Marketplace Tech

The FCC is poised to overturn net neutrality this week. Part of that conversation is about competition – what if an internet provider becomes too expensive or provides poor service? San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston are promising municipal broadband as an alternative. What would that look like and how much would it cost? On this episode of Marketplace Tech, Molly Wood talks with Christopher Mitchell, director of Community Broadband Networks for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable community development.

Bitcoin’s price soared to more than $15,000 last week. And as of yesterday afternoon, investors can trade bitcoin futures on a major public market — the Chicago Board Options Exchange. What’s behind the cryptocurrency’s incredible rise? And what will happen when it falls? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Kevin Werbach, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School about the sensational rise of bitcoin and what could happen when the bubble bursts.

Building a better battery is hard and takes lots of funding. President Donald Trump has proposed major budget cuts to research on advanced energy technology. And taking away that funding could give other countries a competitive edge to create a better battery first. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Kristin Persson, who works on developing new battery technology in a lab that is funded by the Department of Energy, about the countries that could leap ahead in the race to develop a better battery.

Battery technology is hard. We need batteries that last longer, charge faster and take up less space. And that’s important when it comes to not just our devices, but also renewable energy, electric cars and electrical grids. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Kristin Persson, an engineer who works in a lab funded by the Department of Energy, about why lithium-ion batteries can’t get much better and what the next battery looks like.

Facebook released its new Messenger Kids app this week. It allows parents to monitor exactly who their children are communicating with on the app. It's aimed at kids ages 6 to 12.  (Under federal law, kids under 13 aren't allowed to have Facebook accounts.) And it keeps everything inside the Facebook ecosystem — the new app would require parents to be Facebook friends if their kids want to chat. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talked with Amanda Lenhart, deputy director of the Better Life Lab at the think tank New America, about how this could affect kids’ online presence — and privacy.

Some of tech’s most powerful players are investing money in life-extension technologies. The founders of Amazon, Oracle, and Google are just some of the elite looking to live forever. That has some people wondering, will only the rich be able to escape death? On this episode of Marketplace Tech, host Molly Wood talks to author Stanley Bing. His new sci-fi novel “Immortal Life” looks at how anti-aging technology could shape society.

Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods is making a lot of grocery chains rethink their strategies. Albertsons, the country's second-largest grocer (after Walmart), just announced a partnership with the on-demand grocery delivery company Instacart. Kroger is also testing delivery with Instacart. But that isn't the only change in the works.  Grocers have also created something called “click and collect,” where customers order online and then pick up the groceries at the store. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks about shopping for groceries in the digital age with Jennifer Bartashus, a senior analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence.

Cash is becoming a thing of the past. More than one-third of Americans don’t carry it anymore, according to a recent survey by the bank ING. The U.S. hasn’t totally embraced a truly cashless society, but China has. People use WeChat to pay for taxis, groceries and rent. Even panhandlers on the street accept digital contributions. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with our correspondent Jennifer Pak, who recently spent a whole month living without cash in Shanghai.

An increasing number of big companies are starting their own investment branches. One of them was formed just last year — JetBlue Technology Ventures. It’s led by Bonny Simi, who was an Olympic luger and TV sportscaster, as well as a commercial pilot, before she became an investor. JetBlue invests in travel-related startups, such as electric airplanes — technology that JetBlue might be able to use. Simi spoke with Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood about the company’s approach to investing.

You take your cell phone everywhere you go. And the whole time, it’s keeping a digital record of your location. Today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case about whether law enforcement needs a warrant to access that information. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has been trying to pass his GPS Act, which would establish rules around the use of location information. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Wyden about what the bill would do.