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
Forbes
NIST AI Guidelines Misplace Responsibility For Managing Risks
Policymakers are scrambling to keep pace with technological advancements in artificial intelligence. The recent release of draft guidelines from the U.S. AI Safety Institute, a…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: AI and the future of work with Patrick Carroll
In this week’s episode we report from the State Policy Network’s annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona and some of the great reform proposals…
RealClear Markets
Global Regulators Want To Hamstring AI Innovation
RealClear Markets cited CEI on technological innovation Like many efforts at economic planning, subverting market forces — the forces that drive creative destruction — driving…
Search Posts
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,…
Blog
Wyoming Considers Disastrous Sales Tax Proposal
The U.S. Supreme Court made clear in the case of Quill v. North Dakota (1992) that Congress, not the individual states, has the authority to regulate…
Blog
Crash Course in Gambling Law for Would-be Attorney General Sessions
Federal law does not ban all online gambling, despite what U.S. Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions has suggested.
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
Utah Keeping Amazon Sales Tax Deal Secret
The Utah State Tax Commission refuses to make public the details of the deal reached with Amazon due to what’s been reported as a “confidentiality…
Blog
New Congress Needs to Modernize Tech Policy
With respect to tech and telecom, lawmakers should avoid imposing new mandates and prohibitions in response to new technologies that might seem threatening, absent exceptional…
Blog
Five New Year’s Resolutions for a New Administration
Now is the perfect time for members of the incoming Trump administration to reflect on where America is and set policy goals for the coming…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Executive Actions and Blockchain Technology
In this episode, Andrew Grossman proposes executive actions Trump can take to undo problematic portions of Obama’s pen and phone legacy and Donatien Adou discusses…
Blog
Must-Have Gifts for America’s Wish List
It isn’t Christmas Day yet, much to the chagrin of impatient youngsters, but it’s already time for America to put together a wish list for…
Cato At Liberty
The Feds Want to Track Your Car
Cato At Liberty highlights a quote by Marc Scribner on regulating vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. While the risks of mandatory V2V systems are significant,…
Cato At Liberty
“Court Ruling A Big Blow to ‘Open Internet'”
“Verizon was joined in its fight by conservative and business groups that oppose neutrality rules, such as the Competitive…
Blog
A Free Market Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration
CEI’s free market policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration is aimed at strengthening the economy and removing barriers to economic freedom in five key…
New York Post
Controversial FCC boss to exit agency before term ends
New York Post discusses Federal Communication Comission's head Tom Wheeler's exit from the agency with CEI. The Competitive Enterprise Institute issued a negative…
Study
First Steps for the Trump Administration: Support Technology and Innovation
View full document as PDF The frontier sectors that define the new high-tech economy are uniquely vulnerable to political predation and cronyism.
Blog
A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress
At CEI, we believe a clear agenda is necessary to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty for individuals to chart their own paths…
Products
Free to Prosper: Technology and Telecommunications
View the full chapter on technology and telecommunications here Few economic sectors rival the technology and telecommunications industries in how rapidly—and momentously—they have evolved.
Blog
Future Cyber Mondays Could Take a Hit from Proposed Internet Tax
Adobe Digital Insights predicts that Cyber Monday’s sales will surpass last year’s sales by 11.5%, for a total of $3 billion this year.
Study
Why Internet Sales Taxes Bolster Bigger Government
View Full Document as PDF The rapid growth of online retailing has led to calls from state and local officials for greater…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Internet Sales Tax Shakedown and Legal Graft
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Jessica Melugin and Trevor Burrus discuss freedom from bureaucracy online and political corruption.
Blog
Dueling Narratives on the AT&T-Time Warner “Mega Merger”
This weekend AT&T and Time Warner announced a merger deal and it didn't take long for critics on the left to begin making concerned statements…
Forbes
Republicans and Democrats Unite Against $86 Billion AT&T-Time Warner Merger Deal
In a response to earlier media mergers such as Comcast-NBCUniversal, and in an effort to adapt to a world in which consumers increasingly turn away…
The Hill
How driverless cars can reduce pollution
The Hill highlights Marc Scribner's report on state laws that would restrict platooning technology for automated vehicles. Autonomous vehicles also have the potential to…
The Hill
California weighs self-driving car rules
The Hill discusses California's draft driverless car regulations with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, a research fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the…
Forbes
White House Showcases National Plans For Mars Journey, High Technology
President Barack Obama is hosting the White House Frontiers Conference at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University. The idea is to “explore the future of innovation,”…
Blog
Facebook Makes the Case for “Free Basics” Internet Access
Facebook is lobbying the White House for the government’s blessing to offer its “Free Basics” service in the United States, according to a story reported…
Blog
Federal Communications Commission Delays Vote on Cable Box Rules
How would the proposed rules change cable set-top boxes?…
Blog
Tom Cotton’s Last Minute Anti-Gambling Bill
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) fears the Internet.
