News Release
‘Tech Panic’ Wins in Court, at the Expense of Free Speech
Today a California jury found Meta and Google liable for depression and anxiety suffered by a 20-year-old woman who claimed to have been addicted to…
National Review
Chasing Platforms Instead of Ambulances: Social Media Liability Trial Kicks Off in California
Proceedings have commenced in a trial poised to redefine the boundaries of free expression on the internet. The first-of-its-kind test case will determine if social media…
News Release
Who Will Write the Future? CEI Releases New Video on the Artificial Intelligence
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today released a new video exploring the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the policy decisions necessary for the United States to…
Letters
CEI Supports Federal Preemption to Address Fragmented State AI Laws and Protect U.S. Competitiveness
The Wall Street Journal
Landmark Trial Tests Claims That Social Media Harms Teens
The Wall Street Journal quoted CEI’s expert on Section 230 “The plaintiffs’ bar has been trying to get around Section 230 for a long…
Letters
CEI joins ATR in FCC rulemaking re ATSC 3.0 broadcast mandates: Urging a Continued Voluntary, Market-Driven Approach to Next Generation Television
Thank you for the opportunity to provide further comments on proposed “Next Generation” Broadcast Television Standards. We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Federal Communications Commission…
National Review
Don’t Let Harmful EU Tech Regulations Spread Across the Globe
The European Union’s rejection of the digital revolution has been a cancer on the continent’s tech sector, member countries’ per capita GDPs, and the various…
The Sacramento Bee
POINT: Throwing parental rights on the barbie won’t fly in the United States
The world’s first social media ban of users under age 16 is now in effect in Australia. Whatever parents’ genuine concerns and understandable frustrations around…
News Release
AI Executive Order preempts state regulation, promotes US competitiveness: CEI analysis
President Trump on Dec. 11 signed an executive order to preempt states from regulating artificial intelligence and establishing a federal framework focused on child…
The Daily Wire
Australia’s Novel Social Media Ban For Kids Sparks Debate As Some Platforms Get A Free Pass
The Daily Wire cited CEI’s expert on kids safety online “We haven’t really seen a plan like this be put into action,” said Jessica Melugin,…
Civitas Outlook
In the Long Run, the Meta Case Is Dead
It’s official: Meta is not illegally monopolizing the “personal social networking” (PSN) market through its 2012 purchase of Instagram and 2014 purchase of WhatsApp. The…
Comment
Reply Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Support of Charter Communications, Inc. and Cox Communications, Inc.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) appreciates the opportunity to file reply comments on the application to transfer control of Cox Communications, Inc. (Cox) to Charter…
News Release
Melugin: Preempting state-level AI regulation shouldn’t come at the expense of speech rights and parental responsibility
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will hold a hearing this morning on several bills related to technology,…
The Dispatch
Antitrust Law Has Never Been Static
Last week a federal judge ruled that Meta was not an illegal monopoly, citing the changes in the social media landscape since the company bought…
Comment
CEI comments on Regulatory Reform on Artificial Intelligence
RE: Request for Information: Regulatory Reform on Artificial Intelligence Docket No.: OSTP-TECH-2025-0067 The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Office…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition with Center for Individual Freedom in Strong Support of Charter–Cox Merger to Advance Free-Market Innovation and Consumer Benefits
Dear Secretary Dortch: The undersigned organizations submit this letter to the Federal Communications Commission (hereinafter FCC) in support of the proposed combination of Charter Communications,…
Civitas Institute
The First Amendment Vise
It’s been a rough ride for freedom of speech lately. The reads, “Congress shall make no law…prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of…
Comment
CEI comments on the Justice Department and National Economic Council’s Request for Information Regarding State Laws with Extraterritorial Economic Impacts OLP182; Docket No. DOJ-OLP-2025-0169
Fox Business
Social media giants scramble to control Charlie Kirk assassination videos after Utah shooting
Letters
CEI Joins CFIF in Coalition Letter Urging FCC to Preserve Free Market in Broadcast Negotiations
Dear Chairman Carr: We, the undersigned conservative, free-market and pro-innovation organizations, write in support of your efforts to reduce government regulation and involvement in the…
Testimony
CEI’s Jessica Melugin speaks on The U.K.’s Online Safety Act
Chair Jordan, ranking member Raskin, and distinguished members of the House Judiciary Committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony to this critical…
News Release
Google Ruling Rightly Rejects Most DOJ Demands, But Appeals Still Warranted
