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
Meta’s new content moderation is a step in the right direction: CEI analysis
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced major changes to its content moderation system today. The company says it aims to allow as…
Op-Eds
Targeting Digital Platforms
President Biden’s antitrust regulators have filed a pair of lawsuits targeting tech platforms, claiming they abuse their position as intermediaries between consumers and third parties.
National Review
Please, Somebody Google ‘Hubris’
The pretense of knowledge is on full display in the Department of Justice’s proposed remedies for the Google trial. The government’s…
Search Posts
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:…
Blog
A Second Look at Second Life Analogies
My letter to the Washington Post regarding Michael Gerson’s “Where the Avatars Roam,” which appeared in the Post last week: Michael Gerson’s July 6…
Blog
False Analogies from WIRED
Wired magazine’s Scott Gilbertson summarized the FTC net neutrality report by quipping, “Wait and see if it all goes south and then maybe consider…
Blog
Satellite (Radio) of Love
The FCC is currently presiding over the proposed merger of satellite radio companies XM and Sirius. And, to no one’s surprise, a host of…
Op-Eds
Private Public Matters
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
1. CONGRESS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman John Dingell prepare for a showdown on energy policy. CEI Expert Available to…
News Release
XM-Sirius Merger Should Go Forward
Washington, D.C., July 9, 2007—The proposed merger of satellite radio companies XM and Sirius should be cleared by the Federal Communications Commission, according to…
Comment
Comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission in the matter of XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Ra
Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute Contents…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Al Gore’s “Live Earth” concert series leaves many observers underwhelmed. CEI Expert Available to…
Blog
Tune into the Space Angels Network
Kerry Howley is covering the latest developments in private exploration in space exploration today over at Hit & Run. Also, the July/August ’07 issue…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. Health Michael Moore’s controversial documentary on health care in America, Sicko, opens nationwide.
Blog
Fred on Philanthropy in WSJ
Fred Smith, the president of CEI, was featured in today’s Wall Street Journal in a letter to the editor responding to Robert Barro’s commentary…
Blog
FTC Moves to Protect Bandwealth
In a new report, Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy, the FTC routed the empty arguments of the “net neutrality” crowd, marking a significant victory…
Blog
Is net neutrality a new religion?
Silly reactions to the Federal Trade Commission’s new net neutrality report shouldn’t be surprising, but I didn’t expect the ridiculous-beyond-parody (over at Fark.com):…
Blog
Rain Man, Regulator
Wired blogger Scott Gilbertson is upset about the Federal Trade Commission’s report urging caution regarding net neutrality regulation. The Chairman of the FTC…
Blog
Next: Mandatory equal air time for rock and disco
Isn't it comforting that Dick Durbin is watching out for Americans' impressionable minds? He recently told The Hill, “It's time to reinstitute the Fairness…
Blog
Radio Frequency Your Way to Good Health
AFP reports on a new study by the American Medical Association recommending the implantation of RFID tags to carry medical information in case of…
Blog
Zero Carbon Computer 100% BS
One of my favorite tech sites, Bit-Tech.net, commented today on a story by the Telegraph entitled “The wooden computer that adds up to zero.”…
Blog
Cell Phones and Driving
Interesting new study from James E. Prieger of Pepperdine University and Bob Hahn at the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, looking at the…
Blog
Michael Moore’s “Sicko” – Diagnosis: PWNED
Michael Moore’s new attack-umentary on the American health care system, Sicko, seems to be having viral problems of its own. A mysterious source has…
News Release
FCC Takes on Net Neutrality
Washington, D.C., June 15, 2007—The Federal Communications Commission is currently accepting public comments on its proposal to regulate pricing on broadband networks, commonly referred…
Blog
Tesla in the 21st Century
Last week the Daily Mail reported on the advent of a new technology that uses electromagnetic induction to transfer energy wirelessly across spans of…
Blog
EFF Wrong About iTunes Privacy Concerns
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, in a story published by the Associate Press last week, says that Apple’s new DRM-Free tracks available through iTunes are…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. Internet Maine is poised to become the first state to enact “net neutrality” regulation…
