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
AI’s real job threat is to Washington, not workers
There’s no denying artificial intelligence (AI) can replace a lot—including, eventually, the very think tankers analyzing its effects as we do occasionally here at CEI.
Utility Dive
Trump’s AI action plan calls for dispatchable resources and grid upgrades
Utility Dive cited CEI’s expert on AI Paige Lambermont, a fellow at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, said, “Only so much of this can…

Civitas Institute
Current Antitrust Actions Endanger America’s AI Edge
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near one” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit. But that’s precisely…
Search Posts
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…
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