Skip to main content

The Internet Society and Crowdfunding

 I attended an informal discussion sponsored  by the Washington DC Chapter of the Internet Society and Google DC on the Elections and Internet Policy.

As the society noted, "while Internet policy is not a 'hot button' issue, the platforms for both parties devote paragraphs to Internet issues such as Net Neutrality, cybersecurity, and Internet freedom--and there are significant differences."

The roundtable discussion focused on questions such as:  How would Internet policy change in a Romney Administration?  What will be the most pressing issues facing the President and the Congress in 2013?  If the Republicans win the Senate, will we see new approaches to telecommunications and Internet policy?

Leading the discussion were Phil Bond, Petrizzo Bond (and former CEO of TechAmerica and former Undersecretary for Technology at the Department of Commerce during the Bush Administration), John Kneuer, JKC Consulting (and former head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration), and Eddie Lazarus, former Chief of Staff of the Federal Communications Commission from 2009 to 2012. The discussion was moderated by Michael Nelson, Adjunct Professor of Internet Studies, Georgetown University.

On the question of Crowdfunding and the JOBS Act, the speakers agreed that it is unlikely that policy concerning crowdfunding will change even if Mr. Romney is elected.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crowdfunding Accounting 101 - Revenue Recognition in Crowdfunding

A start-up using crowd funding to create a product is different from a normal company. The start-up has cash inflows from donations but does not have a product, yet. In this situation, we recommend using completed-contract method to recognize revenue. Under this way of thinking, we assume the start-up is akin to a project or a long-term contract. The crowdfunding company will find it difficult to estimate the revenue from crowdfunders and, hence, the cost of rewards or perks. Under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and GAAP guidelines, if the firm cannot reliably measure the outcome of the project, revenue should be recognized based on contract costs. These costs should be expensed when incurred. Profit is recognized only at the completion of the project. In summary, for crowdfunding companies, revenue, expense, and profit are recognized only when the crowdfunded product is actually manufactured. 1 For example, assume that AAA Corp. wants to manufacture bicyc...

Crowdfunding for Gamers

The chart below shows the top 10 most funded video game crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter and Indiegogo. "Rank"   i s based on the dollar amount raised. The table was complied using data from our crowdfunding research reports: The Top 50 Crowdfunding Campaigns and the  Top Crowdfunding Campaigns for Computer Games As we saw from our analysis of the Top 50 most funded crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo 34% of the top campaigns were video game related. The most notable gaming campaign is Star Citizen which raised $2,134,374 on Kickstarter. The developers of the Star Citizen video game went on to create a crowdfunding platform specifically for their game. With amazing graphics and a detailed storyline they managed to raise over $47 million, making this the most funded crowdfunding campaign of all time! This is great news for video game developers. It shows the potential that crowdfunding holds for that industry. So, what should...

Equity Crowdfunding in the District of Columbia 7/22 at 6:30 pm

Equity Crowdfunding in the District of Columbia According to recent news reports, "D.C. regulators are drawing up a proposed framework that would allow District startups to take advantage of equity crowdfunding from District investors, following a growing number of states which have passed similar measures in recent months. D.C.'s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) is preparing to publish a proposed rule that would give companies within the city “an alternative to existing methods of raising capital,” the agency said in a statement to the Washington Business Journal. That proposal, according to DISB, “is similar to those that are being developed in other states and the SEC’s proposed crowdfunding regulations.” We will describe state-level equity based crowdfunding, discuss specific crowdfunding campaigns and announce a new initiative. https://equitycrowdfundingdc.eventbrite.com