Whether it is lifting net neutrality regulations, allowing AI to reach its full potential to benefit mankind, educating policy makers about content moderation, clearing legacy regulations at the Federal Communications Commission, advocating for greater spectrum efficiency, or defending business practices that benefit consumers but are disliked by antitrust enforcers, CEI punches above its weight. Coalition activity, relationships with tech and telecom journalists, media appearances, policy events, Capitol Hill outreach, op-eds, and in-depth studies combine to make CEI influential in the tech and telecom policy area.
Tech and Telecom Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
Class is in session: Are educators ready for AI?
From the early internet to modern artificial intelligence (AI), technological change causes panic. News outlets often amplify fears surrounding AI. Teachers and…
Blog
FSC v. Paxton after one year: Age verification moves down the stack
This past June marked the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s FSC v. Paxton decision. The Court held that states may require age…
Blog
The epistemological mismatch of KOSA’s constructive knowledge standard
The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup on Wednesday for several online child safety bills, including the Kids Online Safety Act (…
Search Posts
Real Clear Policy
US Should Learn From Europe’s Damaging Tech Regulations
Final European Parliament approval of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) last week…
News Release
Congress Has Bad Ideas on Tech Regulation: CEI Report
Congress has some bad ideas on regulating Big Tech, and a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report breaks it all down. “Lawmakers say they…
Study
Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress
Congress is considering an onslaught of legislation targeting the largest tech platforms in the U.S., addressing topics such as mobile apps, advertising,…
Blog
European Parliament Gives Final Approval to Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act
The European Parliament yesterday approved the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), two expansive new laws that will target…
News Release
CEI Report: Reforms to Universal Service Fund Will Allow the FCC to Cut Taxpayer Costs and Improve Broadband Affordability for Underserved Americans
WASHINGTON—Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have an opportunity to both improve broadband connectivity and reduce costs to taxpayers by making some commonsense…
Study
How Congress and the Federal Communications Commission Can Help Improve Affordable Internet Access to Underserved Populations
June 30, 2022 …
Blog
Current Antitrust Proposals No “Laffing” Matter
A new report by Laffer Associates released today, Read ‘Em and Weep: How the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992) and…
City AM
Before giving the CMA more teeth, we should look at its Meta shaped bite marks
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been flexing its muscles like a growing schoolboy recently. On Tuesday, it finally got a well-deserved admonishment…
Blog
The American Data Privacy and Protection Act Fails to Streamline Privacy Laws Nationwide and Promote Technological Innovation
As more states pass state-level data privacy laws, federal privacy law is becoming increasingly necessary to prevent a patchwork of confusing state-level…
Comment
CEI Comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Regarding Report on Competition in the Mobile App Ecosystem
Alex Reinauer, Research Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute Comment Period Closes: May 23, 2022 Comment Submitted: May 23, 2022 Docket No. NTIA-2022-0001…
Blog
Eleven Lousy Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Fair Repair Act
People drop their phones a lot. According to the electronic repair company uBreakiFix, 95 million smartphones are dropped annually in the U.S. and…
National Review
Don’t Follow Europe on Tech Regulation
Policy-makers in the EU are about to finalize new digital-platform rules, many of which mirror U.S. proposals currently stalled in Congress. Like past European tech…
Blog
Eleven Lousy Tech Legislation from the 117th Congress: Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act
There is a late entry to the 117th Congress’ list of worst tech legislation, requiring a new title for the blog series. There were…
News Release
EU Digital Markets Act Threatens Consumer Access to Online Services, Products
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report examines a European Union proposal to impose restrictions on technology companies, like stopping companies from preferencing house-brand…
Study
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act Seeks to Regulate Competition with Little Regard to Impact on Consumers
Henrique Schneider is the deputy CEO of the Swiss Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises Coming full circle: For much of the 19th…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022
DuckDuckGo is a success story. Launched in 2008, the online search engine has centered its product around privacy. In short, they “don’t collect…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: ACCESS Act
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), launched in 1997, was arguably the first social media platform, reaching over 36 million users by 2001. The Federal…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Ending Platform Monopolies Act
Imagine shopping for a bicycle. You decide on a Trek bike after evaluating the options, user reviews, and specifications. The bicycle is delivered but…
Washington Examiner
What Elon Musk gets wrong about Apple App Store fees
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has some in the throes of ecstasy and others fearing a social media apocalypse. But, whatever happens, it’s good news that…
National Review
After Elon Musk’s Takeover of Twitter, Will Conservatives Learn to Love Section 230?
