By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-24-19 The Federal Trade Commission has confirmed its $5 billion fine against Facebook stemming from the Cambridge Analytica debacle and, at the same time, filed suit against Cambridge Analytica and settled with a former top executive of the company and an app developer. The commission concluded that Facebook [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-23-19 The Justice Department has made it official: It is investigating the business practices of Big Tech, which it signaled Tuesday (July 23) may be harming consumers. President Donald Trump has signaled such a review could be in the offing. The Antitrust Division, headed by Makan Delrahim, said [...]
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks To Deliver Keynote Remarks at Oct. 7 Event FOR RELEASE: July 11, 2019 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., July 11, 2019 – The Media Institute will honor Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, and Caroline Beasley, chief executive officer of Beasley [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-10-19 A politically divided FCC voted Wednesday (July 10) to give broadcasters more flexibility in providing educational/informational (E/I) programming for children, changes Democrats said dis-serve kids. It is the first major update of the rules since they were implemented over two decades ago. The Report & Order (R&O) [...]
Participated in a letter (with the Reporters Committee and other news media organizations) sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding EPA’s proposed changes to its FOIA regulations. The letter notes that the proposed rule contains provisions that would undermine the Freedom of Information Act, are impermissible under clear and binding D.C. Circuit Court [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-9-19 In a victory for drug companies and marketers, a federal district judge has vacated a Trump Administration rule that drug manufacturers have to disclose their list prices in direct-to-consumer (DTC) TV, radio, and online drug ads. Drug companies had argued that the mandate would cause confusion, exceeded [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-8-19 Privacy groups are warning the Federal Trade Commission about not taking the right steps to rein in YouTube if it finds reason to strike a consent decree with the site over its handling of children's personal info. In a letter to the FTC, the Campaign for a [...]
By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-5-19 On July 4, FCC chairman Ajit Pai took aim at what he sees as efforts by elements of his own government to delay the rollout of critical 5G networks, and did so on a trip outside the U.S. That came in a speech to the Congreso Latinamericano [...]
FOR RELEASE: June 27, 2019 Contact: Richard T. Kaplar The Media Institute 703-243-5700 Arlington, Va., June 27, 2019 – Media Institute President Richard T. Kaplar issued the following statement regarding a request from Senators Warren, Sanders, and Booker that the FCC and DOJ review the acquisition of 21 regional sports networks (RSNs) by Sinclair Broadcast [...]
Participated in an amicus brief (with the Reporters Committee and other amici) filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in ALDF v. Reynolds. This case concerns the Iowa “ag-gag” statute, which criminalizes “agricultural production facility fraud” – gaining access to a facility under false pretenses to report on health and [...]