Whether it is lifting net neutrality regulations, allowing AI to reach its full potential to benefit mankind, educating policy makers about content moderation, clearing legacy regulations at the Federal Communications Commission, advocating for greater spectrum efficiency, or defending business practices that benefit consumers but are disliked by antitrust enforcers, CEI punches above its weight. Coalition activity, relationships with tech and telecom journalists, media appearances, policy events, Capitol Hill outreach, op-eds, and in-depth studies combine to make CEI influential in the tech and telecom policy area.
Tech and Telecom Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
Time’s up for the equal time rule
Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines “anachronism” as a person or thing that is chronologically out of place, “especially: one from a former age that is…
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…
Blog
How valuable will anonymous comments be to the Ferguson FTC?
Comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its “Inquiry on Tech Censorship” are due next month on May 21, 2025, and the public has…
Search Posts
News Release
CEI: Dept. of Justice is Right to Challenge Legality of California “Net Neutrality” Law
The Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against the state of California, claiming the state’s newly-signed law regarding “net neutrality” seeks to regulate interstate…
Linux Insider
Despite Emmys, Road Ahead Is Bumpy for Streaming Services
Linux Insider cited CEI’s Research Fellow and Regulatory Council Ryan Radia on streaming services. “Wireless networks regularly suffer from congestion, including when too…
Multichannel News
FCC Approves 5G Rollout-Related Reforms
Multichannel News cited CEI on FCC 5G reforms. “The FCC’s plan to cut red tape is a step in the right direction for…
News Release
CEI Commends FCC Vote to Streamline 5G Buildout – America’s Next Generation of Wireless Technology
Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted to streamline the buildout of 5G infrastructure, America’s next generation of wireless technology. The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Jessica Melugin,…
Washington Examiner
13 State Reps To Meet With Justice Department On Antitrust Action Against Social Media Giants
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s joint letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. A group of technology activists and think tanks recently …
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Requesting Restraint on Social Media Bias Action
We write to express our concern over your plans to convene a meeting of state attorneys general later this month “to discuss a growing concern…
Washington Examiner
Conservatives To Jeff Sessions: Attacking Facebook Will Empower ‘President Elizabeth Warren’
Washington Examiner cited CEI missive letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Suppose that, after years of President Elizabeth Warren tweeting…
Fox News
Sessions Urged Not To Go After Social Media Companies By Technology Activists
Fox News cited CEI’s Vice President For Strategy and Senior Fellow Iain Murray on social media letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In a …
News Release
CEI Applauds Sensenbrenner Bill to Stem Fallout from Supreme Court Decision on Internet Sales Tax
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the Online Sales Simplicity and Small Business Relief Act of 2018 today, aimed at protecting taxpayers and online entrepreneurs from…
The Hill
If a Conservative Facebook is Such a Good Idea, Why Hasn’t it Happened?
Donald Trump Jr. has joined in his father’s attacks on social media — but with a twist. He told Axios that “if a Trump supporter…
Blog
Ditch Antitrust Regulation in Favor of Competing Bigness
The Federal Trade Commission (born in 1914, fathered by Woodrow Wilson) is hosting a series of hearings and discussions on “Competition and Consumer Protection…
Politico
Real Talk on Capital Gains
Politico cited CEI’s platform economy video. CEI has a new video out today “extolling the benefits of the modern digital ‘platform…
PJ Media
Here’s Why Bureaucrats See a Lethal Threat in the ‘Platform Economy’
PJ Media cited CEI’s platform economy video. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has a great new video out explaining why the Platform Economy —…
The Sun
Online Firms Like Amazon Face Higher Taxes to Help Struggling High Streets, Philip Hammond Hints, but Will it Put Up Prices?
The Sun cited Associate Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation Jessica Melugin on Internet Sales Tax. “But experts have warned that…
Blog
Real Sin for Social Media Companies Not ‘Censorship,’ but Getting into Bed with Government
Social media outlets have been filled with commentary this week about the decisions by Apple, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify to remove content created by…
The Joint Economic Committee
Ryan Radia Testifies Before the Joint Economic Committee in Congress on Digital Trade
Ryan Radia, Research Fellow and Regulatory Counsel, gave testimony before the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee on the need for U.S.
Forbes
Networking and Automation are Upending the Scholarly Study of Entrepreneurship
The changing nature of work via the sharing economy, automation and networking is one among a profusion of variables (such as economic liberty) affecting modern…
Comment
Testimony of Ryan Radia: The Need for U.S. Leadership on Digital Trade
Chairman Paulsen, Ranking Member Heinrich, and Members of the Committee, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify before you today. My name is…
Blog
Driving Innovation: Timbro Index Charts Scope of Global Sharing Economy
The Swedish think tank Timbro has published the first global index of the sharing economy. The Timbro Sharing Economy Index (TSEI) is the…
Letters
CEI Joins NTU Coalition Letter in Support of House Judiciary Committee’s Wayfair Hearing
On behalf of the millions of citizens represented by the undersigned organizations, we commend you for holding a hearing to address the critical issue of…
Comment
Testimony of Jessica Melugin on the Supreme Court’s Wayfair Decision for the House Judiciary Committee
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. I am Jessica Melugin, Associate Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation and the Competitive Enterprise…
Law360
State AGs, ABA Press High Court Over Google Privacy Deal
Law360 cited CEI’s Ted Frank and Melissa Holyoak on the Supreme Court privacy settlement with Google. Petitioners Theodore H. Frank and Melissa Ann Holyoak…
Blog
European Regulators Wrong on Google Fine, Wrong on Antitrust Policy
Dominance and popularity are not the same as a coercive monopoly. The European Commission is behaving in protectionist fashion, not in a manner benefitting consumers,…
Blog
Justice Department Shouldn’t Second-Guess Shareholders in T-Mobile-Sprint Merger
T-Mobile and Sprint—the third and fourth largest mobile carriers in the United States, respectively—are in the process of merging into a single company…
News Release
CEI: Consumers Will Suffer if AT&T-Time Warner Merger is Delayed or Scuttled
Yesterday, the Department of Justice appealed a courts’ decision to approve the AT&T-Time Warner merger in a filing with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Blog
A Quick Lesson in Antitrust: Netflix and Comcast
Every time a major corporate merger is announced, pundits predictably warn of impending doom if regulators allow it to happen. Yet, pundits and regulators don’t know any…
News Release
Supreme Court Refuses to Consider If Searching Internet IPs Requires Warrant
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is disappointed that the Supreme Court has refused to consider if the government can search what websites a person accesses online…
Automotive News
Can Regulators Keep up with the Pace of Self-Driving Tech?
Automotive News cited Marc Scribner on self-driving vehicles, standards, safety technologies and regulations. “This goes well beyond the types of technology NHTSA has…
Fox Business
VIDEO: Jessica Melugin Discusses South Dakota v. Wayfair Ruling on Fox Business
Associate director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Jessica Melugin, discusses the Supreme Court’s disappointing…
The New York Times
Supreme Court’s Wayfair Decision Will Hurt Online Shopping
Thursday’s Supreme Court decision has changed how states can tax online shopping. In South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., the court upheld a state law that…
News Release
CEI Commends Supreme Court’s Decision Protecting Carpenter Against Unreasonable Search
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Timothy Carpenter in Carpenter v. United States, finding that the government violated his Fourth Amendment protection against…
Blog
Supreme Court Devastates Small Online Businesses and Consumers in South Dakota v. Wayfair
Today’s Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair is extremely disappointing and will likely cost online sellers and consumers dearly. Stopping state regulatory…
News Release
CEI on Supreme Court’s Wayfair Ruling That Will Devastate Small Online Businesses and Consumers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today cuts against the longstanding American ideal of “no taxation without representation.” This ruling will devastate many small online businesses,…
Forbes
Universal Basic Income: What’s The Plural Of Apocalypse?
Is homo sapiens, in the final analysis, a being incapable of living unless supported by a universal basic income (UBI)? One of the mounting threats…
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Keeping the Internet Sales Tax at Bay
Bad Internet sales tax legislation (mercifully) continues to stall in Congress. Pro-tax expansionists like Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) made a big political push to tie…
Blog
Keep Entrepreneurs Free from Internet Sales Taxes
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a new video on Internet sales taxes in which Center for Technology and Innovation Associate Director Jessica Melugin…
News Release
CEI Commends Judge’s Approval of AT&T-Time Warner Deal in Antitrust Lawsuit
Today, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon approved the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Judge Leon rejected the Justice Department’s argument in its antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking…
Blog
Putting the Net Neutrality Scare Stories to Rest
Today is the first day of the Internet operating under the Federal Communications Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO), which was adopted last December but is…
France24
Heightened Debate in US as EU Privacy Rules Take Effect
France24 cited Ryan Radia on the market conditions created by GDPR. Ryan Radia of the Competitive Enterprise Institute said that although GDPR…
The Daily Caller
Facebook And Google Accused Of Violating Europe’s New Law On The First Day
The Daily Caller cited Ryan Radia on the impact of GDPR in enabling favorable market conditions to the dismay of small businesses. “The…
Daily Mail
Heightened Debate in US as EU Privacy Rules Take Effect
DailyMail cited Ryan Radia on the market conditions generated by GDPR likely favoring large business to the dismay of start-ups and small firms.
News Release
CEI Report: Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation Costs Everyone, Provides Little
In a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report released today, CEI’s regulatory counsel and technology policy expert Ryan Radia argues that the EU’s new privacy rules…
Study
European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and Lessons for U.S. Privacy Policy
The European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which enters into effect on May 25, 2018, is the most significant policy change regarding data…
News Release
Net Neutrality Regulations Are Harmful, Unnecessary, and Unconstitutional
Today, the Senate passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution, expressing disapproval of the Federal Communications Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order. The resolution is an…
Blog
Congressional Review Act Wrong Way to Legislate on Net Neutrality
On Wednesday, May 16, the Senate is expected to vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval that purports to undo…
Blog
Charting the Telecom Future with Free State Foundation
Our friends at the Free State Foundation recently held their 10th Annual Telecom Policy Conference here in Washington, D.C., and the proceedings covered the…
News Release
Net Neutrality Regulations Are Not Neutral, Harm Innovators and Consumers
A group of Senators are pushing for a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commissions’ (FCC) Restoring Internet…
Blog
Big Senate Net Neutrality Vote Coming Soon
The debate over net neutrality is heating up again this week, as Democrats in the Senate attempt to overturn new rules adopted by the…
Study
Platform Economy Bibliography
View Full Document as PDF It is hardly news that the growth of the online economy has upended a wide array of…
Blog
How to Encourage Tech Competition: Deregulate Finance
It’s May Day, and in the pages of the New York Times appears a paean to the halcyon days of the 1930s, urging a…
Staff & Scholars
Jessica Melugin
Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation
- Antitrust
- Innovation
- Media, Speech and Internet Freedoms
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government