Free Lunch Podcast Episode 33 – Net Neutrality and Federalism
Despite the Federal Communication Commission’s decision in December 2017 to eliminate the common carrier regulations for Internet services — the so-called net neutrality rules the FCC created in 2015 — the net neutrality debate rages on. The Trump FCC preempted states’ authority to regulate the Internet, yet governors in six states have attempted to enforce net neutrality principles via executive order and three states have passed “baby net neutrality bills.” Several more state bills are pending. Can state agencies regulate Internet services? What are the legal and practical impediments? What are the consequences of businesses operating under inconsistent regulations amongst the states and at the federal level? Gus Hurwitz, Brent Skorup, and Geoffrey Manne will discuss this new front in regulation, federalism, and grassroots activism.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 32 – Visiting the EPA’s CAFE: What’s on the Menu for Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards?
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao are proposing to roll back the Obama Administration’s fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model years 2022 to 2025. The proposed rollback will have vast political and economic consequences for automakers, auto dealers, and drivers. Is the rollback legally justified and appropriate? Is it good for consumers? Will the proposed rollback prompt California to enforce its own more stringent standards? If so, what are the legal and policy ramifications of overlapping federal and state standards? This teleforum call will discuss these and other questions related to the Trump Administration’s proposed rollback of the fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 31 – What to do about Facebook: On Data Privacy and the Future of Tech Regulation
Facebook is not getting many “likes” these days following revelations that Cambridge Analytica accessed personal information about Facebook users without obtaining clear consent. The reaction from politicians, regulators, and the marketplace has been swift and significant. In this teleforum, experts from the Regulatory Transparency Project’s Cyber and Privacy Working Group will discuss what happened, the economic, legal, and political consequences, and what this could mean for companies that have built business models around the use of user data.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 30 – Tennessee Licensing Board Alarmed by Entrepreneur’s Facial Recognition Software
Adam Jackson became a highly trained U.S. soldier who provided cutting-edge security to military bases and embassies. Now as a civilian, he seeks to provide similar protection for American communities through software he has developed that can identify potentially dangerous individuals and prompt a security response before violence occurs. Schools, places of worship, concert venues — all have jumped at the opportunity to use Adam’s service. However, Adam has been barred from utilizing the technology altogether. The Tennessee Alarm Systems Contractors Board considers the software to be an alarm system which requires Adam to undergo a 5-year apprenticeship in alarm system installation before he can obtain a certification to deploy his software. Adam, with the help of the Beacon Center of Tennessee, is challenging the Board’s determination. In the meantime, he has shut down his business while he awaits an administrative resolution to his case.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 29 – Arizona Dumps Deference: The Beginning of the End for Chevron?
We live in a system where regulators make rules, investigate alleged violations of the rules, and then adjudicate those violations before an Administrative Law Judge who is a member of the agency. When agency decisions are appealed to the traditional court system, judges are obligated to “defer” to the agency on both its legal and factual conclusions. Many opponents of this scheme have criticized the system for “placing a thumb on the scales of justice” by encouraging judicial bias. Many of the same critics assert that the current system of administrative law offends the rule of law, due process, and separation of powers. In April 2018, Arizona passed first-of-its-kind legislation, developed by the Goldwater Institute, that eliminates this legal deference in state courts. This teleforum call will explore this new law, discuss how it might change state agency rulemaking and enforcement, and also examine how the law might address concerns regarding judicial bias and other issues. Importantly, this program will also consider whether this legislation can serve as a model for the rest of the country, and the federal government.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 28 – Analyzing how EPA is Addressing “Secret Science”
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that his agency would no longer allow the use of “secret science” in developing federal regulations. Specifically, the agency will only use scientific studies to develop regulations when the data and methodology for those studies are made accessible to the public. Is there really a secret science or transparency problem that even needs to be addressed? If so, have there been attempts historically to correct the problem? What are the implications of excluding such studies? This presentation will provide background on this effort and discuss how transparency in government can be strengthened and better inform policymaking.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 27 – Virginia’s (Un)happy Hour: Is the State Restricting Ads and Economic Rights?
In Virginia, it’s perfectly legal to have a happy hour; it’s just illegal to talk about it. The state has several advertising restrictions that opponents claim are outdated and prevent businesses from communicating entirely truthful information about their legal happy hour practices–including the price of any drink. These laws affect entrepreneurs like Chef Geoff Tracy, who owns three restaurants in the DC metro area. In this Teleforum, Chef Geoff tells his story of how these restrictions have driven up the cost of doing business, how they have forced him to alter his successful business model, and why he ultimately decided to sue Virginia over them. Chef Geoff’s attorney, Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), will discuss the lawsuit, explaining why she believes economic regulations are a growing threat to businesses and share what PLF is doing to fight for economic liberty and free speech in the courts.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 26 – Self-Driving Vehicles: Addressing the Challenges of Groundbreaking Innovation
Self-driving vehicles may be on American roads sooner than many think. As a result, the Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have been increasingly focused on examining the potential regulatory barriers calling for comments on various federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) that need to be changed and updates to the existing policy guidance on self-driving vehicles. Accommodating the deployment of self-driving vehicles will necessitate addressing outdated FMVSS, current definitions of “driver” or “operator,” cybersecurity and privacy concerns, and a regulatory landscape where various authorities are divided between states and the federal government.
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 25 – Is the FDA’s Rule on Cigars & Vaping Products Constitutional?
Invoking the Tobacco Control Act, the FDA issued an omnibus regulation of cigars, pipe tobacco, and vaping products in 2016. That Rule required all of these products to go through an FDA review process similar to that for prescription drugs and medical devices and to bear large warnings covering 30 percent of two panels of each package and 20 percent of all advertisements—even though some vaping products contain no tobacco or nicotine. The Rule also prohibits truthful statements about the products, including whether they contain tobacco or not, without costly FDA pre-approval, and the speakers bear the burden to prove the net value of their speech to consumers as a whole, whatever that means. Although the Trump Administration delayed some aspects of the Rule, current and delayed mandates threaten the vitality of major industry sectors, including the large health warnings and prior approval of truthful speech. In addition to the usual regulatory questions, our speakers raise fundamental constitutional challenges to the Rule…
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Free Lunch Podcast Episode 24 – The Commenting Power: Agency Accountability through Public Participation
Did you know that you have a say in the U.S. government’s regulatory process?
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requires that most regulations promulgated by administrative agencies go through a process called “notice and comment rulemaking.” Stripped to its basics, that means that the agency must give notice of a proposed rulemaking and then give the public a chance to comment. The law allows ordinary citizens, as much as sophisticated interest groups, opportunities to participate in, and have opinions heard on, the development of regulations…
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