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
Camelot and misuse of the public interest
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has used the Communications Act’s public interest obligation to pressure broadcast licensees. This includes threatening ABC over…
Reason
5 Legal Reforms To Consider as Government Officials Lean on Critics
Reason cited CEI’s expert in new study on broadcasting regulation Also making that point is the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Brian A. Rankin in a …
News Release
New CEI paper: FCC should stop regulating news content
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has long used its role in licensing spectrum to broadcast television and radio stations to regulate those outlets under the…
Search Posts
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Global Warming and Organized Labor
Congress considers a bill to fund new cybersecurity initiatives. In the wake of ClimateGate, climate change alarmists are now having to defend the scholastic integrity…
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…
News Release
Don’t Turn Cybersecurity into a Bureaucracy; Enhance Private Sector Practices
Today the House of Representatives is considering HR 4061, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act. A solid Cybersecurity Enhancement Act might read “Title I: Stop losing federal…
Statesman
McCaul Pushes Cybersecurity Bill in Congress
Statesman discusses the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act with Wayne Crews. Wayne Crews, vice president for policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, issued a statement critical…
News Release
Report Card for the Obama Administration
One year ago today, Barack Obama took the oath of office as President of the United States. Since then, he and his appointees have had…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 100: Posting YouTube Videos
The Italian government is considering making it illegal for its citizens to post videos on the Internet without a license.
Newsletter
Net Neutrality, the War on Salt and Beach House Insurance
The Federal Communications Commission receives thousands of comments on its proposed “net neutrality” regulations. New York City public health officials launch a campaign to reduce…
Letters
Coalition Letter on Conrad-Gregg
Full Letter Available in PDF CFA and ATR have joined forces with numerous groups representing…
Comment
Net Neutrality Comment to the FCC: Net Neutrality vs “BandWealth”
Full Document Available in PDF On Thursday, October 22, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)…
Blog
TSA Security Playset
The Playmobil Security Check Point has experienced a new surge in popularity (so much so that it is currently out of stock) on Amazon in…
News Release
FCC ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules Endanger a Truly Open Internet
FCC ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules Endanger a Truly Open Internet Watchdog Group Warns Against Internet Regulation, Urges “Agency Neutrality” in FCC Filing Washington, D.C.,…
Blog
A French Kiwi wine? New Zealand and Australia say “non”
Nice article in the Wall Street Journal today by Anne Jolis on a trademark brouhaha between France and Australia that highlights some…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 97: Full Body Scans and Child Protection Laws
Sometimes, when two regulations love each other much, they get together and have little baby regulations. This is happening right now in Britain.
Statesman
Change We Can Really Believe In
Over the last century, America has lurched down a path toward statism. And Presidents Bush and Obama accelerated the expansion of government power by…
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: November – December 2009
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles from the November-December 2009 issue: …
Newsletter
EPA in Court, Anti-Terrorism Policies and the Hidden Health Care Tax
Recent greenhouse gas regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency are sparking legal opposition. Security agencies respond to a suspected terrorist incident onboard a Detroit-bound…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 87: The Volume of TV Commercials
The House passed the Commercial Loudness Act on Wednesday. If it becomes law, the FCC would control the volume level of television commercials.