Blog
Mr. Robot and the Future of Money
Last week, the cult USA channel TV show Mr. Robot showed once again why it is required viewing for anyone interested in technology.
One News Now
‘Amazing’ developments re: self-driving cars
One News Now discusses technology developments for self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. "More training options are great," says Marc Scribner, transportation policy analyst…
The Hill
Driverless cars face regulatory roadblock
The Hill highlights Marc Scribner's study examining state laws restricting truck platooning technology. But it’s not just pedal and steering wheel rules that…
Forbes
Why Future Federal Communications Commission Oversight Hearings Should Explore Sunsetting the Agency
There’s another Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversight hearing underway in the Senate Commerce Committee, with most of the time being spent on doings with…
Blog
Senators Examine Internet Naming Authority
This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts will hold a hearing entitled “Protecting Internet Freedom: Implications…
Scientific American
Uber’s “Self-Driving” Test Cars to Be Overseen by Driver and Engineer
Scientific American reports on "self-driving" car technology and discusses regulatory hurdles to this technology with Marc Scribner. Uber’s decision to expose the public to the…
News Release
Goodlatte Online Sales Tax Proposal is an ‘Improvement’ but Still Needs Work
Today, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., released a discussion draft of his plan to tackle remote online sales taxes. A vast improvement over competing proposals in…
Washington Examiner
America to hand off Internet in under two months
Washington Examiner reports on the handoff of American control of the Internet and highlights CEI's letter to Congress on the issue. Opponents similarly made the…
Politico
Making a roadway less of a roadblock
Politico's Morning Transportation highlights Marc Scribner's study on state laws blocking truck platooning technology. Marc Scribner is out with a 66-page guide this…
Blog
Worst Procedural Abuses of the Obama Era: Net Neutrality
Under the federal Administrative Procedure Act (APA), before an agency may issue a new rule, it must usually publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in…
Foundation for Economic Education
Ma Bell Suppressed Innovation for Thirty Grueling Years
"Oh, for the days of Ma Bell!” is not a lament we’re likely to hear. And for good reason. Before the breakup of AT&T, America’s…
Blog
Politics and Economics Collide with Pokémon Go
It seems strange to think it’s been barely a week since Pokémon Go became the dominant pop culture phenomenon of the summer. Publications better known…
The Hill
Big Brother? How SOPRA can help restore proper authority
The Internet as we know it may soon become unrecognizable. That’s because the freewheeling “network of networks” soon will be regulated by bureaucrats. The D.C.
Foundation for Economic Education
Fear Not Malevolent AI Robots
I’ve recently become hooked on Michael Solona’s new podcast series, “Anatomy of Next: Utopia,”a fascinating analysis of our most advanced and rapidly developing technologies…
Blog
The Custody Battle for Your Internet Privacy
Google, Facebook, and YouTube; how do these large websites stay free? Internet advertising is part of a huge economy of $27.5 billion that allows the…
Comment
CEI and Tech Freedom Comments to the FCC on Protecting Broadband Customers’ Privacy
Full Document Available in PDF Chutzpah, wrote Leo Rostein in his 1968 classic, The Joys of Yiddish, is “that quality enshrined in a…
Blog
Chicago Home-Sharing Rules a Loss for Residents
Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel negotiated an armistice with the sharing economy last week. Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb have promised comply with the new rules, which…
Blog
Will the Sharing Economy Give Us Greater Economic Mobility?
Last night the R Street Institute sponsored a fascinating policy panel here in Washington, D.C., “Boost or Barrier? Upward mobility in the on-demand economy.”…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Innovation Economy & State Fiscal Breakdown
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, guests Garrett Johnson and Eileen Norcross explain the importance of developing a more technologically nimble and fiscally responsible government.
Blog
Coming Soon: International Mayors for Inconvenient Travel
While we wait to see whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign legislation targeting home-share listings in New York, the governmental response to the sharing economy’s…
Blog
New York Rules DFS a “Game of Skill,” Maintains Ban on Internet Poker
Human beings have been gambling since at least the dawn of recorded history and perhaps one of the most enduring games is poker.
