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Blog
Jimmy Kimmel and the FCC: No time for equal time
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “equal time” rule aims to foster competing voices and ensure opportunities for debate. It was created in an era…
Blog
9/11 and presidential power
America is a complicated country, founded on a simple idea: no kings. Even so, nearly every president since at least John Adams has grown…
The Hill
The Movement: Meta settlement gets praise, pushback from the right
CEI’s Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin gave comments to The Hill on Meta’s settlement decision to pay out up…
Search Posts
The Daily Caller
RAWA: One Casino Billionaire’s Quest to Kill Internet Gambling
The Daily Caller covers the Restoration of America’s Wire Act and cites a paper written by Michelle Minton on the subject. Enter the…
Inside Sources
Point: Net Neutrality Bad for Consumers
The FCC’s proposed rollback of its 2015 Open Internet Order has put the term “net neutrality” back in the political zeitgeist. The phrase itself is…
News Release
CEI Commends FCC Plan to Roll Back Net Neutrality Regulations Threatening Internet Freedom
CEI commends Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's plans for rolling back harmful net neutrality regulations that hamper Internet freedom and consumer access to more…
Blog
Reason TV on the Future of Public Broadcasting
Public broadcasting should embrace the podcast and Netflix revolution for delivering content.
Blog
Public Interest Groups Urge Update of Email Privacy Protections
This week, CEI joined dozens of public interest groups, trade associations, and companies in sending a letter to Congress in support of the…
Blog
Wyoming Considers Disastrous Sales Tax Proposal
The U.S. Supreme Court made clear in the case of Quill v. North Dakota (1992) that Congress, not the individual states, has the authority to regulate…
Blog
Crash Course in Gambling Law for Would-be Attorney General Sessions
Federal law does not ban all online gambling, despite what U.S. Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions has suggested.
Blog
New Congress Needs to Modernize Tech Policy
With respect to tech and telecom, lawmakers should avoid imposing new mandates and prohibitions in response to new technologies that might seem threatening, absent exceptional…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Internet Sales Tax Shakedown and Legal Graft
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Jessica Melugin and Trevor Burrus discuss freedom from bureaucracy online and political corruption.
Blog
Dueling Narratives on the AT&T-Time Warner “Mega Merger”
This weekend AT&T and Time Warner announced a merger deal and it didn't take long for critics on the left to begin making concerned statements…
Blog
Senators Examine Internet Naming Authority
This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts will hold a hearing entitled “Protecting Internet Freedom: Implications…
Blog
Politics and Economics Collide with Pokémon Go
It seems strange to think it’s been barely a week since Pokémon Go became the dominant pop culture phenomenon of the summer. Publications better known…
Blog
New York Legislature Piles on Fines for Home-Share Listings
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently reviewing legislation recently passed by the state’s Senate and Assembly that would establish new penalties for advertising one’s…
Blog
Wireless Net Neutrality: You Were Warned
Hundreds of people have been burrowing into this week’s D.C. District Court of Appeals 2-1 decision giving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) everything it wanted…
Blog
FCC Cannot Rewrite Federal Law to Regulate the Internet
By upholding the entirety of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Open Internet Order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has sanctioned the…
Blog
Congress Must Rein in FCC on Net Neutrality
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the FCC’s 2015 “Open Internet Order” in US Telecom Association v. FCC.
Blog
“Open Internet” Ruling Will Encourage ISPs to Block Content
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “Open Internet Order” which purports to implement “net neutrality”…
Argus Leader
Online sales tax coming to your inbox
Argus Leader discusses the online sales tax with CEI's Jessica Melugin. In a letter to Congress in 2013, groups such as Americans for…
Blog
Permanent Moratorium on Internet Taxation in Customs Bill
Today the Senate voted 75-20 in favor of the conference report accompanying H.R. 644, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, the so-called customs…
Blog
PITFA a Poor Hostage for Internet Sales Taxes
Despite the premise of many a political cartoon, U.S. senators aren’t stupid. But a few of them are hoping to bamboozle at least 60 of their…
Blog
Net Neutrality Questions FCC Commissioners Need to Answer
In a House Energy & Commerce Committee oversight hearing on Tuesday, November 17, all five Federal Communications Commissioners will testify. Net neutrality, the FCC’s broad push…
Blog
What Will a Chaffetz Speakership Mean for Internet Freedom? Part 2
Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz recently threw his hat in the ring in a bid to replace Speaker John Boehner, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s…
Blog
What Will a Chaffetz Speakership Mean for Internet Freedom?