Blog
The Big Business of Illegal Gambling
Tonight at 9pm CNBC will investigate the horrors of illegal gambling . It will doubtlessly delve into the shady underground economy of gambling, where…
San Francisco Business Times
Intel and FTC Trade Punches While Rivals Cheer
News Release
FTC Suit Against Intel Misguided and Uninformed
Today the Federal Trade Commission filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corporation. The suit, which accuses Intel of violating Section 5 of…
E-Commerce Times
Microsoft Agrees to Help Europeans Pick a Browser
E-Commerce Times discusses the European Commissions antitrust case against Microsoft with Wayne Crews. "Microsoft never had any power to prevent choice at all," Wayne…
Washington Examiner
Feds Should Free up Airwaves to Spur Wireless Growth
Every time you make a cell phone call, send a text message, or visit a website on your smartphone, you are using the airwaves. Collectively…
Blog
“Big Media” Critics Miss the Big Picture on Comcast-NBC Deal
Media watchdogs are having a fit this week over the announced agreement between Comcast and NBC Universal. Under this deal, Comcast will hold 51%…
News Release
Banks, Credit Companies Get Brief Reprieve From Crushing Federal Regulation of Internet Gambling
Banks, Credit Companies Get Brief Reprieve From Crushing Federal Regulation of Internet Gambling Taxpayers Face $20 Million Cost to Enforce…
Blog
“I Can’t See the Objection”
The National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind are seeking a preliminary injunction in federal court to stop…
Newsletter
Health Care Costs, Online Privacy and Workplace Safety
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announces a cost estimate for major new health care legislation. The Members of the House Commerce Committee hold a hearing…
Blog
Making Broadband Accessible: Innovation, Not Intervention
FCC regulators want to provide wider and cheaper broadband access by subsidizing it, raising taxes, and forcing network owners to share their network infrastructure with…
News Release
Congress Meddling in Online Privacy Protection May Backfire, Harm Consumers
Washington, D.C., November 18, 2009—A House subcommittee on Thursday will take a step closer to inserting government as the arbiter of consumer…
Blog
Wireless Customers Don’t Like Variable Billing
The Sunday New York Times ran an article over the weekend that digs into the apparent madness behind cell phone and wireless mobile service…
Blog
DOJ Asks For News Site’s Visitor Info
Declan McCullagh is reporting that earlier this year the Department of Justice subpoenaed the left-of-center news aggregation site Indymedia.us for information including visitor lists…
Blog
Andrew Cuomo Sues Intel
Over at the Washington Examiner's Opinion Zone, Wayne Crews and I explain why New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's antitrust lawsuit against Intel is a…
Washington Examiner
Andrew Cuomo Should Leave Intel Alone
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced on November 4 that he is suing Intel for antitrust violations. Cuomo’s lawsuit is a mistake. He…
Blog
Intel Settles With AMD
Intel and AMD have announced a settlement in their 4-year legal antitrust battle. As per the agreement, Intel will pay AMD $1.25 billion, an…
Blog
Free Government Money: Broadband Edition
As part of the America Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, congress has set aside $7.2 billion for Obama’s national broadband plan. It should come…
Blog
Cell Phones, Cancer, and Certainty
Every dollar and every hour of researchers' time spent on lessening cancer risks from cell phones is money and time not spent curing heart disease,…
Blog
Sen. Amy Klobuchar Criticizes Verizon, Ignores Wireless Industry Realities
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is once again proving that she has no understanding of either the wireless phone industry, the rationale behind contract law,…
Blog
European Regulators Target Another American Tech Company
The European Commission is once again targeting an American tech company with an antitrust investigation. This time the EC has its sights set on…
Forbes
Sued for Success
Computer chip maker Intel is back in court. On Wednesday, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against…
Newsletter
Intel v. Antitrust, U.S. Chamber Caves on Energy and Accounting for Unfunded Mandates
New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo files an antitrust lawsuit against Intel. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce caves into to special interest pressure on energy…
The Guardian
Intel Struggles Against Rising Tide of Accusations
The Guardian discusses the case against Intel with Wayne Crews. Calling Cuomo's case a "baseless attack", CEI official Wayne Crews suggested that Intel's dominance…
Blog
NY Attorney General Files Antitrust Suit Against Intel
Intel does not enjoy government protection of its market share, nor does it operate in a vacuum, immune from discipline if if its rebates are…
Blog
Nvidia Rumored to Compete in Supposedly Uncompetitive Market
Rumors abound that graphics chip maker Nvidia is getting set to enter the x86 processor market. Recall that, according to AMD’s lawyers, the…
News Release
Think Tank Blasts Cuomo’s Witch Hunt Against Intel
Washington, D.C., November 4, 2009—Today New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corporation. The suit, which accuses…
PC World
NY Intel Antitrust Lawsuit Gets Mixed Reviews
PC World discusses the antitrust lawsuit against Intel with Wayne Crews. "Let's remember what abusive monopoly power is supposed to mean: reduced quantity…
Blog
MPAA: Net Neutrality Will Kill Film Industry
