ford Former Chief Investment Officer of Stanford Financial Group Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:53:47 EDT Laura Pendergest-Holt, 38, the former chief investment officer of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group, pleaded guilty today to obstructing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Stanford International Bank (SIB), the Antiguan offshore bank owned by convicted financier Robert Allen Stanford. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Justice Department Files Lawsuit Requiring Rutherford County, Tenn., to Allow Mosque to Open in City of Murfreesboro By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:10:51 EDT The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a federal lawsuit against Rutherford County, Tenn., alleging that the county violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) when, in compliance with a state chancery court ruling, it refused to process or issue a certificate of occupancy to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro for a recently constructed mosque. The department’s complaint states that a certificate of occupancy is needed immediately so that the Islamic Center can hold worship services at the new facility during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins at sundown on July 19. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Former Chief Investment Officer of Stanford Financial Group Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:24:32 EDT Laura Pendergest-Holt, 39, the former chief investment officer of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for her role in obstructing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Stanford International Bank (SIB), the Antiguan offshore bank owned by convicted financier Robert Allen Stanford. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at Fordham University School of Law By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:09:28 EDT "I am committed to this fight, and I hope you will join me and my partners at the Justice Department and across the law enforcement community, as we continue to root out cybercriminals and bring them to justice," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. Full Article Speech
ford U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Suit Against CH2M Hill Hanford Group By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:40:43 EDT The government has intervened in a lawsuit against CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. (CH2M Hill) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford AVX Corp. to Pay $366 Million in Settlement, Accelerating Cleanup of New Bedford Harbor Contamination in Massachusetts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:17:25 EDT The Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, have reached a settlement with AVX Corp. for $366.25 million plus interest regarding the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site, in New Bedford, Mass. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Former Executives of Stanford Financial Group Entities Convicted for Roles in Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:33:41 EST A Houston federal jury has convicted Gilbert T. Lopez Jr., the former chief accounting officer of Stanford Financial Group Company, and Mark J. Kuhrt, the former global controller of Stanford Financial Group Global Management, for their roles in helping Robert Allen Stanford perpetrate a fraud scheme involving Stanford International Bank (SIB). Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Sussex County, Delaware, for Blocking Affordable Housing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:36:08 EST The Justice Department announced today that it has settled a lawsuit against Sussex County, Del., and the Planning and Zoning Commission of Sussex County for race and national origin discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Former Chief Financial Officer of Stanford Financial Group Entities Sentenced to Prison for Role in Fraud Scheme and Obstruction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:43:29 EST James M. Davis, 64, formerly of Baldwyn, Miss., the former chief financial officer of Stanford International Bank (SIB) and Houston-based Stanford Financial Group, was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in helping Robert Allen Stanford perpetrate a fraud scheme involving SIB, and for conspiring to obstruct a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into SIB. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Former Executives of Stanford Financial Group Entities Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Roles in Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:52:19 EST Gilbert T. Lopez Jr., the former chief accounting officer of Stanford Financial Group Company, and Mark J. Kuhrt, the former global controller of Stanford Financial Group Global Management, were each sentenced today to 20 years in prison for their roles in helping Robert Allen Stanford perpetrate a fraud scheme involving Stanford International Bank (SIB). Both were convicted by a Houston federal jury on Nov. 19, 2012. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. Admits Criminal Conduct, Parent Company Agrees to Cooperate in Ongoing Investigation and Pay $18.5 Million to Resolve Civil and Criminal Allegations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 11:28:17 EST Colorado-based CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. (CHG) and its parent company, CH2M Hill Companies Ltd. (CH2M Hill) have agreed that CHG committed federal criminal violations, defrauding the public by engaging in years of widespread time card fraud. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Fluor Hanford Agrees to Pay $1.