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has many on the political right hopeful that, once under his control, the site will take down…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Filter Bubble Transparency Act
In Book VII of Plato’s Republic, Socrates introduces his allegory of the cave. Prisoners are chained in an underground cavern since birth. Their necks…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Platform Competition and Opportunity Act
Tech startups are thriving. The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding government response created unique problems for facilitating communication, goods, and services. Fortunately, tech innovation…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: EARN IT Act
There is no shortage of legislation addressing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act introduced in the 117th Congress, with some legislators seeking to…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Prohibiting Anti-Competitive Mergers Act of 2022
Mergers are on Congress’ mind, clearly. Legislation aimed at increasing both the powers and budgets of antitrust enforcers are plentiful, with technology companies being…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: Open App Markets Act
Congress has an unhealthy fixation with app stores—and Congress isn’t alone. Both government and private parties filed antitrust lawsuits last year against the…
Blog
Ten Terrible Tech Bills from the 117th Congress: American Innovation and Choice Online Act
As Congress enters its final weeks before the midterm elections, many expect a late push to pass legislation targeting the largest technology companies. Dozens…
Fox Business
VIDEO: CEI’s Jessica Melugin Joins Fox Business to Discuss Twitter and Elon Musk
CEI Director for the Center for Technology and Innovation Jessica Melugin joins Fox Business to discuss Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter.
Blog
Elon vs. the Regulators
A $43 billion sale of Twitter to Elon Musk looks more and more like a done deal. Depending on who you ask, Musk…
Action Institute
Do Libertarians Have a Political Home Anymore?
For many years, libertarians and economic conservatives lived in harmony. The philosophy of fusionism said that the conservative party, when it governed, would seek…
Blog
Biden’s Escalating Fusion of Regulation and Censorship Requires Decisive Pushback
President Joe Biden’s “whole of government” advancement of numerous elements of an-interventionist “Building a Better America” agenda is accompanied by an alarming…
Blog
Escalation of Surveillance Threatens Right to Anonymity
The Biden administration has pressured big tech social media platforms to advance its policies in areas like cultural debates, climate interventions, and to stifle…
Real Clear Policy
How Congress Can Build the Right Data Privacy Framework
Last month, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed into law the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, making Utah the fourth U.S. state…
Blog
“Right to Repair” Bill Is a Move in the Wrong Direction
The Fair Repair Act (S. 3830), introduced in the Senate last month, would require electronic manufactures like Apple and Samsung to make certain…
Blog
Elon Musk’s Purchase of Twitter Stock Is an Important Reminder of How Capitalism Works
The tech world was shaken by the recent news that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, had bought up nearly one of every…
Comment
Comments to the Federal Trade Commission Regarding Forthcoming Merger Guideline Revisions
Comment Period Closes: April 21, 2022 Comment Submitted: April 3, 2022 Docket No. FTC-2022-0003-0001 On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Blog
“Letter” Rip: The Justice Department Would Like More Power, Please
In its first backing of specific antirust legislation, the Justice Department (DOJ) sent a letter in support of the American Innovation and…
Blog
Antitrust Triangulation
Sometimes it’s useful to introduce useless bills. The Prohibiting Anti-Competitive Mergers Act , sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire Jones…
Comment
CEI Comments to the FCC: FCC-21-127
Introduction On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of…
Real Clear Policy
Conservatives Will Rue the Day They ‘Common Carrier’ Social Media
Real Clear Policy cites Senior Attorney Dan Greenburg and Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation Jessica Melugin’s paper arguing against regulating social…
Blog
Amazon Antitrust Lawsuit Dismissed
Last year, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon over its third-party seller program. On Friday, a judge…
Blog
New Anti-Merger Bill Not Indexed for Inflation
Yesterday, I wrote about four problems with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY)’s new antitrust bill, the Prohibiting Anti-Competitive…
Blog
New Antitrust Merger Bill Is Fatally Flawed
There is yet another antitrust bill in Congress. The Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act, sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire…
News Release
CEI Statement: Biden Executive Order to Target Crypto for Regulation
The White House is set to release an executive order today regulating cryptocurrency. CEI Senior Fellow John Berlau expressed concerns about the order and…
Blog
House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce Hosts Less than Festive Parade for Big Tech Accountability
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on Tuesday, March 1, for a legislative hearing on “Holding…
Comment
CEI Comments on Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for comments on updating the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan
Introduction On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s…
News Release
Regulating Social Media Companies as Common Carriers Would Undermine User Experience Online
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) published a new paper today making the case against regulating social media platforms as common carriers. In…
Study
Don’t Confuse the Platform with the Train
Executive Summary Should social media companies be regulated like common carriers? To answer that question, this paper describes the functions and origins of social…
Blog
All Social Media Will Need to Moderate Content
Roughly a year after being booted off the most popular social media networks, former President Trump launched his own digital platform last weekend,…
Blog
State Antitrust Lawsuit Trivializes Security Threats in Mobile App Market
Last July, 36 state attorneys general filed an antitrust suit against Google focusing on app distribution for Android devices through the Google Play…
News Release
Senators Should Oppose Sohn Nomination to FCC
The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing today on the nomination of Gigi Sohn to be a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission.
