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No Permission Needed
Robust, resilient, and high-capacity internet service is critical to America’s economic prosperity and success. A key part of internet service is Wi-Fi, which provides Americans…
Blog
Everyone agrees we need more spectrum, so why is Congress making it complicated?
Politics prioritized over policy is de rigueur these days, but it shouldn’t be for spectrum auction reauthorization. The importance to the US economy and to…
Blog
The bait and switch of Government Owned Networks
We are all familiar with bait and switch, the deceptive practice where a customer is enticed by one offer and then forced into a higher…
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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.
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…
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:…
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…
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…
Blog
Roundup of Recent D.C. Telecom Events
Recent events aimed at restoring Internet freedom.
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…
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
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…
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.
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
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…
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
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
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
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…
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…
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…
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
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
Blog
After the Incentive Auction: Reimbursing Broadcasters for Channel Relocation Costs
This month, the FCC will kick off a much-awaited incentive auction that could reshape America’s airwaves.
Blog
FCC’s New Privacy Mandates – What’s Next, Internet Czar?
Today, the Federal Communications Commission unveiled a proposal to regulate how broadband providers may collect and use their customers’ information. If the FCC’s impending privacy…
Blog
Barack Obama as FCC Chairman
The saga of executive branch overreach continues, and we got a twofer today. The House Judiciary Task Force on Executive Overreach held a hearing this…
Blog
UnChartered Cronyism: The FCC’s Attempts to Block Cable Merger
When you hear about “crony capitalism,” what comes to mind? The Export-Import Bank? The ethanol mandate? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Tax credits and loan…
Blog
The One Year Anniversary of Net Neutrality
In the pen and phone era, one of the many examples of the descent into arbitrary lawmaking influencing an entire sector of the economy is…
The Washington Times
How to Keep the Internet Free and Innovative
Unless the courts or Congress rein it in, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) might soon transform itself into the Internet Regulation Commission. On December 4,…
Blog
Net Neutrality Questions FCC Commissioners Need to Answer
In a House Energy & Commerce Committee oversight hearing on Tuesday, November 17, all five Federal Communications Commissioners will testify. Net neutrality, the FCC’s broad push…
Blog
What Will a Chaffetz Speakership Mean for Internet Freedom?
With House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) gaffe regarding the Benghazi investigation, the race to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appears much more open. Days later,…
Legal Brief
Amicus Brief: United States Telecom Association v. FCC
Full Document Available in PDF A handful of telecom companies sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its Open Internet Order, also…
Blog
FCC Ignores Rule of Law in Attempt to Fine AT&T for Throttling Wireless Users
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on a three-to-two vote, found that AT&T violated federal regulations by failing to disclose that it was throttling certain wireless…
Blog
CEI Statements on the Failed Comcast-Time Warner Merger
CEI responded to the news that the Comcast-Time Warner merger failed. You can read more analysis from CEI's Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews here.
Comment
CEI, ICLE, TechFreedom File Comments with FCC in MVPD Definition Proceeding
Full Document Available in PDF In this proceeding, the Commission proposes to expand the definition of a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD)…
Blog
Net Neutrality Vote Shows Congress Must Rein In and Replace the FCC
The separation of powers doctrine demands that Congress not tolerate unelected federal agencies going it alone and making binding law. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC),…
Blog
Premature Capitulation?
