April 19, 2024
Evaluating State Broadband Efforts: Insights from the Broadband Barometer Project
As the country races into its digital transformation, the expansion of broadband across the United States has become a pivotal undertaking. There are numerous state and federal efforts, fueled largely by over $70 billion of federal taxpayer dollars. States are at the forefront, receiving about $42.5 billion to implement the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program under…
April 16, 2024
The Past and Present of Net Neutrality
Toward the end of this month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a vote to reinstate a set of rules for internet providers. Consisting of 434 pages and resembling a 2015 order passed during the Obama administration, the new rules are expected to pass given the makeup of the FCC. If enacted, broadband companies and other…
April 15, 2024
American Privacy Rights Act of 2024: A Renewed Push for a Comprehensive National Privacy Framework
Little more than two years from the last significant attempt to modernize our national privacy law in the failed American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), US House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA, and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA released a “discussion draft” of the American…
April 12, 2024
Net Neutrality’s Glimmers of Hope and Hidden Timebombs
On April 25, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote to reinstate net neutrality rules and reclassify broadband providers as Title II common carriers. Since the agency signaled its intentions last fall, we’ve published several posts discussing the potential pitfalls this proceeding might pose for consumers and innovation. The recently published, 435-page draft final rule reinforces many of those concerns, though…
April 11, 2024
The Return of Crypto: Building the Next Era of the Internet
Center for Technology, Science, and Energy AEI, Auditorium1789 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC 20036 Contact Information Event: Owen O’Brien-Powers | Owen.O’Brien-Powers@aei.org | 503.449.4641Media: MediaServices@aei.org | 202.862.5829 Event Summary On April 11, AEI’s Jim Harper was joined by venture capitalist and Andreessen Horowitz General Partner Chris Dixon for a conversation about the nature of the internet and the next iteration of the web,…
April 11, 2024
Who Will Monitor the AI Monitors? And What Should They Watch?
As all good policy practitioners know, all regulatory activities are constrained by the agency problem: Those who are being regulated know far more of what is going on than those who are charged with overseeing their activities. But there are even more problems of information asymmetry associated with AI regulation, because even those who are…
April 9, 2024
Judicial Rulemaking and Lucidity: Justice Barrett’s First Amendment Opinion in Lindke v. Freed
Fashioning constitutional rules isn’t easy; Justice Barrett and the Court deserve kudos for their efforts to establish a rule to determine if public officials’ activities constitute state action.
April 9, 2024
The TikTok Ban’s Free Speech Dilemma
TikTok is a perfect villain. The app seems to be connected with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It’s where Osama Bin Laden’s manifesto picked up traction and where antisemitic tropes run amok. TikTok’s impact on kids isn’t heartening, and its data security problems are serious. Still, I’ve got some trepidation about the TikTok bill that just passed the House by a vote…
April 4, 2024
Open App Markets Act: A Misguided Approach That Could Stifle America
Rumor has it the Open App Markets Act (OAMA) could make a comeback in Congress. Its supporters posit that large tech companies, such as Apple and Alphabet, are throttling competition and innovation. Yet these arguments run contrary to objective evidence. And the stakes are high—not only does OAMA-like legislation risk undoing Congressional efforts to address the TikTok challenges, it…
April 3, 2024
Biden’s EPA Can Justify His New EV Rules Only by Cooking the Books
Before federal regulations are implemented, they must be justified with an extensive analysis of costs and effects. The new Environmental Protection Agency rule forcing a massive shift toward electric vehicles is no exception. Weighing in at 1,181 pages, it is accompanied by an additional 884 pages of “regulatory impact analysis.” The EPA analysis justifying this rule is…