The federal government should do away with antitrust rules discouraging joint research to encourage collaboration on broadband advancement and drive R&D via government contracting. This is reportedly the thinking of former CableLabs (News - Alert) leader Dick Green, who spoke at a recent FCC broadband workshop.

 

He reportedly pointed to the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984, which allowed Cable Labs to form by removing antitrust problems with joint research, as a positive move on that front. But he said the government could use the National Broadband Plan to encourage more collaboration along these lines to lower costs and duplication, and expedite and increase the effectiveness of work.