The burden of regulation on Americans increased at an alarming rate in fiscal year 2010. Based on data from the Government Accountability Office, an unprecedented 43 major new regulations were imposed by Washington. Read More.
Most Americans are painfully aware of the amount of taxes they pay, but explicit taxes and spending are only part of the total burden that government places on Americans. The rest comes in the form of hidden taxes imposed by government regulations. Read More.
The Obama Administration has been heavily criticized for not acting forcefully to stem human rights abuses in the Middle East. Criticism of the Administration has largely focused on Iran and Syria, where Bashar al-Assad’s government is guilty of atrocious bloodshed against its own people. In response, President Obama announced several…
Recognizing that the U.S. faces serious cybersecurity threats, Congress has wisely decided to take action in this important arena, and the House of Representatives will vote on multiple cybersecurity bills this week. It is just as important, however, that Congress take proper and helpful action. House…
Abstract: The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1992 decision in Quill Corporation v. North Dakota protects out-of-state businesses in the Internet era from overreaching by revenue-hungry states. The Court’s decision prevents a state from forcing an out-of-state business to serve as the state’s sales tax…
The Cuban people, living within the constricted space permitted by the 53-year-old Cuban Revolution, have not benefited from the remarkable leap forward in communication technology over the past few decades. Havana’s repressive regime wishes to shift censorship’s traditional fault lines to the electronic sphere, severely restricting its population’s ability to…
Statement before the Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Introduction Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley, and Members of the Committee, I thank you…
Abstract: The Senate has introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2012. A floor vote is expected in March or April. The Cybersecurity Act contains laudable elements—enhancement of and protection for private-sector information sharing are crucial. The act’s new regulatory…
The Senate will move early next month to consider a comprehensive cybersecurity bill. The House, likewise, is pledged to consider legislation this year. The Administration has proposed a bill itself, and the political forces seem to be moving toward some form of legislative response to the growing problem of intrusion…
It's one of the most contentious but least understood issues now before Congress. It’s one that does not align neatly along party lines and has split the business community. The issue is online piracy - the illegal sale of copyrighted and trademarked products on rogue pirate websites. Proposals aimed at…
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) are well-intentioned House and Senate proposals aimed at stopping the theft of intellectual property through foreign-based websites. Intellectual property is a critical and important form of property. The Framers understood that well enough to authorize the establishment of…
On this week’s Scribecast, Rob Bluey and Lachlan Markay interview digital strategist Patrick Ruffini about the congressional debate over anti-piracy legislation. Ruffini, president of Engage, discusses the implications of the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act. The interview runs about 10 minutes. Click here to subscribe to…
The United States Postal Service (USPS) stands on the brink of financial collapse. According to the Postmaster General, by next month, USPS coffers will be down to a week’s worth of cash.[1] The government-owned enterprise barely avoided default this week when Congress extended the due date for a…
Abstract: Virtual or online learning is revolutionizing American education. It has the potential to dramatically expand the educational opportunities of American students, largely overcoming the geographic and demographic restrictions. Virtual learning also has the potential to improve the quality of instruction, while increasing productivity…
A heated public debate started when the original "file-sharing" service, Napster, went on-line in 1999. Napster was shut down in 2001, but the debate raged on as other file-sharing services -- commonly referred to as peer-to-peer (P2P) networks -- took its…
JAMES L. GATTUSO: The debate over Internet policy, telecommunications policy at one time was dominated by questions of supply: How do you develop the technology? What technologies actually work? How do you get the incentives correct to deploy that technology? Those are still very important questions and still…
On June 2, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether to modify or even repeal its restrictions on ownership of broadcast stations. Opponents argue that changes to these rules would reduce diversity in an already concentrated market - warning that big media "monopolies" are already limiting what Americans see and hear. They are mistaken. Despite…
It is one of the most contentious but least understood issues now before Congress—one that does not align neatly along party lines and has split the business community. The issue is online piracy, the illegal sale of copyrighted and trademarked products on rogue pirate websites. Since last week, the House…
Google—incorporated 13 years ago by college students Larry Page and Sergey Brin—is an American success story. Armed with little more but a graduate thesis and a few algorithms, the firm remade the Internet, providing individuals the world over with unimaginably easy access to information of all kinds. In the process,…
The recently retired top cyber cop of the FBI, Shawn Henry, stated that “the status quo, it’s an unsustainable model....…
Somebody hacked a Taliban website. Big surprise. Actually, no surprise. No surprise that the Taliban and other...…
We are being attacked on all sides—and it is not the hacker in the basement we need to worry about most. It is the...…
If you've ever bought anything on the Internet, over the phone, or from a catalog, you might have noticed that when you...…
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The “Obama proposal for force reduction is foolhardy,” writes Bradley Thayer, professor of political science at Baylor...…
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Think back 20 years ago. What were you doing? Whatever answer you came up with, it probably had nothing to do with the...…
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued an important ruling on the subject of surveillance in light of today’s technologies....…
Last Thursday, Iran and Turkey signed an agreement aimed at increasing trade between the two countries and doubling...…
Visiting Fellow
Senior Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy