By Cristiano Lima-Strong, washingtonpost.com, 3-13-24 The House overwhelmingly passed a measure March 13 to force TikTok to split from its parent company or face a national ban, a lightning offensive that materialized abruptly after years of unsuccessful negotiations over the platform’s fate. The legislation, approved 352 to 65 with 1 voting present, is a [...]
By Cristiano Lima-Strong, washingtonpost.com, 2-15-24 After months of negotiations, senators announced Feb. 15 that a sprawling bill to expand protections for children online had secured more than 60 backers, clearing a path to passage for what would be the most significant congressional attempt in decades to regulate tech companies. The Kids Online Safety Act, [...]
By Gerrit De Vynck, washingtonpost.com, 2-13-24 Leading artificial intelligence companies are planning to sign an “accord” committing to developing tech to identify, label, and control AI-generated images, videos, and audio recordings that aim to deceive voters ahead of crucial elections in multiple countries this year. The agreement, developed by Google, Microsoft, and Meta, as [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-19-24 Broadcasters are finding they increasingly have the government’s backing when it comes to promoting the importance of local news and information. The House has just passed the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act (H.R. 4250), which protects journalists from government attempts to compel them to reveal [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-12-24 The Federal Communications Commission said it will run out of money to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the largest such broadband subisdy in U.S. history, by April of this year unless Congress acts. The program has provided billions of dollars in subsidies that go to Internet service [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 12-19-23 House Republicans are taking the Biden administration to task for what they allege is allowing states to regulate broadband rates as part of the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), even though that law “explicitly prohibits” such rate regulations. House Energy and Commerce Committee chair [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 12-15-23 Already the FCC’s busiest docket, the effort to restore network neutrality rules saw a rush of new comments Dec. 14, the deadline for initial submissions by interested parties looking to affect the outcome of the proceeding. Replies to those comments are due Jan. 17, after which the FCC [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 11-15-23 In a party-line 3-2 vote, the Democratic-led Federal Communications Commission has voted to adopt new rules to prevent discrimination in the provision of broadband service – including pricing. The rules target both intentional and unintentional discriminatory actions and policies and FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel pledged the agency would [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 11-13-23 The Biden Administration has released a long-awaited National Spectrum Strategy, but one lacking the specifics sought by some industry players. That strategy, released Nov. 13 by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, rests on the following four “pillars”: (1) a spectrum pipeline to feed advanced and emerging tech; [...]
By Cat Zakrzewski and Anthony Faiola, washingtonpost.com, 11-1-23 Governments from six continents on Nov. 1 agreed to a broad road map to limit the risks and harness the benefits of artificial intelligence, coming together in Bletchley Park, England, the symbolic birthplace of the digital era, for the first clear international declaration on a potentially world-altering [...]