Over the decades I’ve spent in this Heart of Darkness (a.k.a., the bowels of American politics), I’ve learned two lessons that have encouraged the steady…
Study
From Overstock to Overtaxed
With Congress poised to consider similar taxes in the Marketplace Fairness Act…
News Release
New Report: The Economic and Legal Problems with Internet Sales Taxes
WASHINGTON – Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new study analyzing the economic downsides and legal problems with…
Comment
Comments to NHTSA Regarding Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the…
Letters
CEI, National and State Coalitions Support Internet Tax Moratorium
Full Document Avalible in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute, along with dozens of State and National organizations are asking the Senate to…
Comment
Comcast-TWC Merger Comments to FCC
View Full Comments Here In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission yesterday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute urged the FCC to unconditionally…
Forbes
Techno-Libertarianism: Building The Case For Separation Of Technology And State
Can we keep government’s hands off the technology frontier? I like to think it makes sense that libertarianism—or classical liberal ideas–would resonate in places like…
WBUR Boston
Supreme Court Aereo Decision Also A Blow To Boston’s Tech Sector
The media company Hearst Corporation, which owns WCVB-TV in Boston, says it is pleased with the ruling for protecting its right to be compensated. The…
News Release
Aereo Decision Protects Creators and Distributors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Annie Dwyer; 202-331-2765 WASHINGTON, June 25 – This morning, the United States Supreme Court ruled against the online-streaming company…
Forbes
Questions For Advocates Of Net Neutrality Regulation
Flawed premises notwithstanding, the Federal Communications Commission’s self interested campaign to inflict net neutrality rules on the private communications infrastructure continues with a new rulemaking…
Mapping the Internet
Parallel Internets, Another Internet Treaty Or Both? The Next Pieces Of The Internet Governance Jigsaw Puzzle – Part 2
For a long time before Brazil, Angela Merkel and others had awoken to the possibility of networks separate though connected to the currently US-dominated…
Comment
Comments to the Federal Communications Commission in the matter of Expanding Access to Mobile Wireless Services Onboard Aircraft
Full…
News Release
Net Neutrality Court Ruling Praised by CEI Experts
Washington, DC, Jan. 14, 2013 – Today a federal appeals court struck down so-called "net neutrality" rules forcing Internet service providers to make broadband…
The Hill
Court weighs fate of net neutrality
Opponents of the net neutrality rules argue the FCC is stifling innovation by meddling in the marketplace. The agency “needs to…
USA Today
GOP fighting cellphone freedom
Should the federal government outlaw rudeness? Some senior Republican lawmakers seem to think so. Since 1991, the Federal Communications Commission has barred cellphone use on…
USA Today
Experts: DOT probably has legal legs to ban calls
The libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute offered a dissenting voice Thursday, calling it “clearly arbitrary and capricious” for DOT to ban cellphone calls under consumer protection…
Letters
Economists’ Letter to FCC Chairman Wheeler on Competition
Full Document Available in PDF Introduction Congratulations on your confirmation…
Politico
Anthony Foxx: DOT will consider banning cell phone calls on planes
The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian group, questioned the grounds for DOT’s move. CEI fellow Marc Scribner said the move “runs counter to legislative intent…
News Release
CEI Applauds FCC Efforts on Ending In-Flight Cell Phone Ban
Washington, DC, Dec. 12, 2013 – This afternoon, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held an Open Meeting. Among other issues, the FCC indicated it would…
Politico
Path to a successful spectrum auction requires focus
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Fred Campbell recently concluded that restrictions on the participation of large firms in previous FCC spectrum auctions have delayed the provision…
Politico
How Chattanooga beat Google Fiber by half a decade
To understand why cable companies are so resistant, it helps to understand a bit about their business model. Because dense urban areas are more profitable…
PC Mag
Verizon, FCC Face Off Over Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know
The Center for Democracy and Technology argued that Verizon's suit is "dangerous." "By trying to paint this case as raising a constitutional issue, Verizon hopes…
Real Clear Policy
The Feds Should Stay Out of the CBS Blackout
From Los Angeles to New York, 3 million Americans in eight U.S. cities haven't been able to watch CBS on cable for weeks, because of…
Comment
Reply comments to FCC on AT&T petition
CEI and other free market groups on February 25, 2013 urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a request to relax antiquated regulatory barriers.