A federal court largely rejected DOJ efforts to break up Google, declining to spin off its Chrome browser or impose sweeping payment bans. But the…
Civitas Institute
Current Antitrust Actions Endanger America’s AI Edge
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near one” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit. But that’s precisely…
News Release
CEI experts react to White House AI Action Plan
Today, the White House released “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan”, a multi-faceted policy document intended to help the United States keep its…
Letters
CEI Joins ATR: Applauding U.S. Action on DST, Calling for Tougher EU Trade Terms
Dear President Trump, Thank you for protecting American innovators from abuse by the Canadian government through their Digital Services Tax (DST). We also applaud your…
Blog
For the sake of user privacy, keep Google search remedies narrow and germane
The movement in the Biden and Trump administrations of antitrust officials away from consumer welfare and towards a federal judiciary of active regulation is on…
Comment
CEI Comments on Technology Platform Censorship
RE: Request for Public Comment Regarding Technology Platform Censorship Docket No.: FTC-2025-0023 Introduction The authors of this submission would like to thank the Federal Trade…
Blog
A light in the darkness: Federal preemption for AI regulation
The joy of federal preemption may soon be upon us. The House Energy and Commerce Committee included a ten-year moratorium on state AI regulation…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 6: ‘The Rest of the World’
The sixth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, focuses on…
News Release
Decision in Google antitrust case a major blow for online competitiveness: CEI analysis
On Thursday, a federal court ruled that Google violated antitrust law by maintaining a monopoly over online advertising. CEI experts caution about the precedent and…
Washington Examiner
FTC’s antitrust crusade against Meta contradicts key parts of the Trump agenda
We’re all about to find out if it’s the White House or what’s left of the administrative state that’s calling the shots on…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 5: ‘Blowback, and the Dust Settles’
The fifth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, recounts how the…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 4: ‘The Solution’
The fourth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, picks up…
Testimony
Jessica Melugin Testimony before House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
Chair Fitzgerald, ranking member Nadler, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for holding this hearing and inviting me to testify today. My name…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 3: ‘Law and Disorder’
The third episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, moves beyond…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 2: ‘The Dawn of the Internet’
The second episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, focuses on…
Los Angeles Times
The Trump administration schooled Europe on free speech. Why ignore the lesson at home?
Vice President JD Vance’s wise words to Europe about U.S. commitments to free speech are on a collision course with some of what’s happening stateside.
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable Podcast episode 1: ‘The Most Misunderstood Law on the Internet’
Otherwise Objectionable is the brand-new limited series podcast that tells the true story of how a previously-obscure defamation law, Section 230 of the 1996…
National Review
Trump Transition at FTC Is No Reagan Revolution
Don’t call it a “comeback.” Those hoping for a Reagan-era-like return to economic sanity or regulatory humility in antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission…
Letters
CEI joins the Black Rock Group to support Make America Competitive Again.
Dear Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Thune, On behalf of the Competitiveness Coalition, we write today to urge you and your colleagues to support President…
Products
Free to Prosper: Telecommunications
Products
Free to Prosper: Artificial intelligence
Products
Free to Prosper: Online speech
Products
Free to Prosper: Antitrust
News Release
Meta’s new content moderation is a step in the right direction: CEI analysis
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced major changes to its content moderation system today. The company says it aims to allow as…
News Release
Report: FTC used insufficient analysis in its investigation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report delves into major problems with a Federal Trade Commission report critical of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). PBMs are specialized…
Study
FTC Flunks Interim Report
News Release
Kroger-Albertsons merger blocked by federal judge: CEI analysis
Today, a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit to stop a merger between Kroger and Albertsons. CEI experts weigh in…
National Review
Please, Somebody Google ‘Hubris’
The pretense of knowledge is on full display in the Department of Justice’s proposed remedies for the Google trial. The government’s…
Blog
A blueprint for digital censorship in the US?