With House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) gaffe regarding the Benghazi investigation, the race to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appears much more open. Days later,…
Simple Justice
The Public Accommodation Formerly Known As SJ
Simple Justice cites CEI`s Hans Bader on the Americans with Disabilities Act: Walter Olson, at Overlawyered, here and here, Amy Alkon…
Blog
Marketplace Fairness Act Is More about Tax Revenue and Rent-Seeking than Fairness
Yesterday, Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wy.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) reintroduced the speciously named Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) in the…
Comment
CEI, ICLE, TechFreedom File Comments with FCC in MVPD Definition Proceeding
Full Document Available in PDF In this proceeding, the Commission proposes to expand the definition of a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD)…
MSNBC
Why the FCC’s Vote to Regulate the Internet Is a Mistake
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to regulate Internet providers as public utilities under a 1934 law. President Obama celebrated…
Blog
Besting a Billionaire: How a Grassroots Campaign Stopped a Ban on Internet Gambling
This week we get to say goodbye to the 113th Congress. For those who believe in free markets and individual liberty, it was a doozy.
Blog
Why the Supreme Court’s Aereo Decision Protects Creators without Endangering the Cloud
This post was coauthored by Geoffrey Manne and Ben Sperry of the International Center for Law and Economics. It originally appeared at Truth on…
Forbes
Art, Free Speech, Hypocrisy, Tightie-Whities, and Teenage Tantrums
Welcome to the culture wars’ latest opera buffa. In recent weeks, Wellesley College has been embroiled in a raging controversy over …. a lifelike statue…
Orange County Register
Yelp, TripAdvisor: Inside the ratings game
“It’s not an easy problem,” says Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. “If…
Forbes
Gay Marriage, Polygamy, Bestiality, Abortion, Infanticide, Pot, Foie Gras, Plastic Bags, Big Gulps and Democracy
Consider the following list: 1) Marry someone of your same gender, 2) join a harem, 3) have sex with your donkey, 4) kill your baby the…
Forbes
Petraeus: Poster child for email privacy
Nojeim’s group, meanwhile, is playing a leading role in the Digital Due…
News Release
Future of Video Forecast: Sunny, With a Chance of Regulation
Washington, D.C., June 26, 2012 — Tomorrow morning, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing…
Tech News World
Twitter CEO’s Tweet-Blocking Defense: It’s Just Business
Tech News World
Ryan Radia: SOPA could change the way the internet works
SOPA could change the way the internet works. Now, some of the biggest websites in the world like Google and Wikipedia are going dark in…
Letters
Coalition Letter Urges House Judiciary Committee to Consider Implications of SOPA
Full Document Available in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute, TechFreedom, Americans…
CNET
SOPA’s Most Aggressive Defender: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Yahoo! News
FCC Net Neutrality Rules Take Effect, Experts Doubt Longevity
Tech Liberation
Why SOPA Threatens the DMCA Safe Harbor
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a controversial bill before the House of Representatives aimed at combating “rogue websites,” isn’t just about criminal, foreign-based…
E Week
Security Experts Blast House Anti-Piracy Bill’s DNS Filtering Provisions
E Week
Republicans, Democrats, Google, and Church of Sweden Unite to Halt Hollywood
CNET
SOPA Bill Won’t Make U.S. a ‘Repressive Regime,’ Democrat Says
CNET
Showdown Looms Over Stop Online Piracy Act
CNET
Google, Facebook to Congress: Don’t Expect Us to Police Piracy
CNET
Stopping Piracy or Censorsing the Web? Groups Lash Out Over Bill
CNET
Lawless Net Neutrality vs. the “Resolution of Disapproval”
Today, the U.S. Senate takes up S.J.Res.6, the FCC Internet and Broadband Resolution of Disapproval, for up to four hours of debate. The controversy…
CNET
MrFuddlesticks, the Renton Police Department and Online Civil Liberties
In the last two decades, the Internet has revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize. Unfortunately, our legal system has yet to adapt to the…
Pittsburgh Live
Request for Social Media Curbs in Britain Spark Debate
Letters
Letter to Senate Committee on C.S.T. on Cable Prices and the Consumer Price Index
We write to share with you our analysis of the idea of a la carte regulation of cable television channels, in which you have shown…
News Release
Free Market Think Tank Urges House to Reject Patriot Act Extension
Washington, D.C., February 8, 2011 – Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on an extension of three provisions of the Patriot…
News Release
FCC Presses Forward With Destructive Net Neutrality Rules
Washington, D.C., December 1, 2010—This morning, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the Commission will vote on net neutrality rules during…
News Release
The Open Internet and Lessons from the Ma Bell Era
Washington, D.C., August 19, 2010 — Earlier this week, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart summed up the debate over net neutrality by stating, “On one…
Newsletter
Kagan Confirmed, Ford Motor’s Finances and Critiquing Obama’s Economic Policy
The U.S. Senate confirms Elena Kagan to be the next member of the Supreme Court. President Obama announced a $250 million government loan to Ford…
Newsletter
A Beer Stimulus, Comcast Merger Questions and Urban Beekeeping
A proposed “Beer Stimulus Bill” would reduce the federal excise tax that small brewers must pay. Yesterday lawmakers conducted a field hearing questioning “Who Benefits?”…
Pittsburgh Live
Wayne Crews on Cybersecurity and the Presidential “Kill Switch”
Competitive Enterprise Institute Director of Technology Studies Wayne Crews discusses the need for a decentralized and competitive approach of cybersecurity.
