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
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…
Blog
Trump’s AI plan clears the field — then occupies it
Preempting state overreach in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation is urgent — but it’s only half the job. Firm limits on federal power matter just as…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Big Tech, Europe, and free speech with Spence Purnell
In this week’s episode we cover the Supreme Court’s recent decision on tariff powers, myths of the Great Recession, and fiduciary duty…
Search Posts
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.
Newsletter
Sugar Subsidies, Housing and Video Games
An agreement over major farm legislation appears increasingly unlikely. President Bush threatens to veto a Democrat-sponsored housing bill. Controversial video game Grand Theft Auto IV…
Newsletter
National ID Cards, Green Hypocrisy and Insurance Subsidies
The Cato Institute hosts a policy forum on proposals to create a de facto national ID card. The Daily Mail profiles the hypocrisy of jet-setting…
Newsletter
Net Neutrality, Poultry Wars and Disaster Insurance
The House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee holds a hearing on proposed rules for “net neutrality.” The European Union refuses to lift a ban on the…
Citation
Internet Freedom Preservation Act
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…
Newsletter
The FCC Goes Local, Economic Woes and Gun Rights
Senators express concern over proposed FCC localism regulations. The U.S. economy avoids recession status with modest growth in the first quarter of 2008. A federal…
Newsletter
Online Privacy, Genetic Discrimination and Grand Theft Auto IV
Privacy advocates lobby for a “do-not-track” registry to regulate how online advertisers can target Internet users. The Senate passes the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act…
Comment
Comments Submitted to the Federal Communications Commission on Broadcast Localism
CEI Recommends Liberalizing Broadcast Industry…
Newsletter
Environmental Politics, Internet Gambling and Drug Imports
Regnery Publishing releases the new book The Really Inconvenient Truths: Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don't Want You to Know About--Because They Helped Cause Them. An…
Newsletter
Deforestation, Internet Regulation and Green Buildings
Senators probe the relationship between climate change and forests. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin tells a congressional hearing that there is no need for new Internet…
Newsletter
Earth Day, Net Neutrality and Beef Exports
Environmentalists around the world celebrate the 38th anniversary of Earth Day, crediting with helping launch the modern environmental movement. Senators hear testimony on future Internet…
The Business Journals
Can the F.C.C. Enforce “Network Neutrality?”
The Business Journals discusses net neutrality with Wayne Crews. "Elevating the principle of mandatory net neutrality above the principles of investor ownership and…
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
Energy Security, Local Broadcasting and Grocery Bags
Politicians call for the U.S. to achieve “energy independence”. Members of Congress caution the Federal Communications Commission against a new wave of broadcast regulation. Officials…
Blog
Legislators attack proposed FCC broadcasting rules
Over 120 members of Congress sent a letter to the FCC this week arguing against new localism mandates being considered by the Commission.
Newsletter
Financial Regulations, Greenhouse Gases and Microsoft’s Bid for Yahoo
The Treasury Department’s “blueprint” for overhauling financial regulation faces strong opposition. State governments across the country pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. News Corp. considers…
Newsletter
The Exaflood, Mortgage Bailouts and Bear Stearns
Rising demand for bandwidth-intensive Internet applications threatens to swamp existing network capacity. The Senate considers a bill to “rescue” the U.S. housing market. Senators investigate…
Blog
Wiretaps for Me, But Not for Thee
Congressman Jim McDermott, who cozied up to Saddam Hussein, opposes protecting phone companies from the multibillion dollar lawsuits that trial lawyers have brought against them for…
Blog
Some things are supposed to be private….
Anti-biotechnology activists managed to leverage sunshine laws in Europe to get the EU government to release research information that was supposed to be confidential.
Newsletter
Interest Rates, Video Games and an Economist Debate
Investors expect the Federal Reserve to enact a rare full percentage point cut in interest rates. A federal appeals court rules that Minnesota cannot fine…
Newsletter
Bandwidth Flood, Ethanol Victims and Insurance Mandates
Politicians debate the possibility of requiring Americans to purchase health insurance. Ethanol mandates continue to raise prices on agricultural producers around the country. Internet experts…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTHThe U.S. Department of Agriculture orders a recall of 143 million pounds of beef .CEI Expert…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. INTERNATIONAL President Bush receives praise for public health aid from crowds on his trip to Africa. CEI Expert Available…
News Release
CEI Files Comments on “Net Neutrality”
Washington, D.C., February 13, 2008—Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute filed public comments with the Federal Communications Commission, urging the commissioners not to regulate the…
News Release
Microsoft Could Go “Hostile” with Yahoo Offer
Washington, D.C., February 12, 2008—Yesterday, Microsoft announced that it “reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps” to present its buyout offer to Yahoo…
News Release
FTC Should Keep Mitts Off Microsoft-Yahoo Acquisition
Contact:Christine Hall , 202.331.2258 Washington, D.C., February 1, 2008— Microsoft announced today its offer to buy Yahoo! for $44 billion, a move that…
Blog
FCC on Indecency: Changing the Law After the Fact?