Blog
Google’s Squabble Over Desktop Search
Yesterday, The New York Times reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had come out against a complaint leveled by Google against Microsoft alleging…
Blog
Conservatarian Thoughts on the FCC
Our friend (and former Open Market editor) Peter Suderman makes an excellent free market point at The Corner today about broadcast obscenity and…
Blog
A Tale of Two Googles
Google, the company turned into a common verb, has come under fire recently because of the fear that many have of the potential misuse of…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 Issues in the News 1. MEDIAA federal appeals court strikes down Federal Communications Commission’s rules for…
Blog
Chronic Vague Symptom Syndrome: Wi-Fi Edition
There’s more wi-fi scaremongering this week in The Indepedent, which cites an alleged wave of parents and school administrators in the UK who have…
Blog
Time-Delayed TV Popularity
According to Television Week’s Jon Lafayette, broadcasters have begun taking note of the increasing difference between traditional Neilsen ratings vs. traditional ratings + DVR…
Blog
Partial Nudity Delays Halo 2 for Vista
Halo 2 for Vista was found to have a hidden part of the code containing a character which moons the player. Much like GTA‘s hidden…
Blog
Like Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead, Rachel Carson is still wrong
CEI’s Angela Logomasini gives kudos to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Olka.) for his stand against honoring the 100th birthday of environmentalist icon Rachel Carson. Here’s…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT…
Blog
Typesetting and technology
Today the BBC’s website has an article that caught my eye, “Helvetica at 50.” No, Helvetica’s not a movie star or a rock…
Op-Eds
Campus Web Cops?
The Recording Industry Association of America has sent out waves of letters telling college administrators that some of their students are pirates. No, not…
Blog
MSYahoo Would Be Good for the Market
The New York Post is speculating on the possibility of Microsoft aquiring Yahoo! This deal would deflate the notion that Google is a…
Blog
Amensty International Helps Fight to Free Kareem
Amensty International posted this summation of the injustice that has landed Karim Amer in prison for the next four years. Karim’s ‘crime’ has been…
Blog
The Digg Revolution?
Websters are calling the ‘revolt’ at Digg an online Boston Tea Party. This is offensive to anyone who knows the history of the Boston…
Blog
AdSense Nonsense
Charges that Google is constructing a vast network of partners in order to monopolize the net betray that fact that most regulators and ‘tech journalists’…
Blog
Editing Isn’t Censorship, Even for Digg
Digg.com, the popular crowd-edited news aggregating site, has been the subject of online controversy as of late. Recently, a Digg user posted a story with…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> 1. INTERNET The House…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
1. ENERGY Environmentally-correct “compact fluorescent” light bulbs face an unfriendly reception from consumers. CEI Expert Available…
Blog
Supporting Online Gaming Is No Gamble
House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank has proposed repealing last Fall’s ban on Internet gambling, though according to the punsters at the Associated…
News Release
DC Rally to “Free Kareem” and Support Free Speech and Human Rights
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., April 27, 2007—The Bureaucrash Activist Network and allies are urging Egyptian officials to…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT A new survey finds many Americans concerned about global warming but unwilling to accept the recommendation of…
Blog
Back to the Paleo Future
The delightful and fascinating blog Paleo-Future has some entertaining video clips up from a short film produced by AT&T in 1993, showing what…
Blog
More on the Neutrality Battle
If this whole net neutrality thing sounds a bit complex, let The Simpleton’s Guide explain it all. Because after all, simple is better:…
Blog
What’s the Gift for a One-Year Lobbying Anniversary?
The inaptly named Save the Internet coalition is celebrating its first anniversary today, and Wayne is on the case: “We all can probably agree…
News Release
Net Neutrality Fight Continues Today
Washington , D.C., April 26, 2007—So-called “Net Neutrality” advocates today commemorate one year of organized advocacy of legislation to regulate broadband network speeds. The…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENERGY The Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing on energy policy titled “ Coal:…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH First Lady Laura Bush delivers remarks in the White House Rose Garden for Malaria Awareness Day .
