Consumers get forgotten in all the politics. The best way to protect consumers is to protect an open, competitive market process, in which companies succeed or fail based not on their political connections or ideological correctness, but on how well they serve consumers.
Antitrust regulation’s problems are structural and incurable. The Competitive Enterprise Institutes advocates abolishing antitrust law, removing remaining government monopolies, and preventing the creation of new ones.
Featured Posts
Blog
Congress should overturn harmful anti-bank merger regulation
Yesterday, the Senate approved a resolution pursuant to the Congressional Review Act to overturn a regulation from the Biden administration that would sharply restrict…
Blog
America last? How the antitrust agencies could jeopardize both big and small business
At a time when trade deficits, particularly with China, are a major economic and political concern for the Trump administration, the antitrust authorities are actively…
The Washington Post
House GOP proposes removing antitrust authority from FTC
The Washington Post cited CEI’s expert on antitrust “Consolidating antitrust enforcement at one agency would give businesses more certainty on the rules of the road,…
Search Posts
CEI Planet
TARP Transparency: A Good Start, but Not Enough
Herbert Allison is President Obama’s newly-confirmed head of the Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Stability. On Thursday, June 25, he promised to “emphasize transparency so…
Newsletter
EU Antitrust Rebuke, Record Deficit Numbers and the Costs of Global Warming Policy
European competition regulators get chastised for hiding evidence in a case against Intel. The Congressional Budget Office reports that the federal…
Newsletter
Microhoo Scrutiny, Terrorism Insurance and Cooling Global Temperatures
Microsoft and Yahoo face antitrust scrutiny for their recently announced 10-year search agreement. The White House proposes scaling back a federal…
Washington Examiner
Trustbusters Should Lay Off Microsoft and Yahoo
Yahoo and Microsoft are going to join forces – that is, if regulators let them. But will their much-vaunted search partnership succeed? Both firms certainly…
Newsletter
Apple under Investigation, CEO Pay Limits and Hurricane Safety
The Federal Communications Commission investigates Apple and AT&T over the decision to spurn Google Voice on the iPhone. The House of Representatives passes a bill…
Newsletter
The Microhoo Deal, Food Safety Bills and Free Trade with Korea
Analysts speculate about the future of the Microsoft’s rivalry with Google in the wake of a major new deal with Yahoo. Food safety bills move…
Eweek
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Partnership
Newsletter
Microsoft & Yahoo, Smog Levels and CSPI’s Salt Suit
Microsoft and Yahoo agree to an online advertising partnership. Global warming is predicted to lead to higher levels of smog. The Center for Science in…
Eweek
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Partnership
Yahoo! Finance
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Partnership
SC Magazine
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Partnership
SC Magazine
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Partnership
News Release
Justice Department Should Leave the Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Alone
Today, Microsoft and Yahoo announced a ten-year partnership of their search businesses in order to better compete against Google. The Department of Justice, citing antitrust…
Opposing Views
Justice Dept. Should Leave Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Alone
Today, Microsoft and Yahoo announced a ten-year partnership of their search businesses in order to better compete against Google. The Department of Justice, citing antitrust…
Newsletter
Cutting Back on Healthcare, Online Privacy and Front-Running on Wall Street
House Democrats debate how to cut healthcare costs as part of their effort to pass major new legislation. Online advertisers back voluntary industry guidelines for…
Newsletter
Google Book Search, FCC Comments and the Minimum Wage
The Justice Department investigates Google’s legal settlement over its Book Search service. Federal Communications Commission broadband coordinator Blair Levin accuses recent comments from the public…
Newsletter
Broadband Plans, Saving Healthcare Dollars and Obama’s Diplomacy
The Federal Communications Commission drafts a “national plan” for broadband policy. The White House announces proposed healthcare cost-saving measures. President Obama continues to insist that…
Comment
Comments on the Federal Communications Commission Report ‘A National Broadband Plan for our Future’
The Commission’s record of alleged “regulatory restraint” toward the telecommunications sector over the past 13 years has come under fire by a number of commenters…
Newsletter
Labor Politics, Government Paternalism and Tobacco Profits
Labor unions push to establish “binding arbitration” in contract negotiations. The nomination of law professor Cass Sunstein to oversee new federal regulations moves forward. Cigarette…
News Release
Clear Government Roadblocks to Broadband Competition
Contrary to many critics, investment in broadband networks by U.S. telecommunications firms is booming, and the biggest roadblocks to even more robust growth are primarily…
Newsletter
White House Science Czar, Catfish Imports and Gingrich’s “Real” Stimulus
Critics question the controversial beliefs of White House science adviser John Holdren. U.S. catfish producers try to block inexpensive fish imports from Vietnam. Former House…
Opposing Views
Obama Administration = Waste, Corruption, Corporate Welfare
