In the week before the Christmas season, which is about to start on December 15, in addition to the turmoil caused by the Westeros Company's sudden announcement to reduce its holdings of Daenerys Entertainment stocks, there is actually another major event happening.
This is the new US Telecommunications Act that has officially passed the vote of Congress.
In the past, the Telecommunications Act promoted by the Clinton administration was not finally passed until 1996. This time, with the push of many forces including the Westeros system, the bill was introduced ahead of schedule. This was also the year 1995 that was about to pass. the most important bill.
Compared with other small bills that only target specific matters, this time the Telecommunications Act is actually a brand-new law, a substantial revision of the 1934 Communications Act of the United States.
The "Communications Act" of 1934 was a law that emerged during the anti-monopoly wave in the United States. Therefore, the core of the bill is to prevent monopoly, and it is very strict in preventing monopoly. Some related bills successively announced in the following decades are basically It is based on the Communications Act of 1934, such as strict restrictions on cross-ownership between different media platforms, strict restrictions on business crossover between different communication companies, strict restrictions on the merger of regional communication companies by national telecom giants, etc. .
The Clinton administration’s Telecommunications Act was a comprehensive deregulation.
Of course, this cannot be said on the surface.
Therefore, the publicly announced revision goals of this bill are to open up the competitive market by removing regulatory barriers to entry, promote the application of advanced technologies by private enterprises, and promote the integration of resources among different types of telecommunications operators in order to provide the American people with better quality and lower prices. information technology and services.
A benchmark was erected high, followed by a thick book of brand-new bills involving seven major items including 'telecommunications services', 'broadcasting services', 'cable services', and 'communications ethics'.
Although the Washington authorities immediately uploaded the complete content of the bill to the government website out of the principle of openness and transparency, it is obvious that very few members of the public are willing to study the entire bill and see the impact of its provisions. .
This is the result we want.
As for the media, there is certainly no shortage of discerning people.
Many media people immediately criticized the bill after it was voted by Congress, believing that this bill will not promote competition at all and will only bring about another merger and monopoly.
However, because the telecommunications and media giants that control most of the core media in the United States have been waiting for this bill for a long time, most of the criticism has not made much waves at all. Instead, it has begun to be promoted in various media from newspapers to the Internet. The integration of three networks into one will bring various conveniences to the American people.
In Simon's memory, neither better telecommunications services nor cheaper expenses have been realized. Even many years later, there will still be the embarrassing situation of Qiao Gangzhu unable to find a signal on the spot at the Apple mobile phone launch conference. You should know that it is in the bustling center of San Francisco, not in the wilderness.
In fact, the final result of the Telecommunications Act introduced by the Clinton administration was that the major telecom giants quickly completed the annexation and integration of telecom resources across the country, re-forming a de facto telecom monopoly.
As for better services and cheaper rates.
nonexistent.
If a company wants to maximize profits, of course it must use the least capital investment to charge the most fees.
In any case, now that Washington has opened its mouth, Simon certainly will not be polite and begins to accelerate the IPO process of Verizon Telecom in order to merge with AOL in the future.
AOL, which has already owned a large number of its own line networks due to its crazy expansion in recent years, has also begun to consider developing fixed-line telephone and cable TV services in addition to network access services, officially moving towards the path of "three networks in one". Simon has already laid the groundwork for this. The line network that AOL has laid out in the past few years has left a considerable amount of vacant capacity, and this time it happened to be used.
In addition, as the Telecommunications Act passed a congressional vote, the stock prices of General Electric and Time Warner, which are undergoing merger review by the U.S. Department of Justice, both rose.
Time Warner owns Warner Communications, which operates cable television. With the enactment of the Wire Act, the company can also break through legal barriers and engage in network services and traditional fixed-line telephone services that have become increasingly popular in recent years.
December 15th.
The North American Christmas season has officially begun.
Knowing that "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is about to crush next week, there are still three commercial movies with more than 1,000 screens released this week, and they are all considered highlights.
The first is Paramount's remake of the Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn film of the same name. The film not only stars Harrison Ford, but also invites Sidney Pollack, Billy Wilder, Fanny Aldan and other big-name filmmakers joined in, and the production cost reached the blockbuster level of US$50 million, with an opening of 1,821 screens.
The second film is "Until I Wake" produced by Fox, which is a black drama adapted from a novel directed by Cannes black actor Forest Whitaker, and also stars Whitney Houston and Angela Bassey Two famous black actresses are joining the cast. The production cost of the film is US$16 million, and the number of screens is 1,253.
Finally, there is a spoof comedy "Vampires Are Crazy" produced by Sony Pictures, starring Leslie Nielsen, with a production cost of US$30 million and an opening of 1,425 screens.
Although the reputation of the three movies was not bad even after they were released on the same day, the distribution scale was obviously conservative.
Moreover, on December 15th, what attracted the most attention was the official release of the theme song "Dream It Possible" by Simon himself for the reality show. The song was simultaneously launched on ABC TV, ABC Radio and YouTube platforms. , the Broadcast website owned by Tinker Bayer also simultaneously put this single on the shelves for iPlayer users to download for a fee.
The song obviously did not disappoint the fans who launched a petition to vote some time ago.
At 8 o'clock that night, "Dream It Possible" hit the 10 million mark in less than 20 minutes after it was released on YouTube. Single sales on the Broadcast website also reached 1 million within two hours that night, and the brainwashing smooth tunes quickly spread throughout the streets of North America over the following weekend.
After passing votes in both houses of Congress last week, the Telecommunications Act was signed by Clinton on December 18 and took effect.
Simon has been paying close attention to the developments of all parties since the Westeros Company announced last week that it would reduce its holdings of Daenerys Entertainment shares. Then there was the vote on the Telecommunications Act. After the President signed the bill, after the opening of the new week, The impact of the news on the reduction of holdings in the U.S. stock market last week seemed to be gradually dissipating, so Simon quietly flew to the East Coast to arrange some things in person.
An estate in the northern suburbs of Greenwich.
There have been several snowfalls on the east coast. Although it is sunny today, the surroundings of the manor are covered in snow. The temperature during the day is below zero, so the interior of the manor villa is naturally as warm as spring.
It's Tuesday afternoon, December 19th.
Joseph Schlapp, one of the heads of the Westeros family's political lobbying affairs, has just arrived at the villa. Before that, Simon also met Paul Spaihts, another head of the family's political affairs, who mainly arranges for next year's election. .
In 1996, in addition to the presidential election, there will also be a change of members.
In last year's mid-term election operation, the Westeros system actually took a lot of risks. If you are not careful, you may stoke a hornet's nest. Fortunately, there was no danger in the end. This time, Simon does not intend to push further, but to step back. Stride.
While last year's 'Sniper Plan' hit a group of people, the members of Congress who were promoted by the Westeros system in disguise were not necessarily leaning towards the side of the Westeros family.
Therefore, in next year's election, except for a few who took the initiative to show their goodwill and reach an alliance, most of the MPs who benefited in disguise last year will not be actively supported by the Westeros system this time. In this way, the news that the Westeros system will bet on the election this year will be much smaller, and it will also allow both parties in Washington to lower their guard.
As for the presidential election, the Westeros system will not participate in the election openly, and of course there will be no shortage of secret support for Clinton.
The most important among them are the increasingly influential online platforms in recent years, as well as the ABC television network that Daenerys Entertainment has just absorbed. These public opinion platforms will definitely tend to favor Clinton.
Simon has never had a good impression of the couple in the White House, but allowing the other party to continue to be in power is undoubtedly the best choice for the Westeros system.
In fact, after all, history has changed, and it is not impossible to bring Hillary to power in the future.
Because Simon has realized something else.
The Westeros system has taken control of a company owned by a certain Golden Retriever real estate developer. It was once played as a casual chess piece, but suddenly it was discovered that doing so would actually completely block the possibility of the other party entering the White House in the future.
American voters will never elect a spokesperson with such close ties to Westeros as president.
At that time, if we rashly compete for this position, we may even drag the entire Westeros system into it. After all, the position of the White House is definitely the ultimate goal of many American politicians in their lives. Whoever dares to grab it can do whatever it takes. For example, Clinton, who has been in trouble in recent years, and a certain golden retriever who unexpectedly entered the White House in memory, because their qualifications cannot hold down the position in the White House, the result is that they are all in vain.
Therefore, the golden retriever real estate developer has completely become Simon's abandoned son.
In a study room on the first floor of the villa, after a brief exchange of greetings with Simon, Joseph Schlapp began to talk about some recent developments in Washington: "According to the information I received, the president announced the reduction mainly because you did not notify him in advance. There were some dissatisfaction with the plan, and Hillary lost her temper. However, these were only private attitudes. Publicly, there was nothing unusual about the president and his wife. I also had breakfast with White House Chief of Staff John Podesta on Saturday morning. What Bian is more concerned about is what kind of support we can give in an election year?”
Simon held a cup of warm coffee and leaned on the sofa with his legs crossed. After listening to Schlapp's words, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said: "If I give money now, it will be a complete disservice to them. I think they are now There is no shortage of money either. ABC, plus Ygritte, just support these two aspects, and one or two billion cannot buy it."
Joseph Schlapp said: "Actually, what John revealed is that he hopes you can lobby News Corp. to reduce support for Dole."
The Republican candidates for next year's general election have not yet been finalized.
However, many people actually understand that, as expected, there is a high chance that Clinton will face off against Republican Senator and current Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. This veteran politician has already announced his candidacy, and his voice is very high.
As for News Corp.
Simon glanced at Joseph Schlapp, who looked a little more curious, and shook his head directly: "You tell them next time, I can't help with this matter."
Privately, a tacit understanding has been formed with Murdoch, and both sides support each other.
Even if it was Joseph Schlapp, Simon would not be too honest about this kind of thing, even if the other party had already guessed or even confirmed it.
In fact, if it is really necessary, Simon will definitely take action.
After all, betting on both sides cannot affect the overall layout of the Westeros system. If Dole comes to power, although he is also a very smooth veteran politician and has good relations with various capital groups in the United States, variables will inevitably arise. .
Joseph Schlapp heard his boss's denial and did not go into details. Even though he had entered the core of the Westeros family, he still knew how to exercise discretion. It was normal for the young man in front of him to have reservations about him. This doesn't mean distrust either.
If he was completely honest, he would even doubt the other person's intelligence.
He nodded and said he would pass on the matter, and added: "In addition, I talked with an assistant to Greenspan. Now both Congress and the White House are hesitant to start raising interest rates. They are worried that this will cause the market to After all, the U.S. economy has been improving at this stage. Even if the Nasdaq is overheating, it is only one aspect and is not a good time to tighten monetary policy."
In the past few years, the Federal Reserve has maintained a fairly loose monetary policy.
It stands to reason that after the economy recovers, in order to prevent the market from overheating, tightening has actually been necessary since last year. However, because the market situation is so good and there are frequent rumors that the new technology bubble may burst, in order to avoid the economic recovery after the Gulf War coming to an abrupt end, the Federal Reserve has not announced an interest rate increase.
Simon wants to control the overheating of the market. In addition to the Westeros system taking the initiative to suppress excessive speculation through reduction of holdings and public opinion control, the Federal Reserve's monetary policy is undoubtedly another powerful weapon.
Hearing what Schlapp said at this time, Simon understood that the Westeros system still had to operate alone for a period of time.
Simon needs to make several reductions in holdings and other accompanying operations to convince the Federal Reserve that raising interest rates will not cause a market collapse, but will instead help cool down the market. Only then can Washington make up its mind.
Whether it is out of selfishness or justice, it is necessary to pour cold water on the economy at the right time. Even Wall Street will not deny this.
In any case, most of Wall Street and its associated capital are engaged in orthodox investment business. Although speculative capital such as hedge funds has increased significantly in recent years, it is still not mainstream. Since it is an investment, there will be no lack of long-term vision, focusing on long-term development, rather than killing the goose to obtain the eggs.
Actively suppressing the excessive and rapid expansion of new technology bubbles will allow the U.S. Internet industry to have room for stable development for a longer period of time, which is beneficial to everyone. Otherwise, Simon would not have rashly started the boiling frog plan. He's not crazy. He won't offend everyone at once.