On February 18, 2009, over-the-air television stations will be required to broadcast their television signals in digital format. This means that older analog TVs will no longer be able to receive signals over-the-air unless they have a digital converter. Analog TVs that are connected to cable TV, satellite or other video programming services still operate [...]

Details of President-elect Obama’s stimulus package are not known, but its general focus on creating jobs is coming increasingly clear. He recently characterized the package in part as: “…a two-year, nationwide effort to jump-start job creation in America.” It has been reported that the president-elect has directed his economic team “to come up with an [...]

See this commentary in the San Antonio Express at http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/Feds_could_trigger_insurance_reform.html

The Lack of Industry Standards Leads Consumers to Overspend
$6 Billion for Home Computer Printers and Printer Ink
A major study released by the Institute found that consumers were being lured into buying inexpensive printers, only later to pay substantially more for ink. In a recent ConsumerGram, we concluded that giving all consumers more information on the [...]

Washington, DC, November 5, 2008 – After the announcement today that Google will no longer pursue a partnership with Yahoo, Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute issued the following statement:
“The announcement by Google that they would abandon their deal with Yahoo, after the Department of Justice informed them they would seek to block [...]

With Google’s Dominance in Online Search and Advertising, Deal Raises Serious Concerns for Consumers
 
Washington, DC, October 20, 2008 — As the Department of Justice moves closer to deciding whether to take action to block the partnership between Google and Yahoo, or impose conditions on the deal, the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI) [...]

October 14, 2008
 
Dear Chairman Martin and Commissioners:
On behalf of the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI), I am writing to urge you to place the interests of consumers nationwide ahead of parochial, and too often vague, unidentifiable, or inconsistent local government interests in matters related to timely deployment of wireless facilities.  ACI is [...]

A handful of leading politicians claim that financial deregulation was responsible for the U.S. financial calamity.  But, informed consumers should take pause and look at the facts.  As Dr. Darby pointed out in a recent blog, there has been a lot of meddling going on to promote special interests at the expense of consumers and at the expense [...]

Read Dr. Darby’s assessment of the recent collapse and how it is tied to legislation that ignores the risks of moral hazard and, instead respresents politically popular causes that impose hidden taxes.  It was published in the Washington Times on September 30, 2008 at  
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/30/the-financial-market-collapse/?page=2
 
 FINANCIAL COLLAPSE?
 
Complex events never have single causes or simple fixes. A [...]

Identity theft, Viruses, Privacy and Spam are Top Worries
 
 
WASHINGTON, DC, September 29, 2008 – Internet consumers are growing increasingly concerned about online threats such as viruses, spam, and identity theft, according to a survey by the American Consumer Institute’s Center for Citizen Research (ACI).  Consumers also report a considerable worry that their privacy might be [...]