Insight Community

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

While the threat to safety from driving and talking on a cell phone can be debated, there are already several laws around the US that prohibit such actions. However, there is no federal regulation -- just recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board that all states should restrict certain drivers from using cell phones while driving. So which states have enacted the most reasonable regulations against cell phone use while driving? Or (if there aren't any existing laws that you like) what kind of rules should be proposed to encourage common sense in driving? Are hands-free accessories really effective? Will factory-installed systems in the dashboard help? With GPS navigation and other advanced wireless services coming to more phones, what exceptions should be made (if any) to laws against driving while using mobile phones?

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular Cases here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each Challenge Case will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

The question of allowing airline passengers to use phones on flights isn't exactly new, but there may be a growing number of airlines with useful services. Instead of providing phones in the seats of the plane, a few airlines are offering wireless networks for passengers to use their existing (dual mode?) phones to place calls. Given this, what should consumers and airline passengers look forward to? Will there be mandatory phone etiquette rules during the flights? How might in-flight calls be regulated? What role will the airlines play in developing the services? These are just a sample of the questions that may be addressed for this Case.

 

The Digital Entertainment industry can be characterized by the creation, distribution and monetization of digital content and devices intended to entertain end users through media consumption. Examples of players in
the industry are device manufacturers (Apple, Nokia), distribution networks (CBS, XM Satellite), network access providers (Comcast, AT&T), content producers (Electronic Arts, NBC Universal), web based content aggregators (Yahoo, Google, MySpace) & multi-business tech/media conglomerates (Sony, Microsoft).

Given the rapid pace of innovation and shifting power dynamics to date, what are the major trends that will shape the industry over the next 3-7 years? How would you respond to these trends if you were the CEO of any of the above firms? Specifically discuss the economic impact of each trend and show how it would affect the market valuations of the relevant companies.

LetsTalk's PhoneTalk blog wants to add new voices to its website, and they're posting regular issues here for the Techdirt Insight Community to add interesting new content to their site. The winning submissions for each challenge issue will be posted (perhaps with some editing) on the PhoneTalk blog -- with credits to the author. The following is LetsTalk's next assignment:

As mobile phone use in the US grows, so does consumer dissatisfaction with mobile operators and their business practices. Complaints about things like handset locking, long-term contracts with early termination fees (ETFs), poor customer service and billing practices abound. Some states have investigated trying to deal with this by enacting "Cell Phone User Bills of Rights" -- which attempt to enshrine certain consumer protections into law, while various pieces of federal legislation have also been proposed. Many of these proposals -- covering things like disclosing taxes and fees and listing clear contact information -- don't have a large overall impact on consumers, and the "Bills of Rights" are generally left looking like little more than attempts by politicians to curry favor with their constituents by appearing to tackle a problem, rather than making any meaningful changes. Meanwhile, other governmental actions -- such as the Librarian of Congress exempting handset unlocking from the DMCA, and the FCC's statement that it may re-investigate ETFs -- crack away at some of these practices.

Are these sorts of laws necessary, and why or why not? Are there more fundamental problems that these "Bills of Rights" don't, won't or can't address? What would be most beneficial for consumers here -- these sorts of laws, other rules from lawmakers and regulators, or some other type of action?

Techdirt is raising this issue ourselves, and depending on the results, we will promote the winners on Techdirt. (eg. TIC's Picks) As we've done before, we'll highlight your analysis as a guest post while providing links back to your own site. Here's the issue:

The FCC has imposed certain open-access requirements on some of the licenses in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction, scheduled for early 2008. While the Commission ignored suggestions from Google and a coalition of consumers to impose stronger open-access principles on the spectrum, winners of two 11-MHz licenses must allow consumers to attach any compatible device to their network, and allow them to freely access any service or site.

Google and consumer groups aren't fully satisfied with the decision, mainly because it won't compel license winners to sell wholesale access to their networks, a move the groups saw as key in creating meaningful competition for fixed broadband networks in the space. Some incumbent telcos, like Verizon and AT&T, came out in favor of the rules, perhaps because between the limited number of licenses to which they'll apply and their actual provisions, the open-access rules are pretty weak.

What impact will the new rules have, or will they even come into force? If the two licenses in question don't attract bids of at least $4.6 billion, the auction will be restarted and the open-access rules won't be applied. Will incumbent telcos dominate this auction, as they have others before, or will new entrants -- including, potentially, Google -- be able to grab licenses? What's a likely outcome from the auction? Not just in terms of license winners, but the overall effect on the American telecom market. Will the auction spawn new competitors for fixed broadband networks?

Google has received quite a bit of attention for the beginnings of its office productivity suite that can operate collaboratively online (as well as offline with Google Gears). But there are already several non-Microsoft office suites that are much more mature than Google's current office apps. However, by adding the weight of its brand to the Web2.0 productivity market, Google has apparently stolen the "thunder" of the upstarts who were pitching stones at Microsoft. As one of these alternative office suite developers,

1) What are the weaknesses of Google Docs & Spreadsheets?

2) How does a smaller office software firm promote itself with two giants in the same arena?

As a Fortune 500 company considering a consumer-focused branding campaign that incorporates user-generated content, we are an office equipment and services provider looking to maximize the benefits of an online video campaign using YouTube and other online video communities. Obviously, we are aiming for a fresh and vibrant (and perhaps viral) response, but we also realize there may be somewhat negative portrayals of our brand.

1) Given our broad audience of consumers, how can we best encourage positive entries and on-message responses? Suggest online venues where the prevailing tone is upbeat -- or virtual locations that should be avoided if they are known to be too crass. How can these characterizations be determined?

2) Suggest creative ways to promote the collected video materials, after the submission period is officially over, that leverage online communities.

3) Other than ignoring or deleting content that may be negative, how should we handle submissions that are not entirely favorable to our brand?

There's been a lot of talk about the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) market lately, with companies like SAP making a big push into the space. When talking about GRC people often fall back on talking about Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, as that's been a key part of it. Certain compliance deadlines have been pushed back for smaller companies, but small-cap companies may wish to anticipate GRC issues before they hit with full force. How do you see the market for GRC solutions changing for small-cap companies over the next 3 to 5 years?