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
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…
Forbes
A Trump 2.0 Agenda For Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence represents an unprecedented economic opportunity as well as a complex security challenge for the United States. As Trump gets set to begin his…
Search Posts
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…
Forbes
Social Media Filtering Is Not Censorship
Governments can censor. And in a convoluted way, that's what social media regulation would do.
Washington Journal
VIDEO: Jessica Melugin Discusses Internet Sales Tax on Washington Journal
Jessica Melugin, associate director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined Washington Journal on C-SPAN to…
Blog
House Tech Panel Hears Testimony on Paid Prioritization
Yesterday, members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing on Internet prioritization. Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) opened…
Blog
AI in the UK: Lords’ Report Makes Startups Less Competitive
The British House of Lords recently published a report on artificial intelligence, which includes policy recommendations that would hamper the development of AI domestically and…
News Release
CEI Experts Respond to Supreme Court Hearing on Internet Sales Tax in Wayfair Case
Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Associate Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin responded to today’s Supreme Court argument in South Dakota v…
CNBC
AUDIO: Ryan Radia Discusses Increased Regulation of the Tech Sector On CNBC
Research Fellow and Regulatory Counsel, Ryan Radia, recently joined Power Lunch on CNBC to discuss calls for increased regulation of the tech sector.
Blog
If Trump Is Serious about Jobs, Embrace AI and Loosen Labor Laws
There is a lot of panic about the implications of artificial intelligence technologies for the future of work. Some scholars, such as Nobel laureate Joseph…
The Lars Larson Show
AUDIO: Wayne Crews Discusses Mark Zuckerberg’s Testimony In Congress With Lars Larson
Wayne Crews, Vice President for Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined the Lars Larson program to discuss Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent testimony before…
Blog
Facebook Privacy Critics Ignore Benefits of Social Media
Facebook is not a tool designed to violate privacy nor fan the flames of hate, but it and other social media platforms have been some…
Blog
Senator Grills Zuckerberg While Gathering His Own Facebook User Data
One of the most glaring moments of hypocrisy during yesterday's Facebook hearing came from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) telling Zuckerberg that he felt “betrayed”…
Blog
Zuckerberg Testimony Hints at Devil’s Bargain with Big Government
Much of the political class in Washington, D.C. is currently holding its breath for the big event of the week: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-awaited…
Forbes
Mark Zuckerberg Testimony: Will Washington Cast The First Stone At Facebook?
As Facebook is embroiled in three separate privacy crises, let he who never transacts commercially or politically cast the first stone.
Blog
Congress Impatient for Zuckerberg Privacy Testimony
With Facebook in Congress’s crosshairs, America’s leading Internet companies—sometimes known as “big tech”—arguably face a greater risk of regulation than at any time in their…
The Wall Street Journal
Cryptocurrency: Does Fed Want to Imitate Venezuela?
John Berlau writes a letter-to-the-editor to The Wall Street Journal about the dangers of the U.S. government issuing its own digital currency. After Kevin Warsh…
News Release
CEI Opposes Internet Sales Tax in the Name of Federalism in Wayfair Amicus
On April 17, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the internet sales tax case South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., which could have a huge impact on people…
CNBC
How Amazon Wins if Internet Sales Tax Goes Into Effect
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that could affect the future of online commerce, specifically small online sellers and those who…
Blog
Investigate Labor Relations Board Confidentiality Breach
Earlier this week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute sent a request to the National Labor Relations Board Office of Inspector General to investigate NLRB member…
Blog
Wayfair Supreme Court Case Could Upend How We Buy and Sell Things Online
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case, South Dakota v. Wayfair, Corp, that could have a huge impact on people who sell…
C-SPAN
VIDEO: Marc Scribner Discusses Automotive Innovation and Wireless Technology at New America Event
C-SPAN covers New America’s event on automotive innovation and wireless technology featuring CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner as a panelist. …
CNBC
VIDEO: Ryan Radia Discusses Regulatory Oversight of Data Collection on CNBC
Ryan Radia, Research Fellow and Regulatory Counsel at CEI, joined CNBC’s Power Lunch to discuss regulatory oversight of data collection.
Blog
European-Style Tech Regulation Not the Answer to Facebook Privacy Concerns
The fallout at Facebook continues to grow after it was revealed that millions of Facebook users’ data was used by the consulting firm Cambridge…
Blog
Tax Complexity a Major Headache for Small Businesses Online
For a lot of small businesses in America, taxes are not just an expensive hassle but a scary, anxiety-inducing ordeal. Taxes are the…
The Boston Globe
Is it Time to Lay Down the Law on the Internet?
