I lived and worked in North Dakota for 37 years. When I see North Dakota in the national news it tends to be for either cold weather or some really weird bill that has been proposed in the legislature. While the present circumstances lean toward the second of these experiences, today North Dakota is debating a bill challenging the practices of Apple and Google when it comes to their practice of limiting user opportunities to the company stores for mobile devices.
This quoted paragraph from yesterday’s New York Times article gives you a sense of the situation.
At the Capitol in Bismarck, a 21-story Art Deco tower that’s the state’s tallest building, a hearing on the bill last week drew Washington lawyers, North Dakota newspapers and Silicon Valley executives. Siding with Apple and Google was Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group funded by the Koch family. On the other side was the Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
North Dakota’s 47 senators are set to vote on the measure this week after debate starts on Monday. The timeline is accelerated because the legislature meets for just 80 days every two years. If a majority votes aye, the bill will move on to the House.
Video covering introduction of the bill – Apple strongly argues the privacy advantage of a closed system. As I understand the proposed remedy (e.g., Spotify), pay your fee on your computer and use the free app on your phone. Is this a universal opportunity?
One fact about the Capitol – it has an observation deck, but the deck was closed because kids were throwing snowballs at passing cars.
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