Blog
New York Legislature Piles on Fines for Home-Share Listings
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently reviewing legislation recently passed by the state’s Senate and Assembly that would establish new penalties for advertising one’s…
Fortune
Here’s Why the Drone Industry Just Had A Milestone Moment
Fortune discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new rules on small unmanned aircraft systems with Marc Scribner. Not everyone is pleased with the new…
PC World
New FAA rules mean you won’t get Amazon drone delivery anytime soon
PC World discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new rules on drones with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, a fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Daily Caller
Business Leaders Unsurprisingly Tepid About FAA’s New 624-Page Drone Rulebook
The Daily Caller discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new regulations on drones with Marc Scribner. “The new FAA drone rules are disappointing and…
News Release
CEI Comments on FAA Drone Regulations
Today, June 21, 2016, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration finalized their operational rules for commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems. Transportation policy expert Marc Scribner responded:…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Futurism and Genius
This week’s guests share a contagious, limitless optimism about our technological future and individual achievement.
Blog
Building on the Optimism of “Uber-Positive” Attitudes
There’s a new resource for understanding the state of play between politics and developments in the sharing economy, the pleasantly slim volume by the Manhattan…
Blog
Wireless Net Neutrality: You Were Warned
Hundreds of people have been burrowing into this week’s D.C. District Court of Appeals 2-1 decision giving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) everything it wanted…
Blog
FCC Cannot Rewrite Federal Law to Regulate the Internet
By upholding the entirety of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Open Internet Order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has sanctioned the…
Daily Caller
Upholding Net Neutrality Will Put Us Back In The Slow Lane
The Daily Caller reports on the cost of federal regulations with Wayne Crews. This is but one recent example of the unintended consequences…
Blog
Congress Must Rein in FCC on Net Neutrality
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the FCC’s 2015 “Open Internet Order” in US Telecom Association v. FCC.
Blog
“Open Internet” Ruling Will Encourage ISPs to Block Content
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “Open Internet Order” which purports to implement “net neutrality”…
Daily Caller
The FCC Is Now One Step Closer To Taking Over The Internet
The Daily Caller discusses with Ryan Radia a federal court's ruling to uphold the Federal Communication Commision's net neutrality plan. Ryan Radia, a…
News Release
Net Neutrality Ruling is a Loss of Freedom, Increase in Government Control
Today’s federal court ruling upholding the Obama Administration’s net neutrality plan is a boon for more agency power and an opportunity for Congress to rein…
Comment
CEI Petitions FCC to Reconsider Conditions Imposed on Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger
Full Document Available in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute, John France, Daniel Frank, Jean-Claude Gruffat, and Charles Haywood seek reconsideration of the…
Blog
FCC Could end up “Protecting” Consumers from Cheaper Internet Access
Net neutrality proponents have seen their lines splinter over the issue of “zero rating,” the practice of not counting data used to access certain sites…
Forbes
Bureaucracy’s Paradox: When Fewer Regulations Mean Less Freedom
"To limit abuse by the rulers, ancient Rome wrote down the law and permitted citizens to read it. Under Dodd-Frank, regulatory authority is…
Blog
Court Will Soon Decide Fate of FCC’s Ill-Conceived Internet Regulations
Any day now, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is expected to release its decision in U.S. Telecom Association v. FCC.
Washington Examiner
Critics charge FCC with suppressing comments on privacy ruling
The Washington Examiner reports on a coalition CEI signed urging the Federal Communications Commission to extend its deadline for comment on broadband rules. …
Washington Times
Conservatives trend liberal over Facebook
Conservatives are hopping mad about Facebook allegedly manipulating its Trending Topics to discriminate against right-leaning news stories. And some want to do something about…
Blog
FCC’s Cable Box Mandate: Costly, Illegal, and Unnecessary
Regulators at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) want to dictate how cable and satellite television providers design their so-called “set-top boxes”—a fancy term for…
New York Times
Monopolies, Like Google, Are Innovators, Which Is Good for Consumers
Last week, the European Commission brought new antitrust charges against Google, alleging the company unfairly favors its own services on smartphones running its Android operating…
Blog
Congress Must Pass Email Privacy Act
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699) sponsored by Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.). The Competitive Enterprise…
Comment
CEI and Tech Freedom Comments to the FCC on “Set-Top Box” Regulations
Full Document Available in PDF The FCC claims it is trying to “Unlock the Box” to “empower consumers to choose how they…
Argus Leader
Online sales tax coming to your inbox
Argus Leader discusses the online sales tax with CEI's Jessica Melugin. In a letter to Congress in 2013, groups such as Americans for…
Blog
Congress Should Strip the FCC of the Power to Regulate Broadband Prices
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on a bill known as the “No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act.” Just as…
Blog
Netflix’s Throttling Scandal: Possibly Illegal, But Not an FCC Matter
As one of the chief agitators behind the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) controversial effort to regulate Internet service providers like public utilities, Netflix has long portrayed…
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