The Free State Foundation

What The Free State Foundation does

The Free State Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank founded in 2006 and based in Potomac, Maryland. The organization specializes in policy research and analysis on communications law, internet policy, intellectual property, and constitutionalism, with formal activity directed at federal regulatory bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission. Its audience spans federal regulators (FCC and FTC officials), academics and legal scholars, and companies in the communications, information services, entertainment, and high-tech sectors that both contribute to and consume its research.

The Foundation's outputs are content-based and distributed primarily at no cost. Core products include scholarly publications and white papers, formal comments and testimony filed with regulators, the "TMT With Mike O'Rielly" video interview series (40 episodes as of mid-2026, hosted by former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly), the "Thinking Clearly About Speaking Freely" essay series on First Amendment issues, and annual policy conferences including the Seventeenth Annual Policy Conference in 2025 and the Twentieth Anniversary Celebration at the National Press Club in June 2026. Distribution channels include the Foundation's website, YouTube, LinkedIn, X (@FSFthinktank), Facebook, and an email newsletter.

The Foundation is funded by contributions from companies in communications and high-tech sectors, foundations, and individual donors; no revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Operations are lean, with 1-10 employees anchored by President and Founder Randolph J. May and Senior Fellows Seth L. Cooper, Andrew Long, and Joseph V. Kennedy, supported by a Board of Academic Advisors. There is no underlying technology platform; the Foundation operates as an intellectual hub producing policy content rather than a software product.

Name

The Free State Foundation

Legal name

The Free State Foundation

Website

https://freestatefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Free State Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank founded in 2006 that produces policy research, regulatory filings, and events on communications law, internet policy, intellectual property, and constitutionalism for federal regulators, industry, and academic audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Contributions and Donations: The Free State Foundation receives contributions to support its work from a wide variety of companies in the communications, information services, entertainment, and high-tech marketplaces, as well as from foundations and many individuals. The organization also accepts donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Free State Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank that produces and disseminates policy research, publications, and regulatory commentary on communications law, internet policy, intellectual property, and constitutionalism. Its core deliverables include research papers, recurring publication series, video interviews, formal comments filed with regulators such as the FCC, and annual policy conferences convening regulators, scholars, and industry leaders.

Product overview

The Free State Foundation is a policy think tank that operates as a single unified offering focused on producing and disseminating research and analysis on communications, internet policy, intellectual property, and constitutionalism. Its primary products include publications and research papers, the TMT With Mike O'Rielly video series featuring interviews with policy experts, filed regulatory comments and testimony, annual policy conferences, and the Thinking Clearly About Speaking Freely publication series. Rather than a software platform, the organization functions as an intellectual hub producing policy content distributed through digital publications, video content, and in-person events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TMT With Mike O'Rielly: A video podcast series featuring conversations with telecommunications, media, and technology policy experts, hosted by former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly.

Products and services

• Publications and Research Papers Policy perspectives, white papers, and analytical publications on communications law, internet policy, intellectual property, and constitutionalism, made available for free download from the FSF website for policymakers, regulators, academics, and industry stakeholders.
• TMT With Mike O'Rielly Video interview series featuring conversations with telecommunications, media, and technology policy experts, published on YouTube and covering FCC regulations, broadband policy, AI, spectrum, and First Amendment issues for policy professionals and the interested public.
• Filed Comments and Testimony Formal comments and testimony submitted to regulatory bodies including the FCC on communications marketplace competition, broadband deployment, and wireless infrastructure policies, intended for inclusion in agency dockets and policymaker review.
• Annual Policy Conferences Annual conferences bringing together federal regulators, industry association leaders, and policy scholars to discuss communications, internet, and technology policy issues, held in the Washington, D.C. area and including special anniversary celebrations.
• Thinking Clearly About Speaking Freely A recurring publication series exploring First Amendment, free speech, and technology policy topics through essays and analysis, made available through the FSF website.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FCC Officials and CommissionerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent and former FCC Commissioners, FTC Commissioners, and other regulatory officials regularly participate as keynote speakers and interview subjects in FSF events including the annual policy conferences and the TMT With Mike O'Rielly series.
• Industry Association LeaderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresidents and CEOs from industry associations including NTCA, WISPA, SIA, ACA Connects, NCTA, and News/Media Alliance appear on the TMT With Mike O'Rielly series to discuss policy positions and industry issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF): ITIF is a Washington-based DC think tank publishing research and filing comments at the FCC and on Capitol Hill across broadband, spectrum, platform, and emerging-technology policy — directly comparable to FSF's communications, internet, and IP focus and its filed-comment go-to-market.
• R Street Institute: R Street is a free-market, limited-government think tank with active telecom, technology, and IP programs that produces regulatory filings and convenes policymakers in DC. Comparable in size, mission, and free-market posture to FSF.
• Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI): CEI is a free-market think tank that regularly comments on FCC, FTC, and IP issues with a deregulatory orientation mirroring FSF's. Similar business model — nonprofit research, policy filings, events, donor-funded — and competing for the same communications-industry contributors.
• TechFreedom: TechFreedom is a smaller DC free-market think tank focused on internet, telecom, and emerging-tech policy that files comments at the FCC and FTC. It targets the same free-market/pro-innovation niche as FSF and competes for the same contributor base of communications and tech companies.
• Cato Institute: Cato is a libertarian policy institute with substantial telecommunications, internet, and IP scholarship and an explicit free-market orientation closely aligned with FSF's. Overlapping ideological positioning, donor pools, and Congressional-DC influence make it the closest large analog to FSF.
• Mercatus Center: Mercatus is a free-market academic policy center at George Mason focused on regulation, technology, and constitutional issues. While broader than FSF, it competes in the same deregulatory policy space and draws on a similar foundation and corporate contribution ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• American Enterprise Institute (AEI): AEI is a large, established conservative-leaning think tank covering technology and telecom among many other policy areas. Its broader portfolio includes communications policy work and convenes regulators — competing for the same corporate donor mindshare as FSF but at substantially greater scale.
• Hudson Institute: Hudson is a policy research organization in DC covering technology, telecommunications, and economic policy issues. Shares conservative leaning and DC ecosystem with FSF but addresses a wider range of topics and a larger donor network.
• Heritage Foundation: Heritage is a major conservative public-policy think tank with broad coverage including technology and regulatory policy. Comparable only in ideological orientation and DC presence; far larger and more diversified than FSF, making it a broader-incumbent analog.

Others

• Public Knowledge: Public Knowledge is a DC public-interest advocacy organization operating in the same communications, broadband, and IP policy forums as FSF. While ideologically opposed, it is a structural counterpart that engages the same FCC/FTC proceedings and competes for slots in the policymaking conversation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fsfthinktank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FreeStateFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/115752738834
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-state-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Free State Foundation