February 3, 2021

Chairman Pai Symposium: Wrap-Up and Thoughts for the Future FCC

Kristian Stout

The next chair has an awfully big pair of shoes (or one oversized coffee mug) to fill. Chairman Pai established an important legacy of transparency and process improvement, as well as commitment to careful, economic analysis in the business of the agency.

Telecommunications

January 26, 2021

Ajit Pai Brought the FCC’s Media Ownership Rules into the Modern Age

Geoffrey A. Manne

Pai’s tenure at the FCC was marked by an abiding appreciation for the importance of competition, both as a guiding principle for new regulations and as a touchstone to determine when to challenge existing ones. Perhaps his greatest contribution to bringing competition to the forefront of the FCC’s mandate came in his work on media modernization.

Telecommunications

January 21, 2021

A Reflection on Commissioner Pai, Chairman Pai, and Public Service

Joshua Wright

Ajit Pai has been, in my view, the most successful, impactful minority commissioner in the history of the modern regulatory state. And it is that success that has led him to become the most successful and impactful chairman, too.

Telecommunications

January 19, 2021

Pai’s Legacy of Progress in Closing the Rural Digital Divide

Gus Hurwitz

The technical and business challenges of connecting rural America are different. Rural America needs different things out of its infrastructure than urban America. And the attitudes of both users and those providing service are different here than they are in urban America. Aji Pai gets this.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

December 17, 2020

The Case Against Google Advertising: What’s the Relevant Market and How Many Are There?

Eric Fruits

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s complaint against Google’s advertising business, joined by the attorneys general of nine other states, continues a long tradition of narrowing market definition to shoehorn market dominance where it may not exist.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

December 16, 2020

Building the Digital Future: Can the EU Foster a Dynamic and Crime-Free Internet?

Geoffrey A. Manne & Dirk Auer

The European Commission has unveiled draft legislation that would overhaul the rules governing the online lives of its citizens. The draft rules are something of a mixed bag.

Innovation & The New Economy

December 16, 2020

Introductory Post: The United States v. Google

Samuel Bowman

Google is facing a series of lawsuits in 2020 and 2021 that challenge some of the most fundamental parts of its business, and of the internet itself — Search, Android, Chrome, Google’s digital-advertising business, and potentially other services as well.

Antitrust & Consumer Protection

November 17, 2020

The Dishonesty of Conservative Attacks on Section 230

Ben Sperry

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for repeal of Section 230. But while Trump and fellow conservatives decry Big Tech companies for their alleged anti-conservative bias, including at yet more recent hearings, their…

Innovation & The New Economy

October 27, 2020

tl;dr - Online Intermediaries and “Know Your Business Customer” Requirements

Julian Morris & Kristian Stout

It comes as no surprise to anyone that illegal conduct occurs online. Unfortunately, the individuals and businesses engaging in illegal activity may avoid detection by using tools that hide their identity. This makes enforcement difficult or even impossible.

Innovation & The New Economy