About Scott Cleland
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You are hereInvestingGoogle co-founder admits to discriminating against US content to improve search resultsSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Thu, 2008-04-17 20:32Google co-founder Sergy Brin, one of Google's most avid net neutrality proponents, candidly admitted today in Google's 1Q08 earnings call with investors, that Google "improved" its international search quality by "demoting non-country search results" on Google's improved country home pages. This is interesting for a few reasons. More evidence Google's bidding against itself was improper in 700 MHz auction to trigger conditionsSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2008-04-16 16:29The more we learn about Google's behavior in the FCC's 700 Mhz auction the more clear it is Google acted improperly and "gamed" the auction and Fleeced the American taxpayer as I explained in my original post on this subject. Comcast-Pando Networks' "P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" solves multiple problemsSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Tue, 2008-04-15 16:33In a breakthrough agreement and announcement (see copy below), Comcast and Pando Networks, (the leading managed p-2-p content delivery service) agreed to:
This is a profoundly significant development because it solves multiple thorny problems: First, it breaks through and resolves the polarized net neutrality discussion where proponents only talk about ones own Internet "rights" but don't acknowledge the "responsibilities" that accompany any "rights" or acknowledge the effect those "rights" can have on the "rights" of others. U.S. Not falling behind world on broadband/Internet -- must read New York Times on new studySubmitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2008-04-09 10:55Kudos to John Markoff of the New York Times for a excellent, informative, and balanced article about the ongoing debate over where the U.S. really ranks in the world on Internet/broadband infrastructure.
First, the article shares the news of the seventh annual World Economic Forum report produced by a French Business School which shows that the U.S. ranks 4th up from 7th last year and which contrasts with the more narrow OECD study that focuses on broadband penetration and shows the U.S. ranking lower and falling. Second, what I most appreciated was that the article candidly explored that there are two opposing world views at work trying to use statistics and studies to promote their world views. New spending surprise for Google's 1Q08 earnings?Submitted by Scott Cleland on Mon, 2008-04-07 14:16My eyebrows raised when I read the FT's article: "Google loses talent that turned chos into capital." What attracted my attention is that Google is reacting to the ~37% drop in Google's stock price by spending shareholders money on giving restricted stock to employees who are no longer satisfied with stock options. I wonder what the price tag will be for this, it could be significant.... Google unabashed about gaming the FCC auction process to fleece the taxpayer of ~$7billionSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Fri, 2008-04-04 14:48Many have broadly swallowed Google's "spin" that Google really "won" by losing the 700Mhz auction -- without digesting the serious implications of Google's public admission.
So what's wrong with what Google did? First and foremost, Google's flagrant manipulation of the auction rules and process fleeced the American taxpayer out of at least $7 billion, by my estimate. Of course the FCC will deny the Skype-Carterfone petition for open access regulation of wirelessSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2008-04-02 10:39It was very welcome, but not surprising news, that FCC Chairman Martin and a majority of the FCC plan to deny eBay-Skype's petition to apply 1960's "Carterfone" monopoly regulations on today's wireless competitors. This was not a close call. Carterfone regulations were appropriate forty years ago with a monopoly and no competition. However, dusting off ancient regulations for a bygone monopoly era have no business or relevance today. The facts are that Americans enjoy more wireless competition than most any country in the world, enjoy the lowest or near lowest wireless prices in the world, and use about four times more wireless minutes than our european counterparts, because of the dramatically lower prices -- all per the American Consumer Institute.
The Skype petition is an excellent evidence that the net neutrality movement does not believe in competition policy or a free market Internet, but believe in a government managed Internet.
Why isn't Google more "open" with investors?Submitted by Scott Cleland on Fri, 2008-03-28 18:38I must admit I have been amused watching the market's angst over trying to figure out if Google's growth is slowing down given that Comscore has reported that paid clicks have fallen 3% from January to February of this year. First, I am amused because Comscore also showed that Google gained market share during that same period from 59.2% from 58.5%. Yahoo-Google "dis" Microsoft in OpenSocial hug -- the real reason for the new allianceSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Tue, 2008-03-25 17:28Apparently, Yahoo is trying to douse itself with some "Microsoft-repellant" in joining Google's OpenSocial allance and forming a non-profit OpenSocial Foundation with Google and MySpace. While Yahoo's OpenSocial press release never mentioned Microsoft, the impetus for this change of heart by Yahoo was clearly a way to "dis" Microsoft and make Yahoo marginally less attractive to Microsoft. More evidence of why a Mobility goal must be part of any "National Broadband Strategy"Submitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2008-03-05 10:41CNET highlights new Comscore research that shows that mobile broadband is the fastest growing type of broadband.
Proponents of a new National Broadband Strategy have two huge vulnerabilities:
Those powerful policy biases against: Pages |