By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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The Cliff and the Slope (Medium)
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Crawford breaks down a new study explaining how Internet service providers' fights with Netflix have caused major connectivity problems for unrelated users.
M-Lab’s data suggests the logical conclusion that Verizon and Comcast, as well as Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, and AT&T, are intentionally squeezing data coming from some incoming networks — in particular, networks associated with Netflix, which competes with these companies in video entertainment. Customers of these eyeball networks are getting degraded service that cannot be explained by anything other than business decisions. And these eyeball networks are acting with an apparent disregard for users not affiliated with Netflix, affecting all kinds of traffic and all kinds of users. By tacitly allowing network traffic jams — affecting only the highways of fiber that Netflix was using to send its bits — everyone else using those routes was getting stuck ...
The revelations of clear service bottlenecks offer rare first-hand evidence of the power of large Internet access monopolies to force companies that require access to their networks into costly service arrangements, or else suffer degraded connectivity. This is the kind of game-playing feared by the millions of Americans who have pushed for rules preventing what faux news comedian John Oliver calls “cable industry fuckery.”
Follow below the fold for more.
Janet Yellen’s Remarks Trigger Inequality Debate (MSNBC)
Ned Resnikoff looks at discussions that have followed the Federal Reserve Chair's recent comments on inequality, referencing Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal.
Yes, the Federal Reserve is Politicized — and That's a Good Thing (The Week)
Ryan Cooper says the Fed ignoring inequality would be political too – favoring the wealthy. He quotes Roosevelt Institute Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz and Mike Konczal on the links between inequality and monetary policy.
Economic Lessons Not Learned (NYT)
Teresa Tritch says that major role of increased defense spending in last quarter's economic growth should serve as a reminder of the importance of government spending.
New on Next New Deal
Did the Federal Reserve Do QE Backwards?
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal suggests that if the Federal Reserve had set a price for long-term securities instead of buying a quantity, its goals would have been clearer and easier achieved.
Election 2014: Women's Rights in the Balance
In her series on the close-call races that could have major impact on women, Roosevelt Institute Fellow Andrea Flynn has looked at Wisconsin, Colorado, and Florida, with more to come today.