Blog
Don’t EARN IT
Bad policy made with good intentions still delivers poor results. That is the case with the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive…
Blog
Good News for Facebook Competitors, Bad News for the FTC’s Antitrust Case
Thursday brought some interesting news, none of which were kind to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust case against Facebook. First, Facebook’s number…
Real Clear Policy
State Lawmakers Need a Better Strategy to Make Regulatory Sandbox Programs a Success
In the age of Web3 and the metaverse, the term “sandbox” has suddenly taken on a new meaning. No long just a fun place…
Blog
Protect Consumers, Not Competitors
The Open App Markets Act (S. 2710) is the latest in a parade of antitrust legislation aimed at reining in “big tech” companies…
Letters
CEI and Other Organizations Oppose the Open App Markets Act
Dear Senator, On behalf of the undersigned organizations – representing millions of taxpayers, consumers, and free market advocates across the nation – we…
News Release
A Government Central Bank Digital Currency Would Pose Big Risk to Financial Sector, Economy
The U.S. should not approve a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report argues. “CBDCs could hand the…
Study
Central Bank Digital Currencies Threaten Global Stability and Financial Privacy
Executive Summary As digital currencies go mainstream around the world, governments and international financial bodies are seeking to develop ways to regulate them. Some…
The Washington Examiner
Bill Targeting Big Tech Advanced Out of a Senate Committee on Bipartisan Vote
In what could be the most significant step toward regulating Big Tech, a bipartisan bill to change online shopping dramatically is moving ahead in…
Blog
A Dangerous Antitrust Game for Microsoft and Consumers
Microsoft’s couldn’t have picked a more inauspicious day to announce its planned acquisition of gaming company, Activision Blizzard. The news came concurrently with antitrust…
News Release
Senate Antitrust Bill Would Deny Consumers Popular Services from Large Tech Platforms
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992) today, a…
Blog
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act Would Regulate Away Consumer Benefits
Perhaps Congress’ enthusiasm for ongoing government oversight of business decisions, embodied in tomorrow’s closed door markup of the American Innovation and Choice Online…
Blog
In Russia, Government Tells Internet What to Say
As a general rule, if you’re on the same regulatory page as Russia, you should probably turn the page—if not set fire to it.
News Release
Revived FTC Antitrust Suit Against Facebook Could Put Chill on Innovative Acquisitions in Tech Industry
WASHINGTON – A federal judge today reversed an earlier decision and permitted a case filed against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)…
Blog
An Option Isn’t an Option When It’s Mandatory, Even Online
Later this year, Instagram users will have the option of a chronological feed of the accounts they follow. This option is already available…
Blog
New York State of Mind Wrong on Social Media Regulation
Recent injunctions, in both Florida and Texas, against state-level social media laws championed by Republicans illustrate the difficulties of regulating content moderation…
The Hill
Congress and the Biden Administration Should be Wary of the FAA’s Opposition to 5G Spectrum Allocation
In early December, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new rule restricting aircraft and helicopters from using certain automated…
National Review
Don’t Let Regulators Kill Crypto
Americans are excited about crypto. Who can blame them? Digital currencies promise to eliminate the middleman in all manner of value transfers, starting with financial…
Blog
Why Both Democrats and Republicans Should Oppose Gigi Sohn’s Nomination as FCC Commissioner
On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee held a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). During…
Blog
Social Media in Parallel Universes
The chasm between the political discourse at yesterday’s House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on social media platforms and the legal…
Real Clear Policy
DOJ’s Antitrust Case Against Publishers is an Overreach
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust suit to stop the merger of publishers Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has not gained…
Blog
Review of Michael Munger, The Sharing Economy: Its Pitfalls and Promises (Institute of Economic Affairs, 2021)
Transaction costs are one of the most overlooked ideas in economics. They are also one of the most important. The lowering of transaction costs…
Duluth News Tribune
Counterpoint: Urge Private Sector, Consumers to Fight Back, too, Against Unwanted, Irritating Robocalls
“We have been trying to reach you regarding your car’s extended warranty.” In an age of great political partisanship, robocalls vex American consumers of…
Inside Sources
Biden Administration Threatens Consumers with Net Neutrality, Again
A big priority for progressives and, hence, the Biden administration is reinstatement of Obama-era net neutrality regulations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will once again regulate internet service providers under Title II of the…
Blog
Facebook Leaks Are Hardly Newsworthy
The frenzied media coverage of Facebook document leaks seems to confuse hosting disagreeable content with the platform being the cause of humanity’s ills.