The Boston Globe discusses the renewed interest in internet privacy in the wake of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. But Wayne Crews, vice…
The Hill
Senate Can’t Let U.S. Railroad Regulator Roll Back Progress
Few Americans give much thought to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the nation’s economic regulator of railroads. Yet, the STB oversees a critical infrastructure network…
Blog
Consumers Lose in European Union’s Struggle against Google
Anti-technology hysteria continues to build in the European Union. Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, confirmed today that she is still considering breaking…
Fox Business
Dropbox IPO Shows Tech Upstarts Still Have It
The long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) by Dropbox, Inc. was a success, shares soared about 40% in the debut. The pop also tells us a…
Blog
Next Steps in Facebook Privacy Fallout
Privacy policies at Facebook—and, by extension, other major online platforms—have sparked furious debate in recent days because of the revelations regarding…
Yahoo News
In blockbuster antitrust trial, Big Tech looms in background
Blog
Impressive Work on Display by Students for Liberty
Congratulations are in order to our friends at Students for Liberty and their CEO Wolf von Laer on a successfully annual conference recently held here…
Blog
Online Sales Tax Bill a Small-Business Killing Tax Hike
The Wall Street Journal editorial board was entirely correct yesterday when they said, “Republicans have spent the last year cutting taxes and regulations, which…
Blog
5G Will Work—If Government Gets out of the Way
To usher in a new era of 5G virtual reality, 4K video, and self-driving cars, a major network upgrade is needed. The greater data demands…
Study
Online Sales Taxes Make Government Bigger and Undermine Federalism
View Full Document as PDF The rapid growth of online retailing has prompted state and local government officials to seek greater authority…
Blog
Melugin: Keep Online Sales Taxes out of Omnibus Budget Bill
Today Jessica Melugin, associate director of CEI’s Center for Technology & Innovation, joined U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and a number of other free-market…
The Hill
Congress, Bring the FCC’s Authority up to Speed
On Tuesday, March 6, the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass a bill to reauthorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an agency with…
News Release
CEI Argues Against Adding Internet Sales Tax to Omnibus Spending Bill
Today, Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Jessica Melugin joined U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) at a press conference to…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing Remote Transactions Parity Act (RTPA), H.R. 2193
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the millions of citizens represented by the undersigned organizations, we write in strong opposition…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Urging Incorporation of Intermediary Immunity into NAFTA’s Digital Trade Chapter
View Full Document as PDF Dear Ambassador Lighthizer, Secretary Guajardo, and Minister Freeland, We are American, Canadian, and Mexican scholars and advocates…
Blog
Don’t Bring Net Neutrality Regulations Back from the Dead
Republicans on Capitol Hill are looking to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with their recently introduced net neutrality legislation, Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-LA) Open Internet…
Blog
Don’t Let an Online Sales Tax Hike Creep into Omnibus Spending Bill
With the siren song of the omnibus spending bill calling, legislators would be wise to resist pressures to include increases in online sales…
Blog
Chuck Schumer’s Unconstitutional Money-Wasting Machine
If you wanted a counterterrorism technology that could match Amtrak in terms of derailments, you couldn’t do much better than to use “stand-off explosive detection…
Blog
CEI’s Ryan Radia Weighs in on Latest in Net Neutrality Debate
CEI has done its share on the topic for more than 10 years. Tune in to FreedomWorks live streams on February 26 to hear CEI’s…
Investor's Business Daily
Competition In Technology Is More Vibrant Than It Looks
The clamor is rising for Big Tech firms to be broken up. With Amazon and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reporting record profits, voices from both…
National Review
More Antitrust Revisionism Aimed at Big Tech
In a long but surprisingly weak story, the New York Times’ Charles Duhigg is the latest analyst to try to find an argument for why antitrust law…
USA Today
Supreme Court weighs privacy rights in digital age in pivotal cellphone case
USA Today cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute about the dangers to personal freedoms and privacy for third-party information to be available to law enforcement without requiring a…
Reason
Self-Driving Cars Will Make Most Auto Safety Regulations Unnecessary
Reason quoted Marc Scribner on the necessity of pragmatism which should be utilized to expedite the implementation of self-driving cars before federal auto regulators idealistic…
Politico
FCC’s next step on net neutrality: Blocking the states
Politico quoted Jessica Melugin on the difficulties awaiting states or cities who would try to impose their own individualized versions of net neutrality highlighted by…
The New York Times
Net Neutrality Hits a Nerve, Eliciting Intense Reactions
The New York Times cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute in its support of internet regulation reforms that seek to create a more regulation-free environment. …
Blog
Competition in Tech is More Vibrant than It Looks
Calls for regulatory action against big tech firms, including Amazon and Google parent company Alphabet, have intensified after they reported record profits. The case against…
Forbes
Online Gambling — None Of Washington’s Business (But Its Enemies Don’t Care)
Forbes cited Michelle Minton on the history of Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent and others to pass an amendment illegalizing state-based internet gambling within the state…
Blog
State Net Neutrality Regulations Constitutionally Unsound
Since the Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back federal net neutrality regulations, many states have opposed the measure with executive orders, lawsuits, and legislation.
Legal Brief
Brief of Amicus Curiae of CEI, Cato Institute, Reason Foundation et al. in Ulbricht v. United States
CEI and other organizations submitted a brief on warrentless seizure of IP address data.
