More than a third of Americans live in an area with a shortage of healthcare professionals. For these 122 million people, that shortage can mean longer wait times and delayed access to essential care. For patients living in rural areas, attending in-person health appointments can also require them to pay steep travel costs while sacrificing […]
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Cut the U.S. Mail Subsidy for Chinese Products
U.S. public policy needs to ease the current economic woes by reworking the international e-commerce system now — a system that currently gives Chinese products artificially lower shipping prices. Here is an explanation of the issue: As fears of recession persist and supply chain constraints remain elevated, consumer markets are in increasingly vulnerable positions. Broadscale […]
Inside Sources: Broadcast Merger Will Benefit Consumers, Add Diversity
The new Standard General-Tegna merger will increase diversity for the benefit of American consumers. The Federal Communications Commission has an opportunity to approve this transaction and advance one of its stated goals — to expand “minority and female ownership of broadcast media outlets.” This op-ed is available in the Inside Sources.
Lawmakers Fail to Understand the Benefits of Economies of Scale
A year ago, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14036 on promoting competition in the American economy. Since then, the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have launched a single-minded crusade against “big tech” and other concentrated industries, as well as proposed mergers. The agencies appear determined to disrupt […]
The FAA Delays More Than Flights
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last month that Verizon and AT&T have agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until July 2023, as air carriers work to ensure they will not face interference. Licensed spectrum forms the core of mobile networks, whose applications in fields like national security, education, health care and business offer technological […]
The Economic Standard: CFPB has Overstepped Its Authority
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has an important role of protecting consumers’ interests in the financial sector. As such, the Bureau is responsible for regulating in a manner that does not harm consumers or businesses. This makes the Bureau a powerful institution with regulatory reach across a wide range of economic issues and, as a consequence, […]
As Inflation Rages, Broadband Prices Fall
Confronted with the unfortunate reality that inflation is here to stay for the foreseeable future, American consumers may be interested to learn that there is at least one service that has not experiencing price increases — broadband internet. According to the third installment of a new report by US Telecom, the 2022 Broadband Pricing Index, […]
Europe’s Assault on Big Tech Continues
Over the past year, European lawmakers have taken such a confrontational approach to big tech that it makes their American trustbusting counterparts look like kittens. This trend continued when the European Commission, the European Unions executive branch, announced a Statement of Objections, the first step toward an antitrust suit, against Apple over its Apple Pay system […]
Lawmakers Put Consumer Data at Risk
In 2021, Washington D.C. had the country’s highest rate of identity theft, with over 1,700 reports per 100,000 residents. This ranking should make Congress more sensitive to the risks of consumer data. However, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are still willing to risk data safety in their attempts to rein in big tech companies. One example […]
Death of Congressional Spending Proposal Would Be a Win for Consumers
Earlier this month, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia helped deliver consumers a victory when he informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that he was opposed to voting for any legislative bill that would include costly energy and climate provisions until after the August recess. Weary of exacerbating inflation, Senator Manchin requested that his Democrat […]