News Release
FCC’s Destructive Inquiry Demands Congressional Action
Reactions by Competitive Enterprise Institute telecom policy analysts Ryan Radia and Wayne Crews on the Federal Communications Commission's Notice of Inquiry on broadband regulatory classification.
News Release
Lieberman-Collins Bill Threatens Cybersecurity, Internet Freedom
Contacts: Ryan Radia, 202-331-2281 Lieberman-Collins Bill Threatens Cybersecurity, Internet Freedom Statement by Wayne Crews Vice President for Policy…
Newsletter
Internet Gambling, Carbon Regulations and FDA’s Energy Drink Crackdown
Restrictions on Internet gambling go into effect this week. The Senate will soon vote on Lisa Murkowski’s resolution to stop the EPA from regulating carbon…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, FCC’s “Future of Media” Project and Another Fannie Mae Bailout
Sen. Lindsey Graham withdraws his support for climate legislation co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. The Federal Communications Commission is launching a “Future…
Comment
CEI Comments to the FCC on the “Future of Media” Inquiry
Full Document Available in PDF FCC’s “Future of Media” Campaign vs. Separation of Speech and State The Duty to Expand Communications Liberty…
News Release
The First Amendment Doesn’t Need a Bailout
Washington, D.C., May 10, 2010—In recently-submitted regulatory comments, the Competitive Enterprise Institute urged the Federal Communications Commission to take a stand against government interference…
Forbes
FTC Should Green-Light Google-AdMob Deal
Google competes in many markets, but its most pressing threat comes not from a rival but from antitrust authorities. The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly…
Newsletter
Comcast v. FCC, Chemical Scares and Eminent Domain
The U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision in Comcast v. FCC limits the FCC’s power to enforce net neutrality. Time magazine publishes a list of “household…
Washington Examiner
FCC summit pushes broadband for all, spending unused stimulus
The Washington Examiner discusses the FCC's Digital Inclusion Summit with Wayne Crews and Ryan Radia. The Competitive Enterprise Institute's Wayne Crews and Ryan…
Ecomerce Times
Europe Sets Antitrust Sights on Google Search
Tech News World
FCC Aims to Haul Digital Have-Nots Across the Divide
Tech News World
FCC Calls for Faster Internet in the U.S.
