But rather than despair, this is a moment of opportunity. The court didn’t make its decision because it was opposed to net neutrality, but because the F.C.C. had painted itself into a regulatory corner, having developed a convoluted, contradictory set of rules regarding Internet access over the last decade.

via Back to the Digital Drawing Board – NYTimes.com.

In allowing the case to go to trial, the judge in the case soundly rejected that argument. Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard professor of law and computer science, agrees with the judge that Twitter shouldn’t reshape the way courts see defamation. The distinctions courts use to decide whether a statement is libelous—whether it’s presented as fact (potentially libelous) or opinion (usually protected), whether the writer knew the statement to be false—don’t disappear because the writing in question is a tweet rather than an essay.

via Courtney Love’s Libel Trial Inspires This Proposed Fix for Twitter Defamation – Businessweek.

“There is language in the opinion for the commission to take solace,” said Jonathan Zittrain, former chairman of the FCC’s open Internet advisory committee. “The FCC chairman has signaled his view that this affirms the commission’s ability to go case by case, calling problems as they see them.” He said it was telling that stock prices on most affected companies “haven’t budged” in light of the decision.

via Appeals court sets aside Internet neutrality rules | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Angel Fair: More an event than a organization, Angel Fair is the brainchild of Ghanaian entrepreneur Eric Osiakwan, Scottish entrepreneur Jamie Clyde, and Artlogic, an events company that produces high end boutique fairs supporting the arts in Southern Africa. The first Angel Fair took place this past September in Johannesburg. It is part of a longer conversation that included a gathering at the Berkman Center at Harvard Law School, where investors, entrepreneurs and academics discussed how to make angel investing work in Africa.

via 5 major players in the Africa startup ecosystem – Global Business Hub – Boston.com.

“Just like Standard Oil, they’ve cornered the market on a commodity that’s essential for every part of American society to operate. High-speed Internet access undergirds every policy direction the country wants to take. And yet, control over this commodity is centralized in the hands of a very few providers,” said Crawford, a co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. “It’s so unbelievable and that’s why I spend so much time and so much energy talking about it.”

via So, who owns the Internet? | Harvard Gazette.

“If they’re small, they may not be able to afford to pay AT&T for the privilege of reaching AT&T’s data customers,” says Susan Crawford, visiting professor at Harvard Law School and author of “Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age.”

via A 1-800 number for data plans? | Marketplace.org.

Jeff Hermes, director of Harvard University’s Digital Media Law Project, said the lawsuit shows Google is willing to look at copyright infringement accusations on a case-by-case basis.

via Google, Iowa firm clash over blog photo | Great Falls Tribune | greatfallstribune.com.

Our choice isnt between a digital world where the agency can eavesdrop and one where it cannot; our choice is between a digital world that is vulnerable to any attacker and one that is secure for all users.

via How the NSA Threatens National Security – Bruce Schneier – The Atlantic.

One of the big topics at the Consumer Electronics Show this week is television — like smart TVs and more high-definition programming. But as more and more of us stream our content, what does the future of television really look like beyond pixels and frame rates? For a look at how television stations might be licensed in the future and how interactive new programming might be, Marketplace Tech turns to Harvard’s Jonathan Zittrain.

via Looking at the future of the TV | Marketplace.org.

Compared to the “normal” internet — which is based on a few centralized access points or internet service providers ISPs — mesh networks have many benefits, from architectural to political. Yet they haven’t really taken off, even though they have been around for some time. I believe it’s time to reconsider their potential, and make mesh networking a reality. Not just because of its obvious benefits, but also because it provides an internet-native model for building community and governance.

via Its Time to Take Mesh Networks Seriously And Not Just for the Reasons You Think | Wired Opinion | Wired.com.