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
National Review
Net Neutrality Trusts Regulation over Markets
Despite years of investment, innovation, increasing competition, and declining prices under a light-touch regulatory framework, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reinstated Obama–era net-neutrality rules and…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Technology and society with Will Rinehart
In this week’s episode we cover nuclear radiation, luxury handbags, rent control in Maryland, net neutrality, and fighting malaria…
Blog
Subsidy-free capitalism may require a constitutional amendment
Automobiles, electrification, ample consumer goods and mass marketing, a construction boom, and access to credit helped fuel the Roaring Twenties of a century ago.
Search Posts
Blog
Fed Confirms Government Regulation Is Not the Answer to Equifax Data Breach
More regulation will not help protect the financial system against cyber attacks, such as the Equifax hack.
Blog
Experimental Tech Helps Get Puerto Rico’s Telecom Services Back on Line
The freedom to try something without getting explicit and advanced permission from regulators is what allows innovations to be tried, tested, and either integrated or…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition in Support of International Communications Privacy Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers: We write to you today…
Blog
Politicians and Entrepreneurs: Let Internet Flourish without Burden of Government Regulation
If government is the creator of monopolies and the suppressor of innovation, why not push back against both FCC and FTC regulation of the Internet? …
Forbes
The Internet of Things Wants to Know Where Its 5G Is
A major pledge of the Trump Administration was cutting red tape and boosting America’s infrastructure. Ten months in, there are lots of moving parts to…
News Release
CEI Leads Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Support of Internet Freedom
It is crucial that the Supreme Court confirm that the Telecommunications Act doesn't give the FCC broad power to regulate the Internet.
Blog
Ghouls and Goblins and Guidances
You could consider CEI to be the Ghostbusters of Washington, fighting back ghouls and goblins on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Blog
Federal Communications Commission Rightly Relaxes Media Ownership Rules
The FCC’s announcement that it will relax media ownership rules is good news for consumers. It’s heartening to see the agency act to eliminate…
News Release
CEI Applauds FCC Announcement Relaxing Media Ownership Rules
Today the FCC announced plans to revise media ownership rules, freeing up the industry to function with greater competition and less restrictions. These changes are…
The Hill
Right-Leaning Groups Back International Data Privacy Bill
The Hill covers CEI and other groups’ support of the International Communications Privacy Act. A coalition of right-leaning groups is pressing Congress to act…
The Washington Times
Conservatives Fear More Left-Leaning Media with AT&T, Time Warner merger
The Washington Times discusses the AT&T-Time Warner merger with Wayne Crews. The proposed AT&T merger with Time Warner has some conservatives nervous about its…
News Release
FCC Reauthorization Should Be A Deauthorization
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Ryan Radia offered comment prior to the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing today on the Federal…
The Wall Street Journal
Oil and Spectrum Rights Models Offer a Clue
Thomas W. Hazlett’s “How Politics Stalls Wireless Innovation” (op-ed, Oct. 2) outlines the irrationality of the current political mismanagement of the electromagnetic spectrum and…
News Release
CEI Comments on Pending Nomination of Pai to FCC
Jessica Melugin, adjunct fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, commented on the pending nomination of Ajit Pai to the Federal Communications Commission: “The Senate should…
InsideSources
Three Early Lessons From the Equifax Hack
InsideSources covers the Equifax breach and Jim Harper‘s response to it. It’s been almost two weeks since Equifax reported the hack of 143…
Foundation for Economic Education
People Are Complaining About iPhone X Because That’s How Innovation Works
The iPhone X has not even been released and people are already complaining about it. That shouldn’t be surprising. It is one of the…
News Release
CEI Responds to NHTSA Self-Driving Car Guidance Updates
Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute responded today to the NHTSA announcement of updated guidance for self-driving cars: “The Department of Transportation’s…
Blog
Net Neutrality Rules Threaten Internet Free Speech
The supposed good intentions of net neutrality advocates don’t justify the real world harm of those regulations. …
Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
Blog
The Equifax Breach and Regulation
In the Equifax breach, regulation is a likely contributor to the problem. It is probably not a good solution.
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Forbes
IRS Responds To Privacy, Other Challenges In Bitcoin Records Fight
Forbes covers the amicus brief filed in Coinbase v. United States. The federal government fired back last week as answered opposition to its…
Blog
Who Benefits from FCC’s “No-Blocking” Rule?
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2015 Open Internet Order included a “no-blocking” rule that prohibits Internet service providers (ISPs) from charging content providers a fee…
Comment
CEI Submitted Comments to the FCC on Restoring Internet Freedom
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit these reply comments regarding the FCC’s…
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Wagner, McCaskill Efforts to Go After Backpage Site Attracting Powerful Foes
St. Louis Post-Dispatch covers CEI’s statements in a letter to Congress regarding an internet freedom bill. Efforts by several members of the Missouri…
Blog
President’s Summer Policy Update
When it comes to the institutions of capitalism, the advance of human welfare, and liberty, we are here because we love the work.