Blog
In Defense of the Bundle
Has everyone been taking French lessons without me? That’s the feeling I get when I see the increasing chatter about “a la carte” for everything.
Blog
Commercial Broadcast Radio with…No Commercials?
The New York Times Business section has an interesting story this morning on how one of Clear Channel’s stations in Dallas is eliminating all…
Blog
Cranky Geek Against SarbOx
John C. Dvorak, long time columnist for PC Magazine and head Crank on Cranky Geeks, a popular podcast, has come out against…
Blog
I Do
Surfing around, I just came upon AT&T’s “You Will” advertising campaign from the early 1990s. The ads are well-produced and, almost fifteen years after…
Blog
In Antitrust They Trust
Satellite radio pioneers XM and Sirius are finally going down the long-expected merger path, but not without a fight from the usual suspects. Mel…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY The Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing on the proposed merger of XM and Sirius Satellite…
News Release
FCC Should Approve the XM-Sirius Satellite Radio Merger
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., April 17, 2007—Today, as the…
Blog
Attack of the Killer Bee Killers
We know cell phones don’t give you cancer, but according to some people quoted by The Independent in the UK, they are messing…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. REGULATION Maryland lawmakers approve a statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Farm experts warn of increasing price volatility as U.S. farmers plant more corn to meet the demand for ethanol. CEI Expert…
Blog
Apple, EMI Test DRM-Free
In the wake of the announcement by EMI (along with Apple) that its catalog will now be available on iTunes DRM-free and at…
Blog
Craig Newmark on Trust
Cragislist founder Craig Newmark has an interesting op ed in today’s Washington Examiner on ways in which voluntary collaboration will help resolve new…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS Senators express skepticism over a proposal to mandate a national ID…
Blog
Give Us Some Decent Games
Last week, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.)introduced H. R. 1531, the “Video Game Decency Act.” This bill is in response to the Hot Coffee…
Blog
Freedom to Hide Behind Avatar
The recent proposed law in Connecticut to verify age of MySpace.com and other social-networking site users has brought up an old question. Is anonymous speech…
Op-Eds
Why data retention legislation would do more harm than good
Do you remember every Web site you visited, every email you sent, and every word you Googled during the last two years? Probably…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS The House of Representatives hears testimony on fuel efficiency regulations for…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS Lawmakers prepare to increase the federal fuel economy standards for new…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT British filmmaker Martin Durkin presents a groundbreaking new documentary on climate change titled “…
Blog
The Simpleton’s Guide to Net Neutrality
Wayne has just alerted me that Scott Cleland of The Precursor Blog has linked to our recent short video on net neutrality. In this…
Op-Eds
Don’t let Uncle Sam Become a Computer Hacker and Identity Thief’s Best Friend
Do you remember every Web site you visited, every email you sent, and every word you Googled during the last two years? Probably not,…
News Release
FCC Rules on Cable Franchise Reform
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 The following may be attributed to Wayne Crews, CEI's vice president for policy and director of…
Op-Eds
Markets, no Mandates, for Net
The battle over Internet freedom is heating up again. The spark this time is the proposed Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007, recently…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HOMELAND SECURITY Federal regulators announce new plans for safeguarding chemical plants from terrorist…
Blog
Thou Shalt Play All of Grand Theft Auto
Yesterday, CNET Reported the following: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) on Tuesday reintroduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act, first proposed last September.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HUMAN RIGHTS Demonstrators gather in cities around the world to protest the imprisonment of…
News Release
Rally to “Free Kareem” and Support Free Speech and Human Rights
Washington, D.C., February 14, 2007—The Bureaucrash Activist Network and allies are urging Egyptian officials to free imprisoned Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman and…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds a hearing on 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