By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-26-21 Cable operators are telling the FCC to dismiss or deny auto companies’ challenge to the FCC’s decision to allow the 5.9 GHz band to be divided up between incumbent intelligent auto communications systems and the Wi-Fi that remains cable broadband operators primary mobile broadband play. The Alliance for [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-23-21 A group of senators has introduced the Local Journalism Sustainability Act of 2021, which would provide tax credits for hiring more journalists, for people subscribing to media outlets, and for small businesses that will support local media with advertising dollars. The goal is to “revive and sustain trusted [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-23-21 Broadcasters this month pressed the FCC to change course and not