Unintended Consequences, Dude
AI may not change your job, but it will transform government
Time will tell how AI affects the delivery of government services. It will take time to gather and clean the data necessary to exploit it, something governments likely haven’t done well.
“The showy bits of AI — the stuff of corporate presentations — might well never be particularly cost-efficient or effective. But the back-office, time-saving functions that are already here are speeding up businesses. And given that almost everything governments do is in some way tied into back-office functions, AI has the potential to transform how states operate. While it might never be cheap enough to replace you at work, it already is changing how you are governed.”
The Biden FCC Brakes the Internet With Net Neutrality
Show me the industry and I’ll show you the crime.
“The FCC on Thursday is expected to vote to reclassify broadband providers as common carriers under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. This will let the commission regulate providers like AT&T, including by fixing prices and micro-managing network investment. Why does the FCC need this power?
“She concedes that providers don’t block, throttle or charge more to speed up sites. Yet this was the justification for the Obama FCC’s Title II power grab. Ms. Rosenworcel’s new justification is that “loopholes” in FCC oversight have left the internet vulnerable to national-security, cyber-security and privacy threats. This is ridiculous, and she knows it.”
Bigger, Longer Unemployment Checks for All
The Pandemic is over when the bureaucracy says it’s over. It’s not over.
“Paying people not to work was among the worst blunders of the pandemic era, but the Biden Administration calls it a smashing success. It wants to permanently expand the unemployment rolls and steamroll any state that takes a different approach.
“That’s the takeaway from Building Resilience, a plan released recently by the Labor Department. Acting Secretary Julie Su (who can’t get confirmed even by a Democratic Senate) wants you to forget everything you recall about the Covid recovery, especially the masses of workers who sat out while employers struggled to rehire. In her version of history, unemployment checks held up the economy instead of holding it back.
“The report claims that expanded payments “supported over 53 million workers . . . softening the labor market crisis and ultimately helping the economy recover.” Never mind that, by June 2021, there were more open jobs than unemployed workers as recipients received an extra $300 in jobless benefits each week. Another temporary change let people claim checks for more than a year, up from 26 weeks. Why hurry back to work?”
FTC Bans Noncompete Agreements That Restrict Job Switching
According to the FTC, employers have “robbed” workers of their right to decamp and work for direct competitors by negotiating contracts with and paying compensation to these aggrieved employees. It will be interesting to see if the workers have the “right” to take the employer’s intellectual property with them.
“The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday banned employers from using noncompete contracts to prevent most workers from joining rival firms, achieving a policy goal that is popular with labor but faces an imminent court challenge from business groups.
“The measure, approved by the agency’s Democratic majority on a 3-to-2 vote, marks the first time in more than 50 years that FTC officials have issued a regulation to mandate an economywide change in how companies compete. The commission has historically operated like a law enforcement agency, investigating and suing individual companies over practices or deals deemed to violate the law.”
Google Delays Cookie Phase-Out Following Regulatory Pushback
International companies face the increased burden of dealing with multiple regulatory regimes, some of which can conflict. More often than not, the binding constraint is the one with the tightest rules. Politically, should we expect regulators in the primary jurisdiction to coordinate with their counterparts in smaller, less relevant countries to impose rules that would be politically infeasible at home?
“The U.K.’s privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has told Google its proposed changes don’t go far enough, and it plans to provide the same feedback to the CMA, The Wall Street Journal reported this month.
Google said it now plans to begin phasing out cookies in 2025 if it receives the CMA and ICO’s approval.”
Just 10 percent in new poll have heard a lot about Biden climate action
You might be doing too much on the regulatory front if the public doesn’t see what you’re doing in any individual area.
“Despite President Biden making climate change a central issue of his administration, only a small share of Americans in a new poll said they have heard a lot about his plans.”
Biden administration finalizes controversial minimum staffing mandate at nursing homes
Requiring nursing homes to add more employees when they already struggle to hire is … aspirational. If it leads to fewer beds for those who need care (even as the Baby Boom is in its dotage), then that’s probably counter-productive.
“Nursing home operators strongly objected to the minimum staffing proposal in September, saying they already struggle to fill open positions. Such a requirement could force some facilities to close.”