News Release
Biden’s FCC Nominees Mean Trouble on Net Neutrality, Broadband Policies
President Biden’s nominees for key FCC posts will have a significant impact on consumer policy, says CEI’s Jessica Melugin: “The policy implications of…
Blog
Markets Aren’t Perfect; Regulation Is Often Far Worse
A rhetorical tactic commonly employed by both my technocratic and progressive friends is a straw man argument. “If market processes are so great,” they…
Blog
The United States Should Oppose the EU’s Proposed Common Charger Regulation
The European Union (EU) wants to require all cell phone manufacturers to use a common charging device. According to European policy makers, if…
Op-Eds
Facebook keeps asking for regulation that would crush its competition
Repost: Tim Carney’s piece at the Washington Examiner, as part of their Restoring America Project…
Blog
Sen. Klobuchar’s Half-Baked Antitrust Bill
A famous scene in the 1990s comedy movie Half Baked has a young Jon Stewart musing about how different everyday activities can be…
Barrons
A Key FTC Case Goes Down the Regulatory Rabbit Hole
As imagined in Lewis Carroll’s classic, having gone down the rabbit hole, a bewildered Alice learns from the Cheshire Cat that, if you don’t…
Blog
Let the Market Make Corrections and Leave the Red Tape out of It
YouTube banned anti-vaccine content on its platform, Instagram is accused of being “toxic” for its teen users, and Facebook’s Oversight Board is…
Blog
Texas May Still Be the Wild West, But Its Social Media Shouldn’t Be
The Texas legislature passed and Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law H.B. 20, which he described as “safeguarding the freedom of speech…
News Release
Court Rules Apple App Store Rules Do Not Violate Antitrust Laws
A federal district court today ruled that Apple’s rules regarding payments on its App Store do not violate antitrust laws. The case, brought by…
National Interest
American Lawmakers Should Not Repeat Beijing’s Big Tech Mistake
As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cracks down on private Chinese technology companies, American regulators should take note but avoid a similarly punitive stance…
National Interest
American Lawmakers Should Not Repeat Beijing’s Big Tech Mistake
s the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cracks down on private Chinese technology companies, American regulators should take note but avoid a similarly punitive stance…
Blog
Web 3.0 Requires New Regulatory Thinking
“[A] digital economy isn’t simply an industrial economy on the internet.” The Blockchain Innovation Hub at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia…
Blog
UK’s Attempt to Block a Merger Between American Firms Could Cripple Innovation
As I explain in both an op-ed and regulatory comments submitted yesterday, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s…
Comment
Comments to the CMA in re: Facebook/GIPHY merger
Submitted to the Inquiry via [email protected], 1 September 2021 Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments in the matter of the…
News Release
Former FTC Policymakers Find FTC Complaint Against Illumina-GRAIL Merger Lacking in New CEI Paper
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) published a new paper today by former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Timothy J. Muris and former…
Study
Screening Out Innovation
Executive Summary This report addresses the appropriate antitrust standards for vertical mergers. It first provides an overview, and then analyzes a specific application to the Federal…
The Miami Herald
Consumers and the Private Sector Can Fight Robocalls Better than Government Can
“We have been trying to reach you regarding your car’s extended warranty.” In an age of great political partisanship, robocalls vex American consumers…
Blog
FTC Re-Files Facebook Antitrust Complaint
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) submitted a revised antitrust complaint against Facebook today. In June, a judge threw out the initial complaint…
News Release
FTC’s Latest Antitrust Case Against Facebook a Conflict-of-Interest in Search of a Crime
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to re-file an antitrust case against Facebook, accusing the social media company of being a monopoly and seeking…
The National Interest
The EU’s Recently Proposed Artificial Intelligence Act Goes Too Far
The European Union is now considering what could become the world’s first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence (AI). The aim is to promote European…
Real Clear Markets
How Regulatory ‘Sandboxes’ Can Boost U.S. Technological Innovation
States like Louisiana and North Carolina are eager to attract technology companies and promote innovation by temporarily lifting government red…
Blog
Not A Policy Paper, Just A Thought
Years ago, pastor Lon Solomon of the D.C.-based McLean Bible Church popularized a series of radio ads entitled, “Not a Sermon, Just a…
National Review
Property Rights and Infinite Cyberspace
What is the one force that can prevent the purported Big Tech villains such as Facebook and Google from being displaced as the dominant platforms?…
Blog
Big Tech Critic Jonathan Kanter Nominated to Lead Justice Department Antitrust Division
President Biden’s announcement to nominate long-time Big Tech adversary Jonathan Kanter to lead the Department of Justice Antitrust Division follows on the heels…
News Release
House GOP Tech Bills Would Harm Innovation and Set Terrible Precedent
House Republicans introduced several bills today aimed at increasing regulation of social media companies. One of the bills, sponsored by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH)…
News Release
Congress Should Reject Infrastructure Package That Imposes Costs, Burdens on Broadband Providers
As Congress struggles to reach a deal on its infrastructure spending package, the latest possible iteration reportedly contains quite problematic provisions for broadband infrastructure.
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