Explain to Shane

Should US semiconductor chip manufacturers move their fabrication plants onto American soil? Should we be offering migration incentives for high-tech chip engineers from Taiwan in order to onshore design and engineering? What role, if at all, should the government play in subsidizing the construction of these plants for US companies? These and other questions remain unsettled when it comes to the geopolitical challenges around semiconductor design, production, and trade.

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane and AEI Senior Fellow Claude Barfield reunite for a joint conversation with Chris Miller — a new Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow in AEI’s Foreign and Defense Policy department. Chris is also an assistant professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and directs the Eurasia program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Chris recently published an FPRI report titled “Labs over fabs: How the US should invest in the future of semiconductors,” and will be releasing a book on the geopolitical history of semiconductors this year. His work frequently appears in national news outlets and opinion columns — including Foreign Affairs and The New York Times.

Chris joins the podcast to discuss his expansive portfolio on the semiconductor industry, Congress’ attempts to guide US chip production, and how chip manufacturing is indefinitely tied to national security. 

Is industrial policy making a comeback? Congressional legislation and industry representatives have encouraged the US government to put federal funds toward shoring up the domestic semiconductor industry to compete with China. Europe likewise appears poised to spend large sums of government money on its chip industry as part of a reaction to the global chip shortage.

While free-market advocates who previously warned against heavy government spending seem to be on board, there are others who say the market is already on a corrective path. Is a national investment in semiconductor chips the right answer to today’s chip shortage? Are the security risks at hand pressing enough to prioritize a long-term investment in chip production on US soil?

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane and AEI Senior Fellow Claude Barfield co-interview Karl Wennberg, an innovation policy researcher and professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, on the pitfalls of industrial policy — even in vulnerable sectors. The three of them also discuss Karl’s upcoming book, “Questioning the Entrepreneurial State: Status-quo, Pitfalls, and the Need for Credible Innovation Policy” (Springer, 2022).

What does federal broadband funding mean for the physical side of US internet networks? How do interagency battles over next-generation network deployment impact the daily operations of tower climbers, technicians, and engineers?

Shane interviews Todd Schlekeway, president and CEO of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, on the latest episode of “Explain to Shane.” They discuss how NATE’s members are navigating today’s telecommunications policy issues and working to power both our wired and wireless future networks

The next generation of the internet, also known as Web3, seeks to permanently change the way our online world functions — namely through blockchain technology, decentralization, and token-based economics. What are the underlying technologies behind Web3, and can it solve the many policy issues we still haven’t gotten right with today’s internet?

On this episode, Shane is joined by Gabrielle Hibbert, a Web3 researcher and developer, to discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by Web3, and how policymakers should approach this new generation of the internet. In the coming year, Gabrielle will also serve as a fellow for the newly created Decentralized Future Council — an initiative to educate policymakers about the decentralized web.

Several bills seeking to restructure American antitrust law are moving forward in both bodies of Congress. The bills specifically target Big Tech firms — namely Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google — though they follow arbitrary metrics for “bigness,” and don’t address lawmakers’ main concerns with tech platforms. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are also stepping up enforcement against Big Tech. With a Senate markup approaching for one of the bills, we must ask: Is Congress really prepared to pass major antitrust legislation?

On this episode, Shane is joined by Matt Perault, a former Facebook public policy director and professor at the University of North Carolina School of Information & Library Science, along with Blair Levin, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and policy advisor to New Street Research. The three of them discuss what consumers stand to lose if these bills become law, and the political forces at play in tech antitrust.

As today’s supply chain challenges create bottlenecks across the economy, consumers and businesses of all sizes are dealing with unprecedented situations involving lack of component parts, trapped inventory, and delayed deliveries. But what if we could digitize parts of the supply chain and make them more efficient? Where, if at all, can technology contribute?

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane is joined by Glenn Richey, Harbert Eminent Scholar and chair of Auburn University’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation. Glenn shares his expertise on the causes and effects of the current supply chain dilemma, and discusses ways that digitization and artificial intelligence can help boost supply chain efficiency.

The debate around online content moderation is not slowing down. People remain bitterly divided over whether social media platforms should take down more content, or not moderate at all. But this issue is not limited to the US: Across the world, authoritarian regimes are using online censorship to silence dissenters, and are retaliating against citizens who share certain content online. How are content moderation experts working to solve these ever-complex issues?

On this episode, Shane is joined by Julie Owono to discuss why we need clear principles around online speech — centered on free expression — and how these principles can be applied across different countries. Julie is the executive director of Stanford University’s Content Policy & Society Lab, executive director of Internet Without Borders, and a member of the Facebook Oversight Board.

The extent to which lawyers, corporate executives, and government officials focus on cybersecurity fluctuates with the threat level posed by malicious cyber actors. In light of numerous ransomware attacks on critical industries, lawmakers are looking at more regulatory obligations to mitigate the risks these threats pose. Companies, meanwhile, are working to comply with a chaotic patchwork of rules and regulations. The field of cybersecurity law is not systematic, and industries are working through who owns the internal cyber regulatory responsibilities and compliance obligations.

In an effort to create a coherent roadmap for everyone involved in cybersecurity law, Jim Dempsey recently published a book titled Cybersecurity Law Fundamentals. On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane sits down with Jim to discuss his book, along with key lessons that lawmakers, industry leaders, and lawyers would be well-advised to consider when it comes to cyber.

How can children enjoy the groundbreaking innovations of the digital age with sufficient guardrails around their personal data? What existing laws and regulations aim to protect children online, and what steps must businesses of all sizes take to comply with them?  

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane sits down with Rick Lane, founder and CEO of Iggy Ventures, to discuss why his firm chose to advise and invest in Rego Digital Architectures’ Mazoola app. Mazoola is the only independently certified family mobile wallet that is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation.

For several years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been working to modernize the use of key sections of spectrum airwaves — known as C-band — for commercial deployment. Through a series of auctions, the FCC sold the license rights to C-band airwaves to commercial 5G mobile telecommunications providers, unleashing a massive wave of private investment to enable 5G deployment. But the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently warned that using C-band for 5G could interfere with air safety, reigniting a multiyear battle that many believe FCC engineers have successfully put to rest. What does the FAA’s warning mean for the future of C-band and continued spectrum deployment in the wireless industry?

On this episode, Shane sits down with former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and Harold Feld of Public Knowledge to discuss why the FAA issued this warning, how legitimate its safety concerns are, and how the C-band auction winners have responded.