Internal documents from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), as revealed by digital censorship journalist Matt Taibbi, showed that the group’s primary…
Reason
The Justice Department’s Proposals for Breaking Up Google’s Dominance Won’t Work
Reason quoted CEI’s expert on antitrust atmosphere Jessica Melugin, director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, tells Reason that a…
Blog
Searching for a remedy that makes sense
The Department of Justice recently sent its proposed remedies to the federal judge who found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing web search. Specifically,…
The New York Times
Inside Harris’s Big Economic Pitch
The New York Times quoted CEI’s expert on Harris’s Economic Pitch While a similar argument didn’t sway regulators in JetBlue’s attempted acquisition of Spirit, financial industry…
News Release
Biden DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Visa unfounded
The Biden Justice Department today announced an antitrust lawsuit against Visa, alleging the company illegally monopolized the debit card market by enticing merchants away from…
News Release
Judge gets Google antitrust ruling wrong
A federal judge ruled today that Google violated antitrust law, declaring “Google is a monopolist” in online search. Competitive Enterprise Institute antitrust, legal, and economic…
Reason
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
Reason cites Jessica Melugin on KOSA safety flaws “KOSA would trigger mandatory uploading of government id’s, face scans or social security numbers of…
The Washington Times
KOSA is a poor substitute for parenting
Good parenting was always a lot of work, but guarding kids’ online mental health has added to the parental load. Not every problem has a…
News Release
CEI to Recognize Entrepreneurship and George Will’s Promethean Contributions at Julian L. Simon Memorial Dinner in September
Blog
Missing the economists in FTC’s latest PBM study
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its not-so-objectively titled interim report on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs): Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating Drug…
News Release
New FTC study on drug costs fails to conduct empirical analysis of market conditions
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) release a new study today claiming Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are responsible for higher drug costs. FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak…
News Release
Supreme Court decision on state social media laws portends free speech victories
Today, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Moody v. NetChoice & CCIA and NetChoice & CCIA v. Paxton, two related cases reviewing state…
National Review
Baseless Federal Investigations Would Stifle America’s Pioneering AI Industry
The Biden administration is going beyond antitrust enforcement in AI and is instead trying to predict the future of the industry itself. Reports indicate…
Blog
Everyone agrees we need more spectrum, so why is Congress making it complicated?
Politics prioritized over policy is de rigueur these days, but it shouldn’t be for spectrum auction reauthorization. The importance to the US economy and to…
News Release
AI antitrust investigations go against U.S. innovation: CEI analysis
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) announced new antitrust investigations into investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) made by Microsoft, OpenAI, and…
Wall Street Journal
For the Sake of Free Speech, Keep Section 230
The only remedy Reps. McMorris Rodgers and Pallone Jr. offer for online harms is to turn the plaintiffs’ bar loose on tech companies, a curious…
News Release
DOJ’s suit to breakup Live Nation-Ticketmaster will not lead to lower prices for entertainment
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, alleging anticompetitive behavior. The DOJ lawsuit seeks to…
Wall Street Journal
For the Sake of Free Speech, Keep Section 230
The only remedy Reps. McMorris Rodgers and Pallone Jr. offer for online harms is to turn the plaintiffs’ bar loose on tech companies, a curious…
National Review
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Section 230
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft bill to sunset the online liability shield commonly known as Section 230. The proposal is…
National Review
Free expression depends on it.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft bill to sunset the online liability shield commonly known as Section 230. The proposal is only about 50 words…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Against Section 230 Repeal or Replace
Dear Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, We write to you in advance of the committee hearing on May 22, 2024 to express…
Blog
How a carefully planned strategy can persuade a skeptical judiciary
Former FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Howard Beales and former FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris co-authored a new CEI paper contrasting the radical…
Blog
US move to ban TikTok a troubling signal for our great experiment in self-determination
As a part of a foreign aid funding package, the Senate passed a bill mandating TikTok’s divestiture from Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance. Biden…
News Release
Spirit Announces Furloughs after Biden, Court Scuttle Merger with JetBlue
In the wake of an adverse court ruling and a Biden administration threat to stop a merger between budget airlines Spirit Airlines and JetBlue, the…
Reason
Parents Don’t Want Schools to Confiscate Kids’ Phones
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited in Reason on parents position of schools confiscating student’s phones: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law restricting teen use…
News Release
Florida social media law puts all users’ privacy at risk: CEI analysis
A new social media bill signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will ban people younger than 14 years old from using social…
News Release
Government Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple Undermines Consumer Choices
The U.S. Justice Department along with 16 states and the District of Columbia, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on March 21, arguing the company…
Fox Business
Apple Vision Pro headset becomes tool in operating room
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited in Fox Business on Apple Vision Pro becoming an operating room tool: Jessica Melugin, director of the Competitive Enterprise…
News Release
Vague concerns about TikTok insufficient to justify divestiture or ban
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on legislation that would force ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to sell the popular app…
Fox Business
Nobody is going to use Google’s woke chatbot unless they ‘fix’ its bias: Jessica Melugin
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is featured in a Fox News interview about Google’s woke chatbot: Watch the latest video at foxbusiness.com Watch the interview on…
Politico
FTC, states challenge Kroger’s $25 billion grocery merger with Albertsons
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited in Politico on the FTC and states challenging Kroger’s merger with Albertsons: Not everyone is supportive of the FTC’s case.