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of Improper Lobbying By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:49:36 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Fluor Hanford LLC has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle allegations that Fluor violated the False Claims Act by using federal funds for lobbying. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Former Hertford County, N.C., Chief Deputy Pleads Guilty for Assault on Inmate By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:06:58 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Timothy Lassiter, the former chief deputy of the Hertford County, N.C., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Elizabeth City, N.C., to violating the civil rights of an inmate during a court appearance Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Justice Department Obtains Comprehensive Agreement to Ensure New York City Adult Home Residents with Mental Illness Are Afforded Opportunities to Live in the Community By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 12:38:51 EDT The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced today that they, along with plaintiff adult home residents, entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the state of New York under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford Three Subsidiaries of Weatherford International Limited Agree to Plead Guilty to FCPA and Export Control Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 11:07:59 EST Three subsidiaries of Weatherford International Limited (Weatherford International), a Swiss oil services company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, have agreed to plead guilty to anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export controls violations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA) Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford United States Reaches Settlement with Stamford Public Schools to Ensure Equal Opportunites for English Language Learner Students By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:51:38 EST The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced that they have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Stamford Public School District in Stamford, Conn., that requires the district to provide language services and other supports to the more than 2,000 English Language Learner students enrolled in the district’s 20 schools. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ford How to make biological drugs more affordable By www.gabionline.net Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 08:37:35 +0000 Biological drugs remain unaffordable for many in the US due to strategies used by pharmaceutical companies and negative messaging about biosimilars, explains a recent commentary by Dr Joel Lexchin, School of Health Policy and Management at York University, Canada [1]. Full Article
ford AZ and Oxford University partner to develop coronavirus vaccine By www.biopharma-reporter.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:02:00 +0100 Under the agreement, AZ will develop, manufacture and distribute the vaccine that has already begun Phase I trials. Full Article Bio Developments
ford Juergen Braunstein: Can Swiss Afford a State Fund? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Aug 23, 2019 Aug 23, 2019The idea of a Swiss sovereign wealth fund (SWF) which could use a part of the country’s massive reserves for investments arose after Switzerland had established in 2011 its currency link to the Euro. Since then various sovereign wealth options have been discussed, from a SWF with a savings mandate to a fund with a strategic investment mandate, a private equity-type fund that invests in technology start-ups and protects against hostile foreign takeovers of strategic companies. Full Article
ford Juergen Braunstein: Can Swiss Afford a State Fund? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Aug 23, 2019 Aug 23, 2019The idea of a Swiss sovereign wealth fund (SWF) which could use a part of the country’s massive reserves for investments arose after Switzerland had established in 2011 its currency link to the Euro. Since then various sovereign wealth options have been discussed, from a SWF with a savings mandate to a fund with a strategic investment mandate, a private equity-type fund that invests in technology start-ups and protects against hostile foreign takeovers of strategic companies. Full Article
ford Juergen Braunstein: Can Swiss Afford a State Fund? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Aug 23, 2019 Aug 23, 2019The idea of a Swiss sovereign wealth fund (SWF) which could use a part of the country’s massive reserves for investments arose after Switzerland had established in 2011 its currency link to the Euro. Since then various sovereign wealth options have been discussed, from a SWF with a savings mandate to a fund with a strategic investment mandate, a private equity-type fund that invests in technology start-ups and protects against hostile foreign takeovers of strategic companies. Full Article
ford Juergen Braunstein: Can Swiss Afford a State Fund? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Aug 23, 2019 Aug 23, 2019The idea of a Swiss sovereign wealth fund (SWF) which could use a part of the country’s massive reserves for investments arose after Switzerland had established in 2011 its currency link to the Euro. Since then various sovereign wealth options have been discussed, from a SWF with a savings mandate to a fund with a strategic investment mandate, a private equity-type fund that invests in technology start-ups and protects against hostile foreign takeovers of strategic companies. Full Article