Study
Regulatory Report Card: FCC
Full Document Available in PDF It may come as a surprise that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the third most expensive…
News Release
FCC Is Third Most Expensive Agency of Federal Government
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21, 2013 – Somewhat surprisingly, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the third most expensive agency when it comes to the costs…
ARS Technica
Senator introduces bill to regulate data caps
But Ryan Radia of the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute was less enthusiastic about Wyden's proposal. He believes that data caps can serve useful purposes beyond…
CNET
Verizon Draws Fire for Monitoring App Usage, Browsing Habits
From Declan McCullagh's article in CNet: Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank, agrees with the…
Letters
Coalition Letter to FCC on Broadband Tests
Full Document Available in PDF We, the undersigned public interest organizations, write to express our strong concerns regarding the consumer privacy risks…
News Release
FCC Broadband Test May Enable Warrantless Snooping, Coalition Warns
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 10, 2012 – Consumers who test their broadband connections on a government website may be turning over information that could allow…
CNET
Market demand knocks down regulatory barriers in Kansas City fiber deployment
In response to my analysis of Google Fiber, Timothy B. Lee at Ars Technica says the Google Fiber deployment is “hardly an example of the…
CNET
Womack Seeks to Close Quill Loophole, Force Online Stores to Pay State Sales Tax
From Neil McCabe’s column in Townhall: Christie said taxation of online sales an important issue to all the nation’s governors and endorsed federal…
Study
The Marketplace Fairness Act Would Create a State Sales Tax Cartel and Hurt Consumers
The Marketplace Fairness Act (S. 1832) seeks to capture more tax revenue for states on Internet purchases. Traditional retailers, states, and localities have urged Congress…
News Release
Internet Tax Bill Would Allow Taxation Without Representation
Washington, D.C., July 30, 2012–This Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a hearing on the Marketplace Fairness Act (S.
News Release
Net Neutrality Unconstitutional, Public Interest Groups Tell Appeals Court
Washington D.C., July 24, 2012 — On July 23, TechFreedom and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, along with the Free State Foundation and…
CNET
Norquist, Conservative Groups Petition FCC in Favor of Latest Verizon Deal
From Josh Peterson’s Daily Caller article: “Demand for wireless broadband is more than doubling annually, but vast swaths of valuable spectrum — the…
CNET
Former FCC Official Takes Stance Against FCC’s Possible 4G LTE Technology Mandate
From Josh Peterson’s article in The Daily Caller: Fred Campbell, director of the Communications Liberty and Innovation Project — a new project by…
Comment
CEI’s CLIP Submits Comments Before the FCC on 700 MHz Interoperability
Full Document Available in PDF The Communications Liberty and Innovation Project submits these comments…
News Release
Competitive Enterprise Institute Launches Program to Advance Innovation in Telecommunications
Washington, D.C., June 1, 2012 – Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) launched the Communications Liberty and Innovation Project (CLIP), a program of…
News Release
CLIP Takes Bold Stance Against FCC Technology Mandate
WASHINGTON, D.C, June 1, 2012 – Fred Campbell, Director of the Communications Liberty and Innovation Project (CLIP) at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Tech News World
Apple, Samsung Chiefs Pick Up Their Marbles and Go Home
From Erika Morphy's article in E-Commerce Times: Judges will often order two sides to try mediation before a legal action, Ryan Radia, an…
Forbes
Comcast’s Puny Data Cap Increase
From Timothy B. Lee's op-ed on Forbes: Ryan Radia wants to know what I think of Comcast’s announcement that it’s raising…
News Release
Justice Department Should Drop Apple Lawsuit
Washington, D.C., April 11, 2012—The Justice Department sued Apple and several publishers today, alleging the firms colluded over e-book pricing. CEI policy experts Wayne…
CBS Seattle
Will Apple’s Staggering Growth One Day Be Its Undoing?
From Candice Lee Hefland's article for CBS Seattle: “Saturation is not a huge concern. If anything, Apple devices will continue to proliferate a…
Orange County Register
EDITORIAL: Don’t Throw the E-Book at Apple
From The Orange County Register's editorial: So far, the ebook market actually is dominated by Amazon.com's Kindle device, Ryan Radia told us; he's…
Orange County Register
Verizon’s Deal With Cable Companies Finds Supporters, Detractors
From Michelle Maisto’s article in eWeek: Eleven…
Orange County Register
Ryan Radia: SOPA could change the way the internet works
SOPA could change the way the internet works. Now, some of the biggest websites in the world like Google and Wikipedia are going dark in…