Townhall
Legal Authority in the Clouds
Townhall covers CEI’s support of the CLOUD Act of 2018. Cloud storage and computing is an emerging technology increasingly in use worldwide.
The Daily Caller
There’s a Newfound Hatred of Silicon Valley
The Daily Caller discusses opinions on Silicon Valley with Wayne Crews. For quite a long time, Silicon Valley was the angelic, do-no-wrong industry, adamantly…
Comment
CEI Comments to Montana Rural Broadband Subsidy Alternatives
View Full Document as PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) respectfully submits these comments regarding the Montana Public Service Commission’s Notice of…
Reason
National I.D. By Any Other Name Still Stinks
Reason covers the release of a new report published by the Cato Institute and authored by Jim Harper. There have been many pushes to…
Cato
CTIA—The Wireless Association v. City of Berkeley
Cato covers their petition filed to the Supreme Court with CEI and Cause of Action Institute in CTIA—The Wireless Association v. City of Berkeley. Residents…
Study
The New National ID Systems
View Full Document as PDF The past few years have seen growing awareness and concern about U.S. government surveillance of the American…
Blog
Rumors of Nationalized 5G Point to Need for Reform of Existing Networks
Consumers will suffer from government efforts to create a nationalized 5G telecommunications network, and the rumoured plan to move in that direction needs to be …
U.S. News & World Report
Cutting Off Consumers
A new regulation will burden low- and middle-income Americans reliant on payday loans. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just released a new rule against payday…
The Washington Times
Conservatives Fear More Left-Leaning Media With AT&T, Time Warner Merger
The Washington Times quotes Wayne Crews on the traditional importance of deregulation in communications for conservative policy and how traditional media conglomerates are losing influence…
The Hill
Right-Leaning Groups Back International Data Privacy Bill
Blog
Bringing Net Neutrality Back from the Dead Would Be a Big Mistake for Congress
Passing a Congressional Review Act resolution to nullify the Restoring Internet Freedom Order would be as bad an idea as net neutrality regulations themselves were.
Blog
Burger King Video Inadvertently Highlights Absurdity of Net Neutrality Claims
A new corporate video from Burger King ostensibly supports net neutrality regulations, but actually demonstrates exactly why such rules are unnecessary.
Blog
Increasing Public Awareness Bolsters Potential for Blockchain Applications
Blockchain is a software architecture that seems very likely to unleash profound global forces if it crosses over into the mainstream.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Oppose Using the Congressional Review Act to Overturn the FCC Restoring Internet Freedom Order
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senators & Representatives: We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of taxpayers and consumers nationwide, urge Congress…
Forbes
A CES Takeaway: Don’t Fear Robots and Artificial Intelligence, Fear Politicians
Maroon 5 keeps popping up on my Pandora stations, so artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning still have a ways to go. Even if AI…
Blog
Supreme Court Should Safeguard Rights to Digital Property in Microsoft Case
The Court should recognize that communications and data are property, and cut off the “innovative” use of subpoenas to collect data that should require a…
Forbes
Net Neutrality and Senate Democrats’ Renewed Love for the Congressional Review Act
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is the law by which the Republican Congress and the Trump Administration eliminated 14 of…
News Release
CEI Files Brief in Microsoft Supreme Court Case, Argues for Consumer Privacy Protections
This week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) filed a Supreme Court amicus brief in support of the respondent in United States v.
Bloomberg Politics
China Uses Facial Recognition to Fence In Villagers in Far West
Bloomberg Politics discusses new surveillance technology being tested in China with Jim Harper. China’s state surveillance apparatus is trying out a new tool in…
The New York Times
Blockchain or Blockheads? Bitcoin Mania Mints Believers and Skeptics
John Schwartz, writing for The New York Times, discusses Bitcoin with Jim Harper. Sometimes life shows you what absurd really…
News Release
CEI Encourages Supreme Court to Uphold Interstate Commerce Protections
Today the US Supreme Court agreed to hear South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., a case that will test the idea of limiting a state’s tax…
Forbes
Who Will Own the Infrastructure in the Smart City?
There is great enthusiasm for the smart city concept. Integration of autonomous vehicles, drones and networked communications are expected to manage congestion, lead to fewer…
Forbes
The Consumer Electronics Show and Public Policy: Can There Be Separation of Tech and State?
The buzz and pre-show anticipation have begun for the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show(#CES2018) hosted by CTA, the …
Bloomberg Politics
Bitcoin Falls Into Gray Area of Disclosure Rules for Congress
Bloomberg Politics discusses Bitcoin with Jim Harper. To guard against insider trading and financial conflicts, members of Congress and federal officials must file regular…
The Washington Post
Bitcoin Got a Big Boost in 2017. Here are 5 Other Cryptocurrencies to Watch in 2018.
The Washington Post discusses cryptocurrencies with Jim Harper. Mainstream investors spent much of last year trying to figure out how to jump in on …
Blog
Tech Crystal Ball 2018
Expert predictions on top tech issues for the new year.
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