Much of the current health care debate centers on the provision of private health insurance versus the public option. On one side of the debate are those who point to private enterprise as the fruit of entrepreneurial efforts and capitalism, which leads to greater operational efficiency and lower consumer prices. The other side sees a [...]

With the demise of Circuit City and Tweeter, the two biggest retailers in the consumer electronics market – Best Buy and Wal-Mart – are fighting it out, leaving consumers to be the biggest winner. This ConsumerGram explores what shoppers want when they look for electronic goods, and preliminary survey research finds that shoppers think product [...]

Published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram on September 22, 2009:  Coastal Subsidies Cost Inland Consumers  It is time for some straight talk about homeowners insurance in Texas.  Most consumers are not aware that their premiums are higher than they should be because state politicians chose to make some consumers subsidize others.   Over the years, the [...]

Today, the FCC Chairman announced his intention to embark on what could be a risky path toward regulating the Internet and wireless services in order to fix a theoretical problem – one that is rarely observed in the market and, if it were ever to occur, one that could easily be addressed with the Commission’s [...]

The Department of Justice should be congratulated for its filing with the federal court reviewing the Google Books settlement. The Department’s forceful arguments about this settlement underscore the concerns that we, and many others, have raised about this deal. With this deal, Google, which already dominates the online search market, would be given a significant [...]

The September 17, 2009 Best’s Insurance News reports that three state insurance commissions will provide direct conversations with the insurance industry in return for a $1,000 donation.

Yesterday’s hearing on the Google Books settlement provided a great opportunity for members of Congress to hear about the many concerns that authors, legal experts and consumers have about this settlement. The deal, as currently written, would give the most dominant online firm a significant advantage over its rivals and online book competitors like Amazon. [...]

Perspectives on Investment and a National Broadband Plan On September 8th, the American Consumer Institute held a panel briefing on the development of a National Broadband Plan at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. As background, the FCC currently is drafting is report on a national broadband strategy at the direction of Congress.  During [...]