Opinions Archive - Morning Consult

Credit Unions Squeezed by CFPB’s One-Size-Fits-All Arbitration Rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent arbitration rule lumps in not-for-profit institutions owned by their members with the biggest banks on Wall Street — a great disservice to 110 million consumers who are credit union members.

Broadband Providers Help Hurricane Recovery Efforts

In times of crisis, it’s vitally important that people can communicate with loved ones and emergency responders. That need came into sharp focus again this week as Hurricane Maria bore down on Puerto Rico, as Hurricane Irma did just a few weeks ago in Florida, knocking out power to millions and leaving neighborhoods submerged or inaccessible because of blocked streets.

Evidence About Effectiveness Offers Hope for Reversing Opioid Crisis

The impact of the nation’s opioid crisis can be measured in many ways, such as the fourfold increase in the number of opioid-related deaths nationally since 1999, including more than 33,000 lives lost in 2015, or in the $42 billion in lost productivity associated with opioid use disorders.

Changing the World by Changing the Corporate Structure

New corporate forms are emerging that have the potential to change how traditional business is conducted. They share two primary elements: First, they all require boards and management to consider social and environmental goals in addition to financial returns, and second, the new forms don’t receive special tax treatment.

Take the Politics Out of Broadband Progress Reports

With the FCC now having launched its 13th annual inquiry into the status of broadband deployment in America, it’s time to recognize we won’t get better deployment data from the commission until we take the politics out of broadband progress reports.

Protecting Family Planning Access Should Be a Shared Priority

In these particularly divisive times, when our country feels more and more polarized with each news cycle, there is an issue that draws overwhelming support across party lines, geographic region, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender and religion: access to contraception.

Wild Alaska Salmon: A Resource to Celebrate

When it comes to an existential threat to one of our prized salmon runs, there is strong agreement among Alaskans that the proposed Pebble Mine is the wrong mine in the wrong place.

Blaming Trump? Representatives and Citizens Need to Do Their Jobs

America’s political dysfunction should concern all citizens regardless of their views. While this dysfunction is greatly exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s shortcomings, the root cause is failure of elected representatives and citizens to do their jobs.

The FCC Gets Real on Wireless Competition

Each year, the Federal Communications Commission provides a report to Congress on the state of competition in the nation’s mobile wireless market, including “an analysis of whether or not there is effective competition.” In contrast to the past eight years, this year’s draft report provides both a comprehensive analysis of the state of the wireless industry and a clear answer to the question.

Why Understanding Value Is Central to True Health Care Reform

Value-based spending is a simple notion that amounts to prioritizing spending on services where the benefits outweigh cost – spend less on recognized areas of low-value care, like unnecessary tests and procedures, and more on high-value areas like vaccines.

Briefings

Tech Brief: SEC Reveals It Was Hacked Last Year

The Securities and Exchange Commission said a computer system used for storing documents filed by publicly traded companies had been hacked last year. The cyberattack was first detected by the regulator last year, but the SEC said it had learned only last month that the compromised information may have been used in illegal stock trades.

Brands Brief: Facebook Changes Ad Tools to Block Targeting of Hateful Content

Facebook Inc. said it would change its online ad-targeting tools so that advertisements could not be directed at users with racist or hateful content in their profiles. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, also said the company would add “more human review and oversight” to its automated processes.

Washington Brief: Manafort Reportedly Offered Private Briefings to Russian Billionaire During 2016 Campaign

Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman who is among those at the center of investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, reportedly offered to provide private briefings on the presidential race to a Russian billionaire closely aligned with the Kremlin less than two weeks before Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination.

Energy Brief: Hurricane Maria Knocks Out All Electricity in Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria knocked out Puerto Rico’s entire power grid after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm came less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma, which left almost 70 percent of the island without power.

Health Brief: Pfizer Lawsuit Accuses J&J of ‘Anticompetitive Practices’

Pfizer Inc. sued Johnson & Johnson, accusing the company of “anticompetitive practices” and price manipulation “to maintain its monopoly” for its blockbuster arthritis therapy Remicade. The case presents a legal test to “exclusionary contracts” that brand-name drugmakers sometimes make with payers and providers.

Finance Brief: SEC Says Corporate Filing System Was Hacked in 2016

The Securities and Exchange Commission said its system for storing documents filed by publicly traded companies was hacked sometime last year. In an eight-page statement on cybersecurity, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said no personal information was stolen in the cyberattack, which was detected last year, but the SEC learned last month that the data “may have provided the basis for illicit gain through trading.”

Tech Brief: Toshiba Decides to Sell Chip Business to Bain Capital-Led Group

Toshiba Corp. has reportedly decided to sell its chip business to a bidding group led by U.S. private-equity firm Bain Capital. Toshiba cut off negotiations with two other bidding groups to focus on the Bain Capital group, which includes Apple Inc. and Dell Technologies Inc., although a final agreement has yet to be reached.

Brands Briefs: Amazon Developing ‘Smart Glasses’ Linked to Alexa

Amazon.com Inc. is working on its first wearable device — “smart glasses” that would be able to communicate with Alexa, its voice-activated assistant — according to people familiar with the company’s plans.

Washington Brief: Trump Reportedly Using Campaign, RNC Funds to Pay for Legal Defense in Russia Probe

President Donald Trump is said to be using funds from his re-election campaign and from the Republican National Committee to pay lawyers representing him in the probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible Kremlin ties to his associates. The RNC is scheduled to disclose its August spending figures today.

Energy Brief: Macron Says Paris Climate Deal Won’t Be Renegotiated

During his United Nations General Assembly address, French President Emmanuel Macron said the 2015 Paris climate deal won’t be renegotiated, effectively ending hopes that the United States could gain more favorable terms. White House officials had suggested ahead of the U.N. meeting that President Donald Trump might keep the United States in the agreement under new terms.