News Release
FTC suit to stop Krogers-Albertsons Merger would harm consumers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today sued to stop the proposed merger between grocers Kroger and Albertsons. The FTC claims the merger would lead…
News Release
Supreme Court Today Hears Lawsuits Centered on Social Media Companies’ Property/Speech Rights
Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Moody v. NetChoice & CCIA and NetChoice & CCIA v. Paxton. Jessica Melugin, director of…
Blog
Off-the-rails FTC wrong answer for keeping kids safe online
This week the Washington Post reported that the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is poised to pass the Senate, but faces hurdles in…
Letters
Coalition Letter on FCC Digital Discrimination rule
December 13, 2023 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is out of control. On November 15, the agency voted to adopt a Report and Order on…
Daily Caller
Biden Has Cracked Down On Big Business Mergers And Monopolies. Are Americans Better Off Because Of It?
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited in Daily Caller on mergers and monopolies: “The Biden administration’s government-wide attack on American businesses has stifled efficiency and…
The Dispatch
Let Parents, Not Politicians, Keep Kids Safe Online
Many parents today are rightly concerned about what their kids see on social media and how much time they spend online. And politicians have noticed.
Fox 5 Washington D.C.
Contentious Senate hearing on social media draws criticism
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited in an interview with Fox 5 News Washington D.C. regarding Senate social media criticism: View the interview on…
Associated Press
JetBlue’s $3.8 billion buyout of Spirit Airlines is blocked by judge citing threat to competition
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited on the Associated Press about the buyout of Spirit Airlines/Jet Blue buyout: “Blocking a merger of smaller competitors trying…
News Release
Regulators block JetBlue/Spirit airlines merger, making it harder for small airlines to scale up and compete
After a federal judge today blocked a proposed $3.8 billion merger between JetBlue Airways Inc. and Spirit Airlines, ostensibly out of concern about competition,…
Comment
FCC: Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 88 Fed. Reg. 76048
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”) respectfully submits these comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) adopted on October 19, 2023, in the…
Blog
Silver lining? New federal merger guidelines: 11 bad ideas instead of 13!
Today the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly issued their final version of the 2023 Merger Guidelines.
Comment
CEI Comments on Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”) respectfully submits these comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) adopted on October 19, 2023, in the…
Fox News
Why creating an international body for AI is a bad idea
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently re-upped his calls for a global body, akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to advise member…
News Release
Ex Google CEO’s Call for UN Organization Focused on Artificial Intelligence Would Be a “Historic Mistake”
At a forum on Artificial Intelligence in Washington today, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt endorsed the idea of an international body like the United…
National Review
Biden Order on Artificial Intelligence Puts Too Much Faith in Regulators
President Biden’s executive order (EO) on artificial intelligence (AI) directs more than a dozen federal agencies to, among other things, “establish guidelines…
Blog
Justice Department ignores consumers, boosts Bing in Google antitrust trial
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case accusing Google of having and unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in search is in full swing in US District…
News Release
Biden executive order on artificial intelligence will be a problem: CEI analysis
President Biden is reportedly poised to sign an executive order aimed at monitoring artificial intelligence technology and moving toward new regulations for AI. CEI experts expressed…
News Release
FCC move to reinstate heavy-handed Net Neutrality regulations risks health of telecommunications infrastructure
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced her intention to re-instate so-called Net Neutrality rules that were repealed in 2018. The FCC issued the…
News Release
FTC antitrust lawsuit against Amazon risks harming American consumers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 states filed a lawsuit today in federal court alleging antitrust violations by Amazon. The lawsuit seeks the…
Washington Examiner
FTC hits Amazon with antitrust lawsuit accusing it of manipulating the online marketplace
Jessica Melugin is quoted in the Washington Examiner on Amazon’s Antitrust lawsuit: “Free markets require functioning markets,” Mr. Davis said. “This requires enforcement of our…