Blog
Net Neutrality: Market Competition or Political Control?
The Internet is no exception to the rule that markets work better than the federal government does.
Comment
Coalition of 83 Organizations, Elected Officials, and Individuals Submit Comments In the Matter of Restoring Internet Freedom
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Pai, Commissioner O’Rielly, and Commissioner Clyburn: These coalition comments are updated from the July 17,…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Reducing Regulatory Agencies’ Authority Could Boost Economy, Increase Job Creation
The Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Reducing some of government’s regulatory agencies’ authority could boost economic growth and…
TechCrunch
Privacy Advocates Advise Supreme Court to Protect Phone Location Data under the 4th Amendment
TechCrunch covers CEI’s amicus brief in Carpenter v. United States. Among the Supreme Court’s many upcoming cases is Carpenter v. United States,…
Study
Rethinking the Federal Communications Commission
View Full Document as PDF Created by the Communications Act of 1934, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wields broad authority to regulate…
Cato
To Apply the Fourth Amendment in the Digital Age, Go Back to Its Text
Cato covers CEI’s amicus brief in Carpenter v. United States. Timothy Carpenter and Timothy Sanders were convicted in federal court on charges stemming…
Blog
Defending 4th Amendment Privacy Protections for Digital Property
People have property rights in data about themselves that is allocated by contract between them and their service providers.
Blog
TechFreedom Hosts Policy Summit on Future of Technology Regulation
Our friends at TechFreedom recently treated technology policy nerds in D.C. to a policy summit.
Fox Business Network
VIDEO: Jim Harper Discusses NSA Spying on Kennedy
Jim Harper, Vice President of CEI, discusses NSA spying on Fox Business Network’s Kennedy.
Blog
For the Sake of Financial Privacy, IRS Subpoena of Coinbase Should Go
Our brief in United States v. Coinbase might have a lot to say about what the future of financial privacy looks like.
Blog
Protect Free Speech Guarantees of Communications Decency Act
If operators of websites were responsible for what each of their users posted online, they could be on the hook for every potential defamation, infliction…
Blog
Online Sales Taxes in Congress’ Crosshairs
The No Regulation Without Representation Act would prevent states from imposing tax or regulatory obligations on businesses that lack a physical presence in that state.
Coindesk
Understanding Bitcoin’s Scaling Debate: Politics Comes First
Software programmers are usually collegial and collaborative, but parts of the bitcoin developer community are currently displaying the kind of acrimony familiar to political capitols…
Coindesk
‘Bitcoin Sign Guy’ Has a New Job, But He’s Keeping His Identity Secret
Coindesk discusses Bitcoin Sign Guy’s new job at CEI with his boss Jim Harper. It’s been a tumultuous week since the man known as…
News Release
President Trump and Net Neutrality Rulemaking at FCC
White House press briefing, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, in reference to the current net neutrality debate, “The Trump administration believes the rules…
Comment
CEI Comments to the FCC on Restoring Internet Freedom
View full document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit these comments regarding the FCC’s proposed…
Forbes
Net Neutrality Day Of Action Platitudes To Ensnare Corporate Proponents
Amazon, Google, Facebook and others in the tech world…you’re really going to keep poking on net neutrality? Some of you seem a tad less…
Blog
Net Neutrality ‘Day of Action’ Endorses Government Power to Suppress Free Speech
This week's net neutrality “Day of Action” seeks to defend a regulatory regime that ultimately facilities the suppression of free speech by a federal agency:…
The Daily Caller
RAWA: One Casino Billionaire’s Quest to Kill Internet Gambling
The Daily Caller covers the Restoration of America’s Wire Act and cites a paper written by Michelle Minton on the subject. Enter the…
News Release
CEI Calls European Union Ruling and Fine in Antitrust Case Against Google “Flawed”
In a landmark ruling on Tuesday, the European Union fined Alphabet Inc’s Google, a record $2.7 billion dollars, for favoring its own search entity…
Op-Eds
No, Amazon isn’t a monopoly just because it bought Whole Foods
Amazon announced a deal last week to purchase the grocery chain Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion. The company’s largest proposed transaction…
Blog
Federal Government Finally Powers Down on Y2K Crisis
Regulating new technologies is especially risky. The high-tech sector is an evolving frontier. Frontiers are always a bit chaotic, and it is inherent in their…
Forbes
The Technology And Telecommunications Sectors And Trump’s Crucial Second 100 Days
Is it possible to keep federal government regulators’ hands off the technology sector? We’re in the middle of president Donald Trump’s second “100 Days,” and…
Fox Business Network
VIDEO: Jim Harper Discusses NSA Leak on Fox Business Network
Jim Harper, Vice President of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, discusses a recent NSA Leak with Kennedy on Fox Business Network.