ford Juergen Braunstein: Can Swiss Afford a State Fund? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Aug 23, 2019 Aug 23, 2019The idea of a Swiss sovereign wealth fund (SWF) which could use a part of the country’s massive reserves for investments arose after Switzerland had established in 2011 its currency link to the Euro. Since then various sovereign wealth options have been discussed, from a SWF with a savings mandate to a fund with a strategic investment mandate, a private equity-type fund that invests in technology start-ups and protects against hostile foreign takeovers of strategic companies. Full Article
ford 70 million people can’t afford to wait for their stimulus funds to come in a paper check By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 22:00:56 +0000 April 1 is no joke for the millions of Americans who are economically suffering in this recession and waiting for their promised stimulus payment from the recently enacted CARES Act. The Treasury Secretary optimistically projects that payments could start in 3 weeks for select families. Yet, by my calculations, roughly 70 million American families are… Full Article
ford The future of the Affordable Care Act: Reassessment and revision By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 11 Jul 2016 17:01:00 -0400 Given the lackluster healthcare exchange enrollment numbers, unaffordable coverage, and increasing overall healthcare costs, President Obama is wrong to think the Affordable Care Act (ACA) needs just a few tweaks – its most fundamental aspects need to be rethought. Obama’s essay marks the first time a modern sitting president has had a piece published in the journal. Much of the progress made under the ACA expanding healthcare coverage to the uninsured has been thanks to increased enrollment in Medicaid -- not the exchanges -- a harbinger of even less progress to come. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell sharply adjusted down projections of new exchange enrollees in 2016 to 1.3 million. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that over the next decade, as the population increases, coverage will expand only modestly and the proportion of the uninsured will cease to decline. Six key areas in the ACA are flawed -- and need to be fixed if healthcare reform is to meet its promise and not have rampant cost problems: Subsidies still leave plans too expensive. Congress must continue income-related subsidies while making coverage affordable to both households and taxpayers, which is “no easy task” because it could drive up costs of the ACA considerably. The Cadillac tax needs to be fixed. While better than nothing, it doesn’t confront the underlying problem of health insurance being tax deductible, which is regressive and inefficient. One suggestion is a modification of the Cadillac tax that makes any excess plan costs above a cap be considered taxable income to the employee, as opposed to an excise tax. Increase federalism in the healthcare system. States should apply for waivers under Section 1332, which takes effect in 2017 and gives states flexibility to meet the law’s goals while retaining its basic protections. The Administration has made a serious mistake in dragging its feet and acting overly restrictively with states who could launch their own bold and far-reaching experiments, as it has itself in encouraging conservative states to expand Medicaid under the ACA. The exchanges need to be the primary vehicle for health insurance – not Medicaid expansion. Equalizing the subsidy structure for exchange plans and the tax treatment of employer-sponsored benefits, more employees would go on the exchanges which gives them greater choice and portability. Replace the Independent Payment Advisory Board with a premium support system for Medicare. Premium support would enforce a long-term budget for Medicare by allowing greater control of the beneficiaries themselves, as opposed to imposing payment and price controls; it would also accelerate innovation in the design and pricing of Medicare services. The ACA should focus more on the “upstream” determinants of health – beyond just medical services. We need to find ways to blend health, housing, transportation, social services and other items to reduce the need for costly medical services, he writes. If it were a separate economy, the US health system would be equivalent to the first or sixth largest economy in the world. It is both pragmatic and principled to recognize that achieving agreement on how to redesign an economy that large, or to do it successfully in 1 piece of legislation, is beyond the capabilities of the federal government. That is why core parts of the ACA need to be reassessed and revised and why empowering the US system of federalism to adapt and experiment with this law is so important. Read "The Future of the Affordable Care Act: Reassessment and Revision." Authors Stuart M. Butler Publication: JAMA Image Source: © Mariana Bazo / Reuters Full Article
ford Affordable Care Act premiums are lower than you think By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 21 Jul 2016 14:00:00 -0400 Since the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance marketplaces first took effect in 2014, news story after story has focused on premium increases for certain plans, in certain cities, or for certain individuals. Based on preliminary reports, premiums now appear set to rise by a substantial amount in 2017. What these individual data points miss, however, is that average premiums in the individual market actually dropped significantly upon implementation of the ACA, according to our new analysis, even while consumers got better coverage. In other words, people are getting more for less under the ACA. Covered California, that state’s marketplace, just announced premium increases averaging 13.2 percent. But even if premiums increase by the 10 or 15 percent overall that some are predicting for 2017, they will still be far lower than premiums otherwise would have been in the absence of the law. Moreover, this analysis does not include the effects of premium and cost-sharing subsidies that serve to make ACA marketplace plans more affordable for many people. 