Internet access is not a right. It is a privilege; one that we pay for. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, while not explicitly demanding high-speed…
News Release
Government Should Give Comcast-NBC Deal a Chance
Today both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are holding hearings on the proposed merger between NBC Universal and Comcast…
Newsletter
Climate Hearings, Blocking Net Neutrality and ‘Astroturf’ Lobbying
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds a hearing on proposed climate legislation. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduces a bill into the house to…
News Release
Net Neutrality Rules Depress Investment, Reduce Competition
On Thursday, October 22, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would put government, rather than consumers and…
Tech News World
Letter to the Editor: Net Neutrality Has Many Facets, Some of Them Known
Your editorial explains congestion problems that will hamper the Internet under net neutrality regulations. In addition to that, technological innovation will also be stifled…
The Wall Street Journal
Letter to the Editor: Net Neutrality Has Many Facets, Some of Them Known
Mr. Jenkins suggests that Google would likely "shriek" if a startup were to mount its servers inside the network of a telecom provider. Google already…
NZ Herald
Web Users Applaud US Watchdog’s Neutrality
The NZ Herald discusses net neutrality with Wayne Crews. "Agencies should not pick sides between content and infrastructure providers in disputes over pricing,…
News Release
Think Tank Calls For FCC Neutrality
On Monday morning, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced new “network neutrality” rules governing Internet providers, including wireless companies. …
Washington Examiner
Facebook Changes Privacy Policy to Appease Canadians
Facebook made headlines late last month when it overhauled its privacy policy, which governs the site's practices regarding user data. The move followed months of…
Washington Examiner
What do ‘Cybersecurity Emergency’ Powers Mean for the Internet
Could President Obama soon gain the power to shut down the Internet? This is a question that has vexed security experts, legal scholars, and…
News Release
Breaking News: Bill to Give Obama ‘Cybersecurity Emergency’ Powers
Breaking News: Bill to Give Obama ‘Cybersecurity Emergency’ Powers Experts Warned Against Dangers of Gov’t Control of Private Networks Washington, D.C., August 28,…
Comment
Comments on the FDA’s Draft Guidance for Industry, Presenting Risk Information In Prescription Drug and Medical Device Promotion
In comments on an FDA draft guidance document for drug industry advertising, CEI challenged the agency to bring its “1960s approach to prescription drug advertising…
Washington Examiner
Is Google Book Deal a Threat to Privacy?
October 7 is shaping up to be a big day for bookworms. On that day, a federal judge is expected to rule on a…
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…
Comment
CEI Comments on National Broadband Plan for Our Future
Full Document Available in PDF The Federal Communications Commission faces one of the most significant undertakings in its history with the…
Washington Examiner
Hulu.com May Be Target of Antitrust Attack
Newsletter
Sen. Specter, Internet Advertising and Broadcast Obscenity
Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announces his decision to change parties, increasing the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. The Federal Trade Commission threatens Internet…
Family Security Matters
Holdren as White House Science Advisor
Newsletter
Genachowski for FCC, Obama Meets with Gordon Brown and the Threat of a Carbon Tax
President Obama nominates technology advisor Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits the White House to discuss international…
Wall Street Journal
Do You Want a New Internet?
Wall Street Journal cites Wayne Crews's on Internet regulation. On the Technology Liberation Front, Adam Thierer suggests another option: “splinternets.” Clyde Wayne Crews…
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
Statement on the Nomination of Julius Genachowski to Be Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style…
Newsletter
Climate War with Canada, Net Neutrality and Hollywood’s Eco-Horror
American University professor James Lee predicts that global warming will lead to a military conflict between the U.S. and Canada. Google fields criticism over its…
Newsletter
Obama’s Public Works, FCC Diversity Mandates and the Auto Bailout
President-elect Obama promises the largest spending program on public works programs since the 1950s. Obama tech advisor Henry Rivera endorses a proposal to expand minority…
Newsletter
E-voting, the Fairness Doctrine and Economic Unrest in Ecuador
Problems with electronic voting machines are reported in several states. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) argues for the re-imposition of the “Fairness Doctrine” for TV and…
Wall Street Journal
the prospect of a national “Technology Czar”
Newsletter
Internet Censorship, Reforming Fannie and Freddie and Free Trade with Colombia
American tech companies announce new guidelines for doing business in nations threatened by censorship. Lawmakers urge embattled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to…
Newsletter
Mortgage Madness, Media Diversity and World Car Free Day
The bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is attacked as unfair to responsible consumers. The Federal Communication Commission considers reinstating the “Fairness…
Op-Eds
Minot Line
Over the past decade, the Internet has given new life to one of the oldest forms of media: the urban legend. Sometimes an…
Newsletter
Hurricane Damage, Wind Power and Comcast in the Crosshairs
Florida residents watch the shifting course of Tropical Storm Fay. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils a plan to build a series of windmills…
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
Video Gamers Win in Court, Free Speech on Campus and the Impact of Biofuels
The state of California is ordered to pay video game makers $280,000 in legal fees over an unconstitutional law that sought to restrict game sales.
Newsletter
Obama on Offshore Drilling, Tobacco Lawyer Goes to Prison and Video Game Violence
Sen. Barack Obama changes his position on offshore oil drilling. One of the nation’s richest attorneys begins a prison sentence for bribery. The government of…