The Federal Communications Commission just killed net neutrality. The agency voted to repeal regulations that make the future of the internet and the way consumers use it a lot murkier. Andrew McCollum, CEO of Philo, an internet television company that recently introduced a streaming live TV service, joined us to share why he is worried about a world without net neutrality.
The FCC voted to reverse a 2015 decision by the Obama Administration that aimed to protect Americans on the internet. McCollum is concerned that without the regulations, services like Philo become prone to "unfair prioritization by internet providers." It's not only a loss for companies. He believes strong net neutrality rules also protect the consumer.
As a co-founder of Facebook, McCollum says he got a glimpse of how difficult it would be for companies to innovate in a world without protections for net neutrality. He shares that colleges that did not like Facebook would block students from gaining access because they acted as the internet providers. With such limitations, he questions whether an era of internet innovation is coming to a halt.
Apple wrapped up its first product event of the year called 'Peek Performance.' The event showcased Apple's new affordable iPhone, an iPad air update, and the most powerful mac chip yet. Ian Sherr, editor at large at CNET, joins Cheddar News to discuss the highlights of the event.
Uber Lyft and Doordash are all set to spend $1 million dollars on a campaign and efforts to stop lawmakers from classifying their gig workers as employees. The campaign features TV and online ads highlighting Washington area workers who say they prefer the flexibility of being an independent contractor rather than following the model of a company employee. Professor at NYU. Stern School of Business and author of the sharing economy, Arun Sundararajan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Rachel Van Nortwick, CEO and Founder of Vinylly, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how this dating app is designed with music lovers in mind, pairing matches based on each individual's unique taste in music.
Stock trading app Robinhood already has been offering cryptocurrency investments but seems further excited about the asset class following President Biden's recent announcement of an executive order. Dan Gallagher, the chief legal and corporate affairs officer for Robinhood, joined Cheddar News to talk about the White House's tentative vision for digital currency. "I think this executive order firmly states that, yes, crypto is here to stay, which it talks about the important competitive issues around crypto and how the United States needs to be a leader, a global leader, in innovation and technology regarding crypto," he said. Gallagher also discussed having clarity around meme stocks going forward but worried about overregulation slowing down innovation.
American private aviation company Wheels Up saw a substantial revenue increase in its Q4 earnings. With bookings ramping up for the summer — along with hopes of being on the tail-end of COVID-19 — the company is looking at a promising upcoming quarter as well. CEO Kenny Dichter joined Cheddar News to talk about the earnings reports as well as the company's new app development. "We’re following that Uber, Airbnb, Amazon playbook and are really going to disrupt this space through technology," he said.
In this edition of Tik Talk, musicians use tech to make songs with plants. The process turns electrodes in the plants into musical notes and the results just might blow your mind.