2014 Premiums In the ACA Marketplaces Were 10-21 Percent Lower Than 2013 Individual Market Premiums While many stories of pronounced increases are simply the natural result of a law that works differently in every region and for people of different health statuses, it appears to be conventional wisdom that the ACA increased premiums in the individual, non-group insurance market, if only because it increased the quality and robustness of coverage. Indeed, many of the ACA’s new rules do have the anticipated effect of increasing premiums, such as: mandated guaranteed issue regardless of health status; restrictions on the ability to charge different premiums based on anything besides age and smoking habits; requirements for plans to offer certain benefits deemed “essential;” limits on out-of-pocket costs an enrollee can pay for covered services in a given year; and the elimination of any lifetime limits on coverage. However, many features of the ACA push in the opposite direction and save consumers money. The individual mandate and federal subsidies greatly expanded the number of people purchasing coverage in the individual market, pushing premiums down both by increasing the sheer size of the market – the bigger the market, the lower the prices – and including many healthier people who previously went uninsured. In addition, the ACA created relatively transparent marketplaces where insurers must compete on premiums for products standardized by actuarial value, allowing competition to drive down prices. Together, by creating a much larger and more competitive market, these changes placed strong downward pressure on insurance premiums, outweighing the factors pushing in the opposite direction. Stronger rate review and minimum requirements for how much an insurance plan must spend on actual health care expenses furthered this downward pressure on prices. According to our analysis, average premiums for the second-lowest cost silver-level (SLS) marketplace plan in 2014, which serves as a benchmark for ACA subsidies, were between 10 and 21 percent lower than average individual market premiums in 2013, before the ACA, even while providing enrollees with significantly richer coverage and a broader set of benefits. Silver-level ACA plans cover roughly 17 percent more of an enrollee’s health expenses than pre-ACA plans did, on average. In essence, then, consumers received more coverage at a lower price. Download "Affordable Care Act Premiums are Lower Than You Think" » Editor's note: This piece originally appeared in Health Affairs. Downloads Download "Affordable Care Act Premiums are Lower Than You Think" Authors Loren AdlerPaul Ginsburg Publication: Health Affairs Full Article
ford We can afford more stimulus By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:41:59 +0000 With the economy in decline and the deficit rising sharply due to several major coronavirus-related relief bills, a growing chorus of voices is asking how we will pay for the policies that were enacted and arguing that further actions should be curtailed. But this is not the time to get wobbly. Additional federal relief would… Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
ford Poor Students Can’t Afford Teacher Strike By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:51:00 -0400 Ninety-three years ago yesterday, the Boston police force went on strike, leaving the city unprotected while the state scrambled to find replacements. Governor Calvin Coolidge’s declaration of support for the city—he said that “There is no right to strike against the public safety, anywhere, anytime”—established his national reputation that ultimately led to the presidency. Public outrage at labor actions that compromise public safety has historically been a bipartisan affair. Coolidge was a Republican but his actions earned the respect of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson, who hailed his re-election as Massachusetts governor as “a victory for law and order.” Nearly 20 years later, President Franklin Roosevelt shared his view that a strike by public employees of any sort is “unthinkable and intolerable.” The impacts of the Chicago teacher strike that began today may not be as immediately obvious as the looting and vandalism that descended on Boston in 1919, but they are just as serious. Research from a large, urban school district found that teacher absenteeism has a negative impact on student learning in math. But a strike doesn't leave students with substitute teachers—it leaves them without any school at all. Research on summer learning loss shows that being out of school has a disproportionate effect on low-income students. One recent study found that “while all students lose some ground in mathematics over the summer, low-income students lose more ground in reading, while their higher-income peers may even gain.” In other words, the consequence of being out of school is to increase the already unacceptably large achievement gap between low-income students and their affluent peers. The American labor movement has made important contributions in areas ranging from workplace safety to child labor to employment discrimination. There are good reasons to believe that the public ought to accept higher coal prices resulting from a strike to protect the lives of miners. But the public should not tolerate damage to the education of disadvantaged students resulting from a strike over disagreements about teachers’ salaries, benefits, job security, and method of evaluation. The Chicago Teachers Union’s differences with the city over how the public schools ought to be run may well be legitimate. But those battles should be fought in the court of public opinion and ultimately at the ballot box, not through strikes that come largely at the expense of poor children. Authors Beth AkersMatthew M. Chingos Image Source: © Stringer . / Reuters Full Article