The Motion Picture Association of America has come out against net neutrality… sort of. In its filing with the FCC[PDF] late last week,…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Tariffs and Union Elections
The Department of Homeland Security opens a new operations center to battle cyber attacks. The federal government continues to add tariffs to inexpensive consumer goods…
Blog
Net Neutrality Not Needed: New BitTorrent Version Throttles Itself
TorrentFreak reports that a new “network-aware” version of the BitTorrent protocol is being beta-tested. The new client, µTorrent 2.0 or µTP, will be able…
Blog
Government Incompetence Costs Woman Her Job
Wired reports that a Maryland woman recently lost her job due to an error in the FBI’s criminal database. Eschol Amelia “Amy” Studnitz, formerly…
Blog
Taxes without Borders
This month's issue of Info Tech & Telecom News contains an article by yours truly on certain states' attempts to collect sales taxes from out-of-state…
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…
Blog
Obama Signs Hate-Crimes Bill Into Law; Critics Say It Circumvents Constitutional Safeguards Against Double Jeopardy
Today, President Obama signed into law a bill that will dramatically expand the federal hate crimes law, enabling prosecutors to bring federal charges against…
Blog
Another Bill to Block Net Neutrality
Net Neutrality’s opponents are fighting back. Last week it was John McCain’s “Internet Freedom Act,” and yesterday, Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced…
Blog
Competition in Wireless Communication: Android Edition
The New York Times reports that several cell phone manufacturers are turning to Google’s free operating system, Android, to run on their upcoming smartphone…
Newsletter
Web Giants Battle over Networks, Obama on Climate and New Financial Regulations
Google and AT&T battle over web rules. President Obama won’t talk climate change at UN negotiations in Copenhagen. The House Financial Services Committee votes to…
Newsletter
Telecom Regulation, Maritime Recycling and the Economics Nobel
The Federal Communications Commission moves to regulate telecom networks in the name of “net neutrality.” Italian police investigate illegal disposal of “toxic” shipwrecks. Experts continue…
Blog
Sen. McCain Introduces Anti-Net Neutrality Bill
Senator John McCain introduced a bill yesterday to combat the FCC’s push for Net Neutrality. The “Internet Freedom Act of 2009” would limit the…
Blog
Net Neutrality at 28 kilobits per second.
Why didn’t the Federal Communications Commission impose net neutrality a decade ago? We don’t need all this multimedia and advanced services. They finally caught…
Newsletter
Health Care Competition, Financial Regulations in Court and Net Neutrality
The House Judiciary Committee votes to strip antitrust protections from health insurance companies who share risk information. Prominent officials and scholars endorse CEI’s Supreme Court…
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…
Blog
FTC Sets its Sights on Bloggers
In the past, guidelines have determined the kinds of research claims companies or celebrity endorsers can make about products in advertising. With the recent update,…
Ecomerce Times
Tech Heavies to FCC: Stay on Target
Blog
Regulation of the Day 61: Big Screen TVs – Mankind’s Doom!
On November 4, California regulators may vote to ban big-screen televisions. The large sets use more energy than they would prefer.
New York Times
Identity Chip Planted Under Skin Approved for Use in Health Care
The New York Times discusses implantible chips used for medical reasons with Wayne Crews. ''The fact that we're engaged in such a deep,…
Blog
DOJ Investigates IBM’s Mainframe Business
The lawyers at the US Department of Justice must be getting bored around the office. This week, antitrust regulators launched an investigation of IBM‘s…
New York Times
Feds Target Bloggers with New Disclosure Rules
Bloggers beware: Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission extended the heavy hand of government into the blogosphere (and other social media sites like…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 57: Minimum Price Agreements
A new Maryland law makes it illegal for manufacturers to set a minimum retail price for their products in sales contracts. The law is meant…
Blog
Corporate Human Rights?
Over at the Detroit News, Hans Bader and I explain why corporations have human rights despite not being human. The reason why? Transaction costs.
Blog
Net Neutrality and Rent-Seeking
Net neutrality proposals give companies the incentive to seek rents at each other’s expense when they could be benefitting from each other’s innovations instead.
New York Times
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…
Newsletter
Opposing Net Neutrality, TSA Unionizing and Banning Soft Toilet Paper
The Washington Post editorializes against the FCC’s proposed “net neutrality” regulations. The American Federation of Government Employees seeks to unionize airport safety screeners and other…
Blog
Truth-In-Labeling? Call the Federal Advertising Bureau
This week, the New America Foundation called for government-mandated “Truth-in-Labeling” from the nation’s broadband service providers. They’ve even created a mock-up of what they…
Blog
ACORN Sues Whistleblowers for Exposing Its Wrongdoing in Scandal
ACORN is now suing the whistleblowers who allegedly filmed it promoting illegal sexual activities for $2 million! And not just them, but…
Blog
The Economics of Net Neutrality
Over at the Washington Examiner's Opinion Zone, I apply what I learned back in Economics 101 to the net neutrality debate. It's all about scarcity.
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,…
Washington Examiner
Is the FCC Neutralizing Innovation?
In a major speech Monday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that one of his top policy goals is implementing network neutrality rules. That’s a sophisticated…
Newsletter
Obama on Global Warming, Blocking Net Neutrality and Car-Free Day
President Obama delivers a speech before the United Nations, saying that the U.S. is “determined to act” on global warming. Republican senators announce legislation that…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 53: Y2K
In which the case for regulatory sunset provisions is inadvertently made.
Newsletter
Net Neutrality, Treasury’s Global Warming Memos and Car-Free Day
The Federal Communications Commission plans to introduce so-called “net neutrality” regulations for ISPs, including wireless companies. Treasury Department memos estimating the cost of the White…
San Francisco Gate
Swift Response to Net Neutrality Proposals
Bloomberg Business
FCC Stirs Old Debate on ‘Net Neutrality’
Bloomberg Business quotes Wayne Crews on net neutrality. So it is hardly surprising that Genachowski's proposed new rules were immediately attacked. "Net neutrality…
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. …
Blog
Oregon DOJ Uses Copyright to Keep Public Records Behind Paywall
Imagine a state in which the public records retrieval process is so convoluted that the government needs to publish a user manual explaining how to…
Blog
Waxman Joins Markey Again to Sponsor a Terrible Bill
You know them from the cap-and-trade climate bill that failed to generate funding for Obama’s proposed health reforms. Now, they’re joining forces again. Rep. Henry…
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…
Blog
Intel Appeals Record-Breaking EU Fine
Intel accuses the Commission of having failed to prove that Intel's allegedly anticompetitive tactics actually harmed consumers in any way.
Blog
Again, U.S. Wireless Market is Intensely Competitive
More evidence that the wireless communications industry is highly competitive: Motorola is looking for more carriers for its new CLIQ smartphone. The CLIQ was…
Blog
AT&T, Content Creators Argue over “Broadband” Definition
Network owners and content providers are bumping heads again. Telecommunications giant AT&T filed comments with the FCC a couple of weeks ago urging the…
Blog
Leftist Prosecutor Tries to Censor Video Embarrassing to ACORN
ACORN, the group that helped launch Barack Obama’s career as a community organizer was recently caught in undercover stings advising about how to set up…
Blog
Outsourcing Parenting to the FCC
Ars Technica recently posed the question: Did Family Guy cause 179,997 FCC Indecency Complaints? Matt Lasar concludes that indeed it did: We go over…
Blog
Motorola, Sprint Compete in Supposedly Uncompetitive Industry
This week has been a disappointing one for critics of the wireless industry. First, Motorola launched its new CLIQ handset. The CLIQ,…
Blog
Do Corporations Have Human Rights?
Intel’s defense in its EU antitrust case has taken the surprising line that the company’s human rights were violated. Over at Real Clear Markets, CEI…
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…
Newsletter
The Not-So-Smart Grid, European Antitrust and Light Bulb Smuggling
Utilities compete for almost $4 billion of federal stimulus funds earmarked for the creation of an electrical “smart grid.” European regulators may delay the merger…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 43: Telemarketing
It is a federal offense for telemarketers to charge their customers without permission. In English, this is called stealing. Which was already against the law…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Consumer Snitching and an Insurance Downgrade
A new bill to would give the White House “cybersecurity emergency” powers. Consumer Reports magazine turns a high-performing showerhead over to the EPA for exceeding…
Washington Examiner
Slothful Bureaucracy Fails to Protect the Public
Gene Healy was right to criticize the bloated bureaucracy that is the Department of Homeland Security. Its worst feature is the Transportation Security Administration…
Blog
CEI Weekly: EPA Ponders Axing Whistleblower’s Department
CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week’s focus is on reports from InsideEPA.com that the EPA might axe…
Blog
Government gets ’emergency’ control of the internet in new Senate bill
This story just hit the Drudge Report’s front page. Declan McCullagh at CNET writes today about the…
Tech News World
Rights Groups Demand More Info on Arbitrary DHS Laptop Searches
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