intellectual property rights; 5) information and communications technology; 6) government procurement; and 7) high-skill immigration.

How Can the U.S. Combat Chinese Innovation Mercantilism?

afearon — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

How Can the U.S. Combat Chinese Innovation Mercantilism? Rob Atkinson outlines some essential steps in moving forward to combat innovation mercantilism while allowing China to prosper.

Enough is Enough: Confronting Chinese Innovation Mercantilism

afearon — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

America’s trade relationship with China has entered into a perilous stage in the last five years. With China’s shift to an “indigenous innovation” strategy based on forced IP transfer, standards manipulation, discriminatory regulatory and tax policies, and favoritism towards state owned enterprises, China is unabashedly seeking to favor Chinese-owned firms in order to dominate practically all sectors, especially the higher value-added, innovation-based sectors. Yet, the Washington consensus response can be summed up in one word: patience.

Innovation in Transportation at American Competitiveness: What Works

afearon — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

On February 14, 2012, ITIF President Rob Atkinson presented on a panel as part of the American Competitiveness: What Works conference. Atkinson discussed innovation in transportation, the potential for network intelligence to increase mobility, and pioneering new transportation frontiers.

Is Clean Energy Innovation Policy Picking Winners and Losers?

afearon — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Is Clean Energy Innovation Policy Picking Winners and Losers? ITIF Clean Energy Analyst Clifton Yin weighs in.

Eddie Lazarus Reflects on a Dramatic Tenure as Chief of Staff of the FCC

afearon — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Eddie Lazarus spent the last two and a half years as chief of staff of the Federal Communications Commission, a tenure rightly described by The Washington Post's Cecilia Kang as, "marked by brutal battles over Internet access rules and the reviews of two massive mergers." Indeed, Lazarus was in the center of high-stakes, politically-charged battles over the soul of Internet and the shape of the communications marketplace. As he leaves public service, ITIF is pleased to host him for some reflections on his experience and discussion about what's ahead for issues before the FCC.

Can Successful Innovation Lead to Falling Revenue?

afearon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Can Successful Innovation Lead to Falling Revenue? E.g. Skype Destroys International Phone Revenue. Sector Shrinks, Innovator Grows. Rob Atkinson anwsered by saying innovation can lower revenue but it always improves consumer welfare.