ford We can afford more stimulus By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:41:59 +0000 With the economy in decline and the deficit rising sharply due to several major coronavirus-related relief bills, a growing chorus of voices is asking how we will pay for the policies that were enacted and arguing that further actions should be curtailed. But this is not the time to get wobbly. Additional federal relief would… Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
ford Charts of the Week: Housing affordability, COVID-19 effects By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 18:37:39 +0000 In Charts of the Week this week, housing affordability and some new COVID-19 related research. How to lower costs of apartment building to make them more affordable to build In the first piece in a series on how improved design and construction decisions can lower the cost of building multifamily housing, Hannah Hoyt and Jenny… Full Article
ford Affordable Care Encourages Healthy Living: Theory and Evidence from China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 On May 25th, 2016, the Brookings-Tsinghua Center and China Institute for Rural Studies hosted a public lecture on the topic –Affordable Care Encourages Healthy Living: Theory and Evidence from China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme, featuring Dr. Yu Ning, assistant professor of Economics at Emory University. Full Article
ford Rethinking Local Affordable Housing Strategies By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0400 Bruce Katz focuses on the housing challenges facing Washington state in this presentation at the Housing Washington 2004 conference. In the speech Katz reviews Washington's particular challenges and then outlines a "winning affordable-housing playbook" applicable anywhere. The metro program hosts and participates in a variety of public forums. To view a complete list of these events, please visit the metro program's Speeches and Events page which provides copies of major speeches, powerpoint presentations, event transcripts, and event summaries. Downloads Download Authors Bruce Katz Publication: Housing Washington 2004 Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
ford The Affordable Care Act at 10 years By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 09:00:58 +0000 On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, perhaps the most significant change in health care policy since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. But opposition to the law has been unrelenting since before its enactment, and efforts to repeal it in the courts are ongoing.… Full Article
ford India’s future growth depends on affordable wireless spectrum By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 07 Aug 2015 07:30:00 -0400 Mobile devices are making a big difference in the lives of billions of people around the world who use them every day. Internet-enabled smartphones and tablets provide access to information and a channel of communication for users. Building wireless networks to support mobile devices requires large capital investments from wireless carriers who must purchase wireless spectrum and infrastructure. To ensure that mobile services are reliable and affordable, national governments must allocate enough wireless spectrum to commercial carriers to satisfy demand. This is the subject of a new paper from Shamika Ravi and Darrell M. West titled “Spectrum Policy in India." A scarce resource Mobile devices typically operate on frequencies from 30 kHz to 300 GHz on the radio spectrum. Unless spectrum is allocated efficiently, the scarcity of available frequencies leads to poor quality and high costs for mobile broadband. The growing demand for mobile service in India currently exceeds the amount of spectrum available to wireless carriers. The scarcity of wireless spectrum limits reliable Internet access for mobile subscribers who have no alternative point of access. According to the Cellular Operators Association of India, nearly 60 percent of Internet users only have access through their mobile phones. Mobile service in India is relatively expensive for many consumers because the Indian military reserves so much spectrum for their own use. Much of this spectrum goes underutilized, even as commercial carriers plead for more spectrum to be released. When the Indian government does release spectrum, it is typically through auctions with high starting bids. Setting high starting bids for blocks of spectrum can lead to high selling prices that force wireless carriers to take out large loans. Higher prices for spectrum raise costs for consumers and reduce private sector investment in wireless infrastructure. Rather than make spectrum artificially scarce, the Indian government should work with wireless carriers to lower the prices for consumers. Investing in India’s future Reliable mobile service has the potential to greatly enhance economic growth in India. Analysis from the Boston Consulting Group found that the India’s mobile sector grew at 12.4 percent annually from 2009-2014; it now accounts for 2.2 percent of India’s gross domestic product. Potential growth comes from filling gaps in educational and health care spending in rural communities. Innovative mobile applications provide a low cost method of sending education and health care resources to underserved rural communities that lack physical infrastructure. In India’s rapidly growing cities, mobile services are seen as a way to improve the quality of government services and promote entrepreneurship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently designated 100 “smart cities” that would use technology to overcome the challenges of India’s rapid urbanization. India could free up spectrum by adopting the “NATO Band” of spectrum for military uses and auctioning off the remaining spectrum. The NATO band is used by the militaries of NATO member countries and several of their allies, and it already overlaps with much of the Indian military’s spectrum. Furthermore, the Indian government must lower the minimum bids at spectrum auctions and lower taxes so that wireless carriers have enough profits to build their networks. Mobile technologies are rapidly evolving, and each new generation has greater demands for spectrum. Regulators in India will not only have to maintain affordable prices for the current generation of mobile technology, but also anticipate upgrades that will deliver more data at faster speeds. Authors Jack KarstenDarrell M. West Image Source: © Krishnendu Halder / Reuters Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