Inside Sources
Point: Net Neutrality Bad for Consumers
The FCC’s proposed rollback of its 2015 Open Internet Order has put the term “net neutrality” back in the political zeitgeist. The phrase itself is…
News Release
CEI Responds to SCOTUS Acceptance of Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking Case
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear a case determining whether law enforcement should require a warrant to track suspects through cell phone…
Blog
Roundup of Recent D.C. Telecom Events
Recent events aimed at restoring Internet freedom.
RealClear Future
Straight Talk on the “Talking Car” Mandate
Will another driver’s car “talking” with yours someday save your life? The answer, from regulators and many automakers, is a resounding “Yes.” Such a promising…
The Daily Caller
Obama Administration’s Internet Regs Suffer First Huge Blow
The Daily Caller discusses the Federal Communications Commission’s vote on Net Neutrality with Ryan Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 2-1…
News Release
CEI Applauds FCC Vote to Start Roll Back of Internet Regulations
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to begin the regulatory process to roll back the agency’s 2015 net neutrality rules. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Net Neutrality Leads to Higher prices, Less Innovation
Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s Net Neutrality report authored by Jessica Melugin and Ryan Radia. Keeping Obama administration-era net neutrality rules would result…
Politico
CEI Makes Case for Net Neutrality Rollback
Politico Morning Tech covers CEI’s Net Neutrality report authored by Ryan Radia and Jessica Melugin. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, in a report…
The Hill
Congress Must Put an End to Online Taxation Without Representation
The recent reintroduction of the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) is the latest in the effort to expand taxes on internet sales. Proponents of taxing…
News Release
Should We Regulate the Internet? CEI Argues FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Threaten Freedom, Innovation and Harm Consumers
Consumers should be aware that net neutrality regulations will result in higher prices and less innovation for their broadband services.
Study
A Net Neutrality Primer
View Full Document as PDF If you have watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver recently, you will have noticed that its…
Government Technology
Tech Will Require Continued Adjustment and Definition Within the Law, Experts Say
Government Technology covers a panel held on April 10 at the National Constitution Center featuring Jim Harper, Vice President of CEI. During an…
Reason.com
Trump’s First 100 Days: At Least He Picked Some Good People to Run Things
Reason.com discusses the FCC’s broadband privacy rule with Ryan Radia. Trump and Congress teamed-up to use the Congressional Review Act 13 times during…
Vox
Trump’s FCC Chair Just Declared War on Obama’s Net Neutrality Rules
Vox discusses the Federal Communication Commission’s net neutrality rules with Ryan Radia. Now, surprisingly, Republicans like Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the chair of…
News Release
CEI Commends FCC Plan to Roll Back Net Neutrality Regulations Threatening Internet Freedom
CEI commends Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's plans for rolling back harmful net neutrality regulations that hamper Internet freedom and consumer access to more…
Fortune
How Trump’s FCC Head Plans To Attack Net Neutrality
Fortune discusses with Ryan Radia the Federal Communication Commision’s Chairman Ajit Pai’s expected announcement to eliminate net neutrality rules. Already, the various sides…
Wall Street Journal
Who Watches a Murder Streamed Live on Facebook?
The Wall Street Journal discusses regulating social media live streaming with Ryan Radia. With nearly two billion users, Facebook wants to be not…
News Release
To Boost Innovation, FCC Should Roll Back Net Neutrality Regulations
Over the past decade, the FCC has sought to transform itself into the Internet’s regulator in spite of a clear directive to the contrary from…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging FCC to Repeal Data Retention Rule
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Pai, Commissioner Clyburn, and Commissioner O’Rielly, More than a year and half ago, a coalition…
News Release
CEI Responds to FCC Move to Deregulate Broadband
Reversing initiatives it pursued during the Obama administration, the Federal Communications Commission has accelerated its push to deregulate, by voting to ease limits on broadcast…
Real Clear Policy
A Chance to Improve the FCC
The new Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, has his work cut out for him. He must move the FCC’s approach to…
Citation
VIDEO: Jim Harper Discusses U.S. Surveillance Laws on Fox Business
CEI technology policy expert and Vice President Jim Harper joined Kennedy on Fox Business to discuss U.S. surveillance laws and the vote on extending the Foreign Intelligence…
Letters
CEI Joins International Coalition Urging Australian Government To Scrap Proposed Internet Sales Tax
View Full Document as PDF To whom it may concern, We the undersigned, representing millions of taxpayers across the world, urge the…
Blog
A New Approach to Allocating Broadcast Spectrum
More technology that uses the internet means demand on the spectrum can quickly outpace supply. Luckily, private markets have a solution.
