internet
Amazon’s Dash Button to Automate Your Orders
Amazon is taking on a initiative to harness the power of the internet of things before the things get to our homes. This reminds me of the the talking point we brought up in class which was that we may not need every appliance in our houses to have a microprocessor, rather a central unit of command that takes input from everything else (smartphone in this case.)
In my opinion, this Dash Button thing is going to fail because it isn’t a seamless integration into people’s life and could be easily substituted by a technology that consumers would own anyways likes smart watches. However, this initiative will enforce the idea that automating time consuming parts of our lives (such as doing groceries) doesn’t have to be a high tech solution.
The internet: Commodity or Utility?
In this article, the author talks about what the internet should be classified as, a commodity or utility. Currently, the internet is classified as an “information service” which is governed under the Title I of the Communications Act. This means internet service providers have less of a regulatory burden than that of “telecommunication service” providers. Which are governed under Title II of the Communications Act. If the internet is classified as a utility, it would be heavily regulated and their services would be dispersed evenly between all customers. If the internet were to be classified as a commodity, the pricing and availability would be controlled by supply and demand rather than federal authorities. Each classification seems to have its advantages and disadvantages. So, my question is do you think the internet should be classified as a commodity or utility? Why?
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