CEI Daily Update

Issues in the News

1. CONSUMER

Prices for basic foodstuffs are rising sharply, driven in part by the use of corn for ethanol production.  

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis and on the real costs of biofuels: 

Each additional bushel of corn bid into the ethanol plants will drive up the price of corn—and that of food. The price of feed corn for U.S. livestock could rise by 60 to 70 percent over the next two years…. 

2. TECHNOLOGY

San Francisco’s plan to offer free wireless Internet access throughout the city hits a snag.  

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Technology Policy Analyst Cord Blomquist on the players in this wi-fi drama:                                  

Over the last two years, San Francisco has been in negotiations with Earthlink who, in partnership with Google, has had plans to build a Wi-Fi ‘cloud’ over the 47 sq. mile geek-infested city. The goal, set out in 2005, was to blanket the city with 1,500 wireless hot-spots which would be accessible free of charge, supported by ads from Google. For those who wanted faster, ad-free service, a subscription fee could be paid. Now rumors are circulating that Earthlink is pulling out of the deal, while the San Fran government is moving forward with a non-binding referendum in September that will presumably decide the fate of this boondoggle.

3. BUSINESS

Sirius Satellite radio expands its partnerships with other music services as it prepares for a merger with rival satellite company XM.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Technology Studies Wayne Crews on why the FCC should take a hands-off approach to the Sirius-XM deal: 

Bureaucrats cause untold damage when they undermine network industries’ efforts to orient themselves, to attain the scale appropriate to fostering customization, and to achieve such feats as moving global information to the exosphere as satellite operations do. Liberalizing spectrum for future satellite and communications operations—not restraining the private operations of those that now exist—should be FCC’s focus.

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.

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