What social media regulation could look like: Think of pipelines, not utilities

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, and his controversial statements and decisions as its owner, have fueled a new wave of calls for regulating social media companies. Elected officials and policy scholars have argued for years that companies like Twitter and Facebook – now Meta – have immense power over public discussions and can use that [...]

Federal gas tax holiday: Biden says it will provide ‘a little bit of relief’ – but experts say even that may be a stretch

President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax to “bring families just a little bit of relief” as average gasoline prices exceed US$5 a gallon. The tax is 18.4 cents on regular gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel. Biden’s proposal would rescind both taxes for 90 days. Several states, such as [...]

What is curtailment? An electricity market expert explains

Curtailment has a special meaning in electric power systems. It describes any action that reduces the amount of electricity generated to maintain the balance between supply and demand – which is critical for avoiding blackouts. Recently, curtailment has made news in states like California and Texas that are adding a lot of wind and solar [...]

Would gas tax breaks make a big difference when prices are skyrocketing? We asked 4 experts

With gasoline prices trending over US$4 per gallon nationwide, politicians are feeling the heat. In response, Maryland and Georgia have temporarily waived their state gasoline taxes to reduce the burden on consumers. Other states are considering similar actions, and some members of Congress have called for suspending the federal gas tax. The Conversation asked four [...]

Don’t punish tech companies for being great

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital tools have become indispensable to millions of home-bound Americans. Information technology businesses have quickly created or refined systems for distance learning, teleworking, telemedicine, news dissemination, and e-commerce. Yet, despite these successes, there are new demands to regulate companies such as Amazon, Zoom, and Facebook,” write PURC Director and Gunter Professor [...]