Language expert Bill Poser criticizes the Federal Communications Commission’s recent ruling that “ABC violated decency standards by briefly showing a woman’s naked buttocks,…
Op-Eds
Comcast in the Crosshairs
Despite Comcast's ascendancy, the cable provider remains vulnerable - yet its greatest threat is not from Baby-Bell competitors but from lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
News Release
State of the Union: Last Chance for Bush
Washington, D.C., January 28, 2008—As President Bush prepares to deliver his last State of the Union address before Congress, both the White House…
Op-Eds
Hillary’s (Video) Gamesmanship
Hillary Clinton's "It Takes a Village" approach means the Village, i.e. the government, ordering parents how to raise their kids through government mandates and regulation.
Op-Eds
FCC Leader Unnecessary
Kelley correctly concludes that there is a “vast wasteland” created by television. But while discussing her opinion, she ignores a few precious details: Waste…
News Release
Google-DoubleClick Deal Win-Win for Consumers
Washington, D.C., December 20, 2007―Today the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved Google’s acquisition of online advertising company DoubleClick, allowing the two to collaborate on…
Op-Eds
Free the Media
This story illuminates a disagreement about the state of traditional media ownership in the United States (“GAO report disputes FCC media data,” Dec. 18).
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Antitrust regulators take additional time to review the proposed purchase by Google of Internet advertising firm…
Products
CEI Planet: November – December 2007
Full Document Available in PDF The Tiger at a…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Regulators in the UK lift the ban on a video game initially forbidden for graphic content.
Study
Politically Determined Entertainment Ratings and How to Avoid Them
Full Document Available in PDF When they…
Op-Eds
FCC auction won’t help public safety
The Mercury News (Editorial, Dec. 9)argued that the FCC’s auction of the airwaves would greatly aid public safety by creating a national broadband…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Senators vote to increase the severity of fuel economy regulations. CEI Expert Available to Comment:…
Op-Eds
Keep FCC’s hands off cable television
USA TODAY's story on re-regulating cable falls short (“FCC retreats on cable regulation plan,” Money, Wednesday). Since cable was deregulated by the Federal Communications…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Shrinking deaths from weather disasters contradict predictions of extreme global warming. CEI Expert Available to…
Study
Promoting Healthy Biopharmaceutical Competition
Full Document Available in PDF The Hatch-Waxman Act, enacted by Congress 23 years ago,…
Newsletter
Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BIOTECHNOLOGY Possible regulatory reform at the Food and Drug Administration. CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior…
News Release
FCC to Vote on Cable TV Regulation
Op-Eds
TRA Should Open Bahrain to Competition
In response to “TRA seeks consumers’ comments on competition” (GDN, Nov. 14), the author described a ludicrous situation with an obvious solution. A regulatory…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Owners of iPhones sue Apple over alleged monopolistic behavior. CEI Expert Available to…
News Release
Google Critics Miss the Mark on Ad Deal
Op-Eds
Cable TV’s Monopolies
Frank Ahrens's Nov. 12 news story, “FCC Moves to Place Restrictions on Cable TV,” was highly misleading in its description of a “largely unregulated…
Op-Eds
The Frivolous iSuit
California resident Timothy Smith has sued Apple and AT&T over the iPhone, accusing them of illegal monopolistic behavior. The iPhone…
Op-Eds
Uncertain Antitrust Trajectory
The proposed XM/Sirius satellite merger — awaiting OKs from the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — represents the antitrust establishment’s latest target……
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> 1. CONGRESS Under pressure from activist groups, retail giant Target agrees to…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Ethanol stocks suffer setbacks. CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on ethanol’s claims…
Letters
Opposition to “Must Carry” Rules for Cable Operators
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Commissioners: The undersigned organizations wish to reiterate their…
Op-Eds
This just in
Mark Allen’s "FCC should face reality" [guest commentary, Nov. 8] rightly points out the negative effects of the FCC’s media-ownership rules. One not…
Op-Eds
This Just In
Mark Allen's “FCC should face reality” [guest commentary, Nov. 8] rightly points out the negative effects of the FCC's media-ownership rules. One not mentioned,…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS Members of the Senate meet this afternoon to consider the 2007 Farm Bill. CEI Expert…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BUSINESS The Federal Communication Commission prepares to overturn contracts between cable companies and apartment building managers. …
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Greenpeace attacks Apple for what it considers “toxic” components in the iPhone. CEI…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY The U.S. Chamber of Commerce investigates the privacy concerns and commercial possibilities of radio frequency…
Op-Eds
Economic Reality
Scott Cleland’s Sunday Commentary column, "Ultimate Internet gatekeeper?" described the potential Google acquisition of DoubleClick as a dire situation that would offer "no real…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY The purchase of Internet advertising firm DoubleClick by Google raises privacy concerns. CEI…
Letters
Letter in Opposition to Price Controls on Special Access Services
Full Document Available in PDF Dear FCC Chairman & Commissioners: …
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. LEGAL The Supreme Court rejects an appeal by tobacco companies in a class action lawsuit brought by…
News Release
Congress Scrutinizes Google’s Latest Purchase
Washington, D.C., September 27, 2007—Google’s proposed buyout of online advertising company DoubleClick will be getting scrutinized today by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Cities across the country cancel…
Op-Eds
Europeans Use Antitrust to Thwart Competition
The European Union’s highly politicized business environment increasingly threatens competitiveness and consumer welfare across the continent. The Court of First Instance upheld…
Letters
Request that Congress Promptly Extend the Internet Tax Freedom Act
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Member of Congress: On behalf…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Danish scientist Bjørn Lomborg garners high-profile media attention for his new book, “Cool It:…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Local governments embrace the idea of “green” building standards for new construction projects.
