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American Consumer Institute Files Reply Comments to the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry Regarding the Development of a National Broadband Plan


To see a copy of the filing click here.

Survey Finds Consumer Want Choice and Competition Between State-Based and Interstate Insurance Companies


Consumers Support Insurance Regulatory Modernization Survey Shows Consumers Want Choice and National Competition Representatives Melissa Bean (D-IL) and Ed Royce (R-CA) have introduced the bipartisan National Insurance Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 1880) that would permit competition between state and interstate-chartered insurance companies. This ConsumerGram provides new survey results and finds strong consumer support for interstate [...]

ACI’s Reply to the FCC NOI on a National Broadband Plan for Our Future


Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 In the Matter of A National Broadband Plan for Our Future GN Docket No. 09-51 REPLY COMMENTS OF THE AMERICAN CONSUMER INSTITUTE The American Consumer Institute (“Institute”) hereby submits its reply to comments responding to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) in the above-captioned [...]

American Consumers Pay 10 Cents per Minute Less and Use over 600 Minutes More than Their International Counterparts


Can 270 Million American Wireless Subscribers Be Wrong? Two years ago, a ConsumerGram summarized a number of statistical reports and found that the U.S. wireless market was lower priced, had more competition, provided more minutes per subscriber and had greater handset choice than any country in Europe, concluding that those calling for the adoption of [...]

More Begging Hands in Washington

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  • July 8, 2009

Groups Calling for Increased Price Controls of Telecommunications Services Would Like Government Subsidies   The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking into allegations of market failure and claims of high special access prices, even though no party or government agency has yet to produce any empirical evidence that demonstrates that a market failure actually exists.  Without [...]

DOJ Will Investigate Google Book Search Settlement

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  • July 2, 2009

For Immediate Release July 2, 2009 DOJ Will Investigate Google Book Search Settlement We applaud the Department of Justice for taking this step to launch an investigation of the Google Books settlement. The deal, as written now, will give the most dominant online firm a significant advantage over its rivals and online book competitors like [...]

BLS says that One-half Million More Jobs Lost in the Last Month … As Predicted, Economic Stimulus Package Will Do More Harm and Good


Six Months ago, I commented about the problems with the Economic Stimulus Package and how it would not provide any immediate benefit, be largely ineffective and create more long term costs than benefits.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its latest employment situation report and showed that the economy lost nearly one-half million jobs [...]

Cap and Trade is Bad for the Economy: ACI Study Showed That a Simple Carbon Tax Would Outperform a Cap and Trade System — Study by Commerce Undersecretary for Former President Bill Clinton

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  • July 2, 2009

 Addressing the Risks of Climate Change: The Environmental Effectiveness and Economic Efficiency of Emissions Caps and Tradable Permits, Compared to Carbon Taxes     An ACI study sponsored in February 2007 and authored by esteemed national economist and former Undersecretary of Commerce Dr. Robert Shapiro found that carbon taxes are a better alternative to emissions caps and [...]