• "Commerce Dept. Criticizes Internet Addressing Plan," Associated Press, December 23, 2008
  "Michael Palage, an adjunct fellow with the free-market think tank Progress & Freedom Foundation, said consumer protection is a top concern of trademark holders, including many big corporations, which often buy up multiple Internet addresses containing their company names to safeguard their brands, avoid consumer confusion and head off cybersquatters, phishing attacks and fraud.
  "While ICANN has been seeking to assert its independence in the face of international concerns that it remains an instrument of the U.S. government, the U.S. still wants to make sure that as ICANN's oversight role grows it doesn't take actions that might threaten the stability and security of the Internet or the interests of business and consumers, Palage said."
  "Commerce Dept. Adds Concerns About New TLDs," PC Magazine, December 19, 2008
  "Michael Palage, an adjunct fellow with the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, said in a statement that Baker 'eloquently and succinctly summarized the pent-up frustration of the global business community: ICANN is rushing ahead with its proposal to allow more [domain names] without adequately addressing the "threshold question of whether the consumer benefits outweigh the potential costs."'
  "'ICANN needs to go back to the drawing board and propose a process that results in a responsible expansion of the name space, not merely a duplication of it,' said Palage, who served on the ICANN board for 10 years.
  "'ICANN's draft proposal lacked meaningful safeguards to against abusive registrations of new domain names,' he said. 'This would force businesses to defensively register hundreds or even thousands of domain names just to protect their brands and prevent consumer confusion. This kind of unnecessary expense is the last thing businesses need at a time of global economic downturn.'"
• "How To Keep Kids Safe Online," Forbes, December 15, 2008
  "The answer, then, isn't to engage in witch hunts on MySpace and Facebook, says Magid, but to better educate kids about online privacy. On that front, says Adam Thierer of the Progress and Freedom Foundation, parents and schools aren't keeping up with the pace of technological culture. 'We're doing a horrendous job in this country of educating our kid about how to behave online,' he argues. 'We give them so many messages about drinking, sex, even fatty foods. But when it comes to online safety, we throw them into the deep end of the pool.'"
  "Free Broadband Plan Stirs Debate on Filtering," Associated Press Online, December 14, 2008
  "But [opt-out content filtering] raises a different problem, according to Berin Szoka, a fellow at the Progress & Freedom Foundation. That's because one benefit of a broadband service open to all is that it offers the potential for anonymity. The only way to allow adults to opt out of content filtering, however, would be to have users authenticate themselves, Szoka said. And that, he said, would sacrifice anonymity."
• "Broadband Central to Obama's Massive Stimulus Plan," National Business Review, Dec. 9, 2008
  "Bret Swanson, senior fellow at the conservative think tank, the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) says deregulation is 'really bearing fruit' and should be given more time to work. The PFF and other conservative groups also question the OECD's ranking methodology."
• "House Commerce Dems Assail Martin for Poor Leadership, Politicized Environment," TR Daily, Dec. 10, 2008
  "And Barbara Esbin, senior fellow and director of the Center for Communications and Competition Policy at The Progress & Freedom Foundation, said, 'The fact that the Chairman has gotten away with this gross mismanagement of public resources and lax oversight of telecommunications support funds for nearly four years is disturbing. Waste and abuse of process and staff are a sad legacy, and the toll is not merely procedural, the effects of the Chairman's actions affected lives and careers.'"
• "Broadcast 'Fairness' Fouls Out," Washington Post, Dec. 7, 2008
  "The court's 1969 ruling relied heavily on the scarcity rationale. But Brian Anderson and [PFF Senior Fellow] Adam Thierer, in their book 'A Manifesto for Media Freedom,' note that today there are about 14,000 radio stations, twice as many as in 1969; 18.9 million subscribers to satellite radio, up 17 percent in 12 months; and that 86 percent of households with either cable or satellite television receive an average of 102 of the 500 available channels. Because daily newspapers are much more scarce than are radio and television choices, should there be a fairness doctrine for the New York Times?"
• "NCTA, PFF Urge Court to Overturn Cable Cap Order," TR Daily, December 4, 2008
  "PFF, in an amicus curiae brief, also argued for applying strict scrutiny to the FCC’s order. 'Because no special characteristic of cable justifies the 1992 Cable Act’s unique limitations upon the size of a cable operator’s audience, the Court should apply strict scrutiny to these provisions. The Court should strike down these provisions as facially unconstitutional because there are ample less-restrictive means available to satisfy the government’s interest in ensuring that cable operators do not unfairly impede the flow of video programming. Failing that, the Court should vacate the rule,' it said."
• "Media Bombardment Is Linked To Ill Effects During Childhood," Washington Post, December 2, 2008
  "Adam Thierer, a senior fellow at the market-oriented think tank Progress and Freedom Foundation, said it is important to recognize that 'correlation does not equal causation' in research studies. He said he looked forward to reading the studies that the report is based on and was glad that there was no call for regulation."

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