ford Connecting EITC filers to the Affordable Care Act premium tax credit By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400 Full Article
ford Ford to Carter: Brookings and the 1976-77 Presidential Transition By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Following the release of his book Organizing the Presidency in 1976, Stephen Hess got a call from his secretary that Governor Carter was on the phone. He responded, “What Governor Carter? I don’t know any Governor Carter.”It was of course the President-elect, Jimmy Carter, seeking advice across the political aisle. Hess, who first came to Brookings… Full Article
ford Charts of the Week: Housing affordability, COVID-19 effects By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 18:37:39 +0000 In Charts of the Week this week, housing affordability and some new COVID-19 related research. How to lower costs of apartment building to make them more affordable to build In the first piece in a series on how improved design and construction decisions can lower the cost of building multifamily housing, Hannah Hoyt and Jenny… Full Article
ford Charts of the Week: Housing affordability, COVID-19 effects By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 18:37:39 +0000 In Charts of the Week this week, housing affordability and some new COVID-19 related research. How to lower costs of apartment building to make them more affordable to build In the first piece in a series on how improved design and construction decisions can lower the cost of building multifamily housing, Hannah Hoyt and Jenny… Full Article
ford All Medicaid expansions are not created equal: The geography and targeting of the Affordable Care Act By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:00:50 +0000 Summary Craig Garthwaite, John Graves, Tal Gross, Zeynal Karaca, Victoria Marone, and Matthew J. Notowidigdo study the effect of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion on hospital services, with a focus on the geographic variations of its impact, finding that it increased Medicaid visits, decreased uninsured visits, and lead the uninsured to consume more hospital… Full Article
ford Growth Management and Affordable Housing By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:28:15 +0000 Advocates of growth management and smart growth often propose policies that raise housing prices, thereby making housing less affordable to many households trying to buy or rent homes. Such policies include urban growth boundaries, zoning restrictions on multi-family housing, utility district lines, building permit caps, and even construction moratoria. Does this mean there is an… Full Article
ford The Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:00:00 +0000 SummaryThe number of Americans insured in the individual health insurance market through exchanges and directly through insurers was at least 13.2 million in the second quarter of 2014 – larger than reported by the government, which only includes the number insured through exchanges – and at least 4.2 million of them would not have been… Full Article
ford Replacing the Affordable Care Act By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 08 Mar 2017 19:20:03 +0000 THE ISSUE: As Congress considers the new House Republican-backed replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), they must ensure that it accomplishes a set of specific goals that are crucial for providing broad, affordable coverage to U.S. citizens. https://youtu.be/xqe4kBcyQC4 The ability to evolve has to be a key part of the ACA replacement. THE THINGS YOU… Full Article
ford Repealing the Affordable Care Act By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 08 Mar 2017 19:20:06 +0000 THE ISSUE: If Congress rejects the new House Republican-backed replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the full repeal long advocated for by many Republicans could be their next option. https://youtu.be/4wpHccHawbg A straight ACA repeal would leave an estimated 20+ million people without health coverage. THE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW Republicans have long advocated… Full Article Uncategorized
ford Can the Republicans deliver affordable health coverage? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 12 Apr 2017 16:57:15 +0000 Is it really possible to provide market-based health coverage to all working Americans? Or is some form of public plan the only way to assure affordable coverage, as many liberals insist? The House replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, foundered in large part because Republicans could not agree on fundamental design issues… Full Article
ford Making apartments more affordable starts with understanding the costs of building them By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:12:30 +0000 During the decade between the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. experienced a historically long economic expansion. Demand for rental housing grew steadily over those years, driven by demographic trends and a strong labor market. Yet the supply of new rental housing did not keep up with demand, leading to rent increases that… Full Article
