By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-17-23 Broadband operators, including those represented by ACA Connects and NCTA–The Internet & Television Association, have asked the Federal Communications Commission to either clarify or reconsider two requirements in their rules implementing consumer broadband labels that they say may not pass legal muster otherwise. Congress mandated the labels so [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-12-23 President Joe Biden took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal to launch a sweeping attack on Big Tech, saying the government needs to step in. In his op-ed for the newspaper, the president took aim at “some” Big Tech players – he did not name names [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-11-23 A pair of U.S. senators from Nevada said the Federal Communications Commission’s new draft map of broadband availability is “deeply flawed” and could cost their state millions in government subsidies. The FCC is under orders from Congress to come up with better maps. It released a draft late [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 1-9-23 The Department of Justice says its June settlement with Meta (formerly Facebook) over discriminatory targeting of online housing ads has met a “key” milestone with Meta’s completion of a new system to “address algorithmic discrimination.” The agreement marks “the first time that Meta is subject to court oversight [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 12-21-22 The Federal Communications Commission has agreed to a notice of proposed rulemaking targeting “digital discrimination,” by which the regulator means trying to “facilitate equal access to broadband internet service” and prevent harm to “historically excluded and marginalized communities.” The notice is intended to collect comment on the FCC’s [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 12-21-22 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has rejected China Telecom’s appeal of its designation as a supplier of suspect tech that the U.S. government will not fund with subsidies for new broadband buildouts, and that must be ripped and replaced from existing networks. That is [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 11-17-22 Senate Democrats are massing along a new front in the war with Big Tech and Elon Musk is in the line of fire. A powerful group of senators led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential consumer-protection laws by Twitter, which [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 11-15-22 FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has told Congress she would welcome the chance to work with it to better protect consumers during retransmission-consent disputes, a point she has made before in discussing retrans-related blackouts. She expressed her view in a letter to Rhode Island’s congressional delegation, whose members had [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 10-24-22 Computer companies and edge providers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue of whether state governments can impose what the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is branding must-carry for online platforms and a “road map” for those wishing to fill the Internet [...]
By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 10-18-22 Invoking YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, Twitch, and others, as well as fringe site 4chan, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are calling for a government crackdown on online platforms, saying they contributed to the Buffalo mass shooting that left 10 dead and three injured. [...]