News Release
Freeing Spectrum: How Market Values Can Unleash Telecom Innovation
Americans use the electromagnetic spectrum (spectrum) every day through their cell phones, tablets, radios, and other devices. Although users can immediately tell when their data…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Georgia Senate to Reject H.B. 225
View Full Document as PDF Dear Georgia Senator, On behalf of the millions of members of the undersigned organizations, including thousands of…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging the Hawaii Legislature to Reject S.B. 620’s Unconstitutional Tax Grab
View Full Document as PDF Dear Hawaii Legislator, On behalf of the undersigned organizations, including Hawaii residents and taxpayers, we write in…
Study
A Case for Property Rights in the Electromagnetic Spectrum
View Full Document as PDF The air that surrounds us may appear empty, but it is full of information that travels across…
Blog
CEI Praises Trump Signature of Broadband Privacy Rule Repeal
President Trump signed a Congressional Review Act resolution yesterday repealing the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband privacy rule. The FCC’s privacy rule, adopted by the agency…
Fortune
Privacy Advocates Pour Hate on Vote To Repeal Internet Privacy Protections
Fortune discusses the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband privacy rules with Ryan Radia. For the pro-business think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute, however, the…
The Hill
Obama FCC’s ‘privacy’ rules were a sham
The Hill highlights CEI’s calculation of the Federal Communication Commission’s 2015 regulatory costs. The FCC is no poster child for efficiency for that…
BBC
How will scrapping of US internet privacy rules affect me?
BBC discusses the Federal Communication Commission’s broadband privacy rule with Ryan Radia. The original FCC rule sought to protect customer proprietary information including,…
News Release
CEI Applauds House CRA to Reverse Broadband Privacy Rule
The Competitive Enterprise Institute applauds the House of Representatives for passing a CRA resolution of disapproval to repeal the FCC’s privacy rule today. The CRA…
Blog
Six Reasons FCC Rules Are Not Needed to Protect Privacy
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has been long been skeptical of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) approach to regulating how Internet service providers (ISPs) use subscriber…
The Hill
Hopefully FTC gets to do what it does best: Regulate privacy
The Hill highlights CEI and Tech Freedom’s coalition letter on the Federal Communication Commission’s role in regulating broadband privacy. Of course, the new…
Blog
Broadband Privacy Regulations Need to Be Revised by FCC or Repealed by Congress
The Federal Communications Commission does not have the authority to rewrite the Wiretap Act to suit its policy preferences.
Blog
Reason TV on the Future of Public Broadcasting
Public broadcasting should embrace the podcast and Netflix revolution for delivering content.
Blog
Restraint, Humility Needed at Federal Trade Commission
As President Trump evaluates candidates to chair the Federal Trade Commission, he should look for a person who appreciates the importance of letting markets evolve…
Blog
Making the Case for a Free Market in Space
For commercialized space (and alas, for other sectors) we need a regulatory heatshield, a HOT Act (“Hands Off Technology”).
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Supporting CRA to Disapprove Broadband Privacy Rule
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson, We, the undersigned organizations and trade associations, thank the Senate…
News Release
CEI Comments on FCC Chairman Pai’s Renomination
Today Competitive Enterprise Institute adjunct fellow Jessica Melugin commented on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s re-nomination to the Federal Communications Commission by President Trump:…
News Release
FCC Stay of Privacy Rule Prevents Irreparable Injury to Businesses and Consumers
This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a temporary stay of part of its privacy rule for internet service providers. The Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Blog
FCC Could Move Soon on Long-Delayed CEI Cable Merger Petition
Chairman Ajit Pai has signaled that the FCC may revise conditions on the Charter cable merge, hopefully granting a long-delayed CEI petition in the process.
Blog
Policy Background on Trump’s Joint-Session Address to Congress
Here are five areas where the administration has the opportunity to implement valuable and much-needed reforms for the American people.
Inside Unmanned Systems
Nevada Bill Calls for Legalization of Self-Driving Cars
Inside Unmanned Systems discusses with Marc Scribner a proposed bill in Nevada that updates existing state traffic laws that would spur driverless vehicle testing. …
Blog
AT&T-Time Warner Deal Highlights Need for FCC Reform
Interference by Democratic senators in the merger of AT&T and Time Warner is a reminder of the need to reform the FCC’s authority to regulate…
Blog
States Should Resist Pressure to Implement REAL ID Act
National requirements for state ID cards are an abuse of the constitutional division of power between the states and the federal government.
Blog
FCC Chairman Pai Ends Obama-era Investigation of ‘Zero-rating’ Data Plans
Newly promoted FCC chairman Ajit Pai signals a reversal of policy on Obama-era net neutrality rules.
Blog
Public Interest Groups Urge Update of Email Privacy Protections
This week, CEI joined dozens of public interest groups, trade associations, and companies in sending a letter to Congress in support of the…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Supporting Email Privacy Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers, We, the undersigned civil society organizations, companies and trade associations,…
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