R Street’s Technology and Innovation policy program conducts research and advocacy around the public policy frameworks that govern both established and emerging technologies. Our goal is to push back against laws and regulations that impede economic progress or individual liberty, and to advance policy solutions that allow technology to move at the speed of innovation.
The Issue
Publications
Fixing Science Policy
Eli Lehrer & Tony Mills
Few archetypes have as much hold on the global imagination as that of the ingenious Yankee. This paradigm of the American inventor has been with us from the nation’s earliest days. Not only did…
, Politico
Teach Congress About Science and Technology
Tony Mills
Since the beginning of modern science policy in the mid-20th century, the executive branch has taken the lead on supporting scientific research and relying on scientific expertise when making…
September 17, 2019
Hon. Michael Lee, Chairman
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Committee on the Judiciary
U.S. Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office…
STRONGER Patents Act ignores real problems with patent mistakes
Charles Duan
This past Wednesday, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “how to make our patent system…
The Real Consequences of the Record Fine on YouTube
Daisy Soderberg-Rivkin
In June, reports began to surface of YouTube recommending videos of children to pedophiles. Last week, the video platform reached a $170 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over…
September 10, 2019
The Honorable Thom Tillis The Honorable Chris Coons
United States…
The Telecommunications Act’s “Good Samaritan” Protection: Section 230
Jeffrey Westling
From Disruptive Competition Project:
Jeffrey Westling — Hawley’s Attack on Section 230 Hurts Conservatives 6/24/2019
Capitol Hill Update: September 9, 2019
Charles Duan
From Freedom Works:
The R Street Institute has noted that the CASE Act could “encourage copyright troll lawsuits” and may be unconstitutional because it creates what is essentially a…
After much unnecessary saber rattling by the Trump administration, U.S. trade negotiators were able to reach a flawed, but still workable, agreement to modernize the North American Free Trade…
End the ‘robots are coming for your job’ panic
Eli Lehrer
Robots and automation will destroy American jobs — it’s a worrying refrain we hear echoed by prominent figures in academia, the private sector, and the media alike. The Brookings Institution,…