News Release
Will Overregulation Kill Land Line Telephones?
Contact: Christine Hall, 202.331.2258 Washington, D.C., September 6, 2007—Americans are ditching their land line phones for cell phones in favor of mobile…
Study
Keeping the Voices Alive
And the night was alive With a thousand voices Fighting to be heard And each and every one of them Connected to me. - Maury…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TELECOM Some colleges are ditching expensive landline phones in dorms, since students all have cell phones, anyway. (…
Op-Eds
Why WiFi? City Governments Should Stay Out
Back when Saturday Night Live was still funny, Lily Tomlin’s character Ernestine, the ill-mannered telephone operator, deftly parodied all that was wrong with the…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. POLITICS Congress’s approval rating plummets to an all-time low of 18 percent. CEI…
Blog
Why Wi-Fi?
David Robinson at The American said my last blog post on Wi-Fi was intriguing and asked me to write a piece for him. I can’t…
Blog
In Defense of the Prix Fixe Menu
Our old pal Peter Suderman, now writing for FreedomWorks, has a great takedown of the argument for “a la carte” cable pricing up at…
Blog
Talking About Municipal Wi-Fi on 1460 KION
Mark Carbonaro of 1460 KION had me on the “Wake Up Monterey” program yesterday morning. Here’s a clip from the segment where we talked…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONSUMER Prices for basic foodstuffs are rising sharply, driven in part by the use of corn…
Blog
Municipal Wi-Fi Stalls, Market Surges Forward
Over the last two years, San Francisco has been in negotiations with Earthlink who, in partnership with Google, has had plans to build a Wi-Fi…
Blog
Blackle: Making a Difference
The Washington Post reports that Blackle, a website by Australia-based Heap Media, is trying to “help make a difference” through a black version…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Microsoft presses the Federal Communications Commission to make broadcast spectrum available for wireless service.
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Salt Lake City attempts to keep city employees – including firefighters – from drinking bottled water, citing…
Blog
A Series of Tubes Episode 1
Introducing CEI’s weekly technology series A Series of Tubes. Cord Blomquist and Richard Morrison take a look behind the weekly headlines in tech and show…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. LEGAL Government officials in Nigeria attempt to sue drug maker Pfizer for $2 billion. CEI…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Tech consultants raise concerns that public Internet access points may pose a threat to a user’s…
Blog
Does Municipal Wi-Fi Have the Incentive for Security?
USA Today reports that most are unaware of the dangers facing them at public Wi-Fi hotspots, which brought to mind an…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS Both House and Senate pass major energy legislation prior to the August recess. …
Blog
Collaring Markets into a Chokehold
Greg’s post on the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger brings to mind another pending merger: that between satellite radio firms XM and Sirius, which, while…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT California officials expand plans to regulate vehicle emissions in the name of fighting global…
Blog
Google: Open to Its Own Model
Openness--in our culture filled with feel-goodery and self congratulation openness is seen as a good thing--a trait that any liberal and modern person should hope…
Blog
Google Demands Fairness, When Convenient
Google’s Policy Blog today makes a succinct argument for why its purchase of DoubleClick should be approved. While I find their reasoning compelling and…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. FOOD Federal regulators consider new safety rules for milk and meat from cloned animals. CEI…
Blog
Is Traditional Landline Telephone Service Even Worth Saving?
The failure of SunRocket–which I write about here–has left a fair number of people without landline telephone service. Nothing bad seems to have happened…
Blog
Hands off VOIP
Today's New York Times carries a story about the sudden failure and shutdown of my former home telephone company, SunRocket. Although it obviously…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY The expanding use of microchip implants raises privacy concerns. CEI Expert Available to Comment:…
Blog
Nevada Network Security: Good Enough for Government Work
Declan McCullagh has a hilarious story today about the crack team that Nevada’s governor has providing his office with computer security: If you ever…
Op-Eds
War Over The War
When Ken Burns releases a documentary, America watches. This is partly because of his uniquely compelling style, but also partly because his stories are those…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH California officials issue a West Nile virus public health alert. CEI Expert Available to Comment:…
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