Rapidly-rising Medicare spending already threatens “to crush the federal budget,” and much Medicare spending is wasteful, yet the Obama Administration claims it can somehow…
Newsletter
Microsoft in Europe, GM Foods and the Political Crisis in Honduras
Microsoft and European Union officials hold talks over computer industry competition. Former U.S. Department of Agriculture official Val Giddings releases a blueprint for reforming the…
Newsletter
AIG in Court, Mobile Phone Competition and the Future of Solar Power
A federal jury rules in favor of Hank Greenberg, the former CEO of AIG, in a $4.3 billion stock dispute. The Department of Justice considers…
Opposing Views
Obama Signs “Deceptive” FDA Tobacco Regulation Bill
Yesterday, Obama signed into law a deceptive FDA “tobacco regulation” bill that will undermine public health in the long run by protecting cigarette manufacturers…
Newsletter
FCC Hearings, Banning Plastic Bags and Union Graft in Detroit
Federal Communications Commission chairman-designate Julius Genachowski faces a confirmation hearing in the Senate. Cities across the country move to ban plastic grocery bags. Trustees of…
Newsletter
Chrysler in the Supreme Court, Banning Plastic Bags and the Anniversary of “1984”
The Supreme Court blocks the bankruptcy reorganization of Chrysler. The director of the United Nations’ environmental program calls for a ban on plastic grocery bags.
News Release
Bank Chairman to Speak Out on Banking Crisis and Capitalism at CEI 25th Anniversary Gala
This Thursday evening John Allison, Chairman of BB&T Bank, will deliver the keynote address at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s 25th Anniversary Gala. Allison will…
Detroit News
Stimulate Economy Through Deregulation
The economy is contracting at a rate of more than 6 percent this year to date. This is hurting the country and especially Michigan, whose…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2009
Wayne Crews' annual accounting of the hidden taxes of regulation.
Newsletter
The Credit Card Bill of Rights, Chrysler’s Bankruptcy and Carbon Trading
President Obama signs the credit card “bill of rights” into law. A federal bankruptcy judge prepares to rule on Chrysler’s financial future. Carbon trading is…
Newsletter
New Gas Mileage Rules, Intel’s Legal Issues and India’s National Election
President Obama announces strict new rules on gas mileage for new cars. After being fined $1.4 billion for alleged antitrust violations in Europe, Intel could…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, Freddie Mac’s Losses and Hulu’s Success Story
Democrats push “cap and trade” global warming regulation in the House of Representatives. Housing giant Freddie Mac reports a $10 billion loss for the first…
Newsletter
Supreme Court on Financial Regulation, Chrysler Closes Dealerships and Greenhouse Gases in Congress
The Supreme Court prepares to announce an important verdict on financial regulation. Chrysler plans to eliminate nearly 800 dealerships. Democratic leaders move forward with legislation…
Newsletter
Al Gore’s 1984, Intel’s Antitrust Fine and Cap and Trade’s Economic Consequences
A new video from CEI parodies Apple Computer’s famous ‘1984’ TV ad with Al Gore and his global warming theories as Big Brother. The European…
Newsletter
Europe Investigates Intel, Obama Explodes the Deficit and Minnesota Jumps on the Banned Wagon
European antitrust officials prepare to rule in an investigation of Intel’s microchip marketing practices. The White House estimates that the deficit will explode to $1.8…
News Release
European Antitrust Ruling on Intel Threatens Future of Innovation
European Union authorities are reportedly on the verge of announcing that Intel has been found guilty of abusing its dominant market position by practicing so…
Detroit News
Hulu.com May Be Target of Antitrust Attack
Ecomerce Times
Google and Antitrust
Ecomerce Times
Google and Antitrust
Ecomerce Times
Dodd to revise CARD proposal
Newsletter
Bailout Power Grab, Abuse of Power in New York and Rising Sea Level Panic
White House economic advisers plan to convert government holdings in bailed out banks to common stock, increasing direct government control. New York State insurance chief…
Newsletter
CO2, Microsoft’s Antitrust Overseers and Anti-Tax Activists
The Environmental Protection Agency prepares to release a document that could require the federal government to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide. The Justice Department extends…
Ecomerce Times
1,000,000 Tea Bags Find a Home
After park officials turned away Tea Party protesters' 1 million tea bags, the press conference was moved to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We were happy…
Washington Times
Don’t change interchange
Overstock.com President Jonathan E. Johnson III overlooks several important facts regarding credit card interchange fees (“Retailers, consumers squeezed,” Opinion, Wednesday). Much of the $48…
Spectator
Obama’s Inauspicious Start
Newsletter
Obama’s Debt, Wall Street Bonuses and the Economy vs. the Environment
A new congressional report estimates that President Obama’s spending proposals will produce over $9 trillion in debt. Debate continues over the plan to tax some…
Spectator
The Breaking up of Money-Pit Behemoths if Necessary
Newsletter
Turning Down Stimulus Dollars, Legal Malpractice and a “Socialist” President
A group of governors turn down federal stimulus funding for their states, citing the strings attached by Congress. The Supreme Court rules that drug maker…
Newsletter
More Newspaper Layoffs, Card Check Filibuster and Obama’s Failing Grade in Economics
The print news industry takes another hit as The McClatchy Company, the nation’s third largest newspaper publisher, announces plans to layoff 1,600 fulltime employees. Sen.
Spectator
The Auto Bailout We Need
GM and Chrysler have come back for more taxpayer money, which is exactly what everybody warned would happen when the first bailout was granted…
Newsletter
Stimulus Upon Us, Lethal Wildfires Down Under and Satellite Radio Takes a Hit
Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress reach a deal to spend $789 billion in taxpayer money on “economic stimulus.” The death toll from wildfires in…
Op-Eds
Don’t Punish the Shareholders, Too
In justifying a change of policy on negotiating corporate penalties, the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Schapiro, stressed the…
Newsletter
Stimulus Transparency, Springsteen on Wal-Mart and the Mirage of Green-Collar Jobs
Developers launch StimulusWatch.org to keep track of the hundreds of billions of dollars Congress is planning to spend to stimulate the economy. Bruce Springsteen grabs…
News Release
Senate Testimony Masks a Personal Financial Agenda
Al Gore, Corporate Lobbyist?…
News Release
CEI Unveils Agenda for Congress
Washington, D.C., January 26, 2009—With the incoming Obama administration and the opening of the new Congress, the House and Senate are…
News Release
European Antitrust Officials Target Microsoft over Internet Explorer
The European Commission may order Microsoft to strip Internet Explorer (IE) from certain versions of Windows, according to a preliminary ruling against Microsoft…
Spectator
Geithner’s Nomination
Spectator
Why Geithner Is A Bad Choice
Spectator
The Embattled Geithner’s Nomination
National Association of Manufacturers
Obama and the Keynesian Revival
The National Association of Manufacturers discusses Iain Murray's National Review article on Obama's Keyenesian revival. Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute makes…
Newsletter
Union Scandal in California, Alternative Energy Promises and Short-Selling on Wall Street
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) finalizes a controversial merger of its California locals into one state-wide “superlocal”. President-Elect Obama promises to double the nation’s…
CNS News
Economists Say Bush ‘Chucked’ Free Market Principles Long Before Financial Crisis
CNS News discusses President George W. Bush's move away from free market principles. However, Wayne Crews of the Competitive Enterprise Institute told CNSNews.com that…
News Release
White House Auto Bailout a Recipe for Failure
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News Release
Berlau Commends Schapiro Pick for SEC
John Berlau, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, issued the following statement on President-Elect Barack Obama's appointment of Mary Schapiro…
Newsletter
Auto Bailout, Global Warming Controversy and Free Trade
Senators vote down a bailout proposal for U.S. auto companies. Czech President Vaclav Klaus criticizes a new European agreement on global warming as “a silly…
Blog
Antitrust Liberalization May Avert Need for Bailouts; Outdated Laws Deter Efficient Mergers
In early 2007, the economy was humming along and General Motors was considered to be in the process of a turnaround. To help stabilize itself,…
Newsletter
Endangered Species, International Trade and the Auto Bailout
President Bush pardons a Missouri farmer found guilty of accidently causing the deaths of bald eagles under the Endangered Species Act. Barack Obama considers Rep.
Newsletter
Citigroup Bailout, Sexual Harassment and Union Elections
The U.S. government promises an additional $20 billion to bail out banking giant Citigroup. The Supreme Court considers a case that could dramatically expand the…
CNS News
auto bailout
CNS News
Bush administration’s legacy
CNS News
auto industry bailout
Newsletter
Yahoo’s Fortunes, Chevron’s Strange Ads and the Battle over Bottled Water
Shares of web pioneer Yahoo Inc. rise upon departure of CEO Jerry Yang. Chevron launches a series of ads aimed at reducing energy consumption. A…
Newsletter
Online Ads, Regulatory Reform and Free Trade
Google and Yahoo abandon a proposed advertising partnership amid antitrust concerns. President-Elect Obama begins transition work with the current White House staff. Rep. Rahm Emanuel…
Newsletter
Credit Card Settlements, Wireless Networks and What’s ‘Killing the Earth’
Visa and MasterCard reach a $2.75 billion settlement with Discover Card over an antitrust complaint first brought in 1998. Cox Communications plans to roll out…
CNS News
an economic policy agenda for the next president
News Release
Free Market Groups Launch BeyondBailouts.org
As the economy continues to adjust to the credit crunch, CEI and NTU partner to fight for real financial reforms, not reckless spending.
Newsletter
Internet Radio, Mark-to-Market Accounting and Private Mortgage Insurance
The Senate approves a bill to regulate royalties for web-based radio services. The Security and Exchanges Commission relaxes accounting rules that may have worsened current…
Newsletter
Bailout Rejected, Affordable Housing Mandates and Faltering Stock Values
The House of Representatives rejects the White House’s proposed $700 billion corporate bailout plan. Thirty years of “affordable housing” laws take some of the heat…
CNS News
the federal housing bailout
Newsletter
Oil Speculators, Immunity for Phone Companies and Global Warming Reports
Members of Congress blame oil “speculators” for driving up the cost of oil with their investments. Legal wrangling continues over Congress’ grant of immunity to…
Newsletter
Losses at Fannie Mae, Satellite TV Merger and Toxic Chemicals
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae reports a loss of $2.3 billion. Cable TV provider Dish Network proposes a merger with DirecTV. Former New York Times environmental…
Newsletter
Whole Foods Merger, Ethanol’s Impact and Health Savings Accounts
A federal court calls into question the recent merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats natural food stores. South Asian leaders meet to discuss food…
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Mortgage Bailout and Union Organizing
The Federal Communications Commission continues to stall the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies amid antitrust concerns. The New York Times reports that…
Cafe Hayek
Regulation by Markets, Not by Bureaucrats
Real Clear Markets
Corporate Welfare for XM/Sirius Competitors?
After a year's delay, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin blessed Sirius Satellite Radio’s buyout of its competitor, XM. Martin is just one of…
Newsletter
Al Gore’s Energy Plan, Fannie Mae’s Lobbying Bill and Intel’s Legal Troubles
Al Gore delivers a major speech calling for the U.S. to eliminate all fossil fuel use in the next ten years. The Associated Press reports…
Newsletter
The Cost of Government, Cell Phone Fees and the Housing Bailout
American for Tax Reform prepares to observe “Cost of Government Day.” Verizon settles a lawsuit over its “early termination” fees for mobile phone customers. The…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments
CEI's Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State…
Newsletter
Free Trade, Satellite Radio and Lead Paint in Court
A free trade agreement with Colombia continues to be stalled in Congress. Democratic senators continue to hold up approval of the merger of XM and…
Newsletter
Credit Card Fines, Offshore Drilling and Mortgage Securities
Visa and MasterCard agree to pay American Express $4 billion for allegedly violating antitrust laws. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slams proposals…
Newsletter
Polar Bears, Subsidies for Millionaires and Credit Card Fees
The Department of the Interior finds that polar bears are “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The House of Representatives approves major new farm legislation.
News Release
An Energy Bill That Puts Consumers Last
As prices for oil and gas rise to record levels, members of Congress have responded with an energy bill that, while ostensibly intended to…
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Gas Prices and the Credit Crunch
Sirius and XM Satellite await final government approval of their merger. Average gas prices rise to a new record high, prompting accusations of price gouging.
News Release
House Investigates Calls for “Net Neutrality”
Today the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Internet will hold a hearing on the Internet Freedom Preservation Act…
Newsletter
A Cooler Climate, Microsoft Drops Yahoo and Farm Subsidies
A new study in the journal Nature predicts a cooler climate than previously thought. Microsoft drops its bid to acquire Yahoo. Reporters identify more than…
News Release
“Future of the Internet” at Stake in Senate
Tomorrow the Senate Commerce Committee assesses “The Future of the Internet.” Among the most controversial issues is proposed federal regulation of broadband network…
Newsletter
Paulson’s Plan, International Competition and New Leadership at FTC
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s plan to reform oversight of financial markets sparks intense debate. U.S. capital markets lose ground to international competitors. President Bush appoints…
Newsletter
Gun Rights, Spitzer’s Legal Legacy and Economic Stimulus
The Supreme Court prepares to hear a challenge to Washington, D.C.’s city-wide ban on handguns. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer officially resigns from office today…
News Release
Economic “Stimulus” Policies Trapped in the Past
Washington, D.C., February 21, 2008 — The economic stimulus package recently passed by Congress and signed by President Bush will do little to improve…
Staff & Scholars
Richard Morrison
Senior Fellow
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Jessica Melugin
Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation
- Antitrust
- Innovation
- Media, Speech and Internet Freedoms
Alex Reinauer
Research Fellow
- Antitrust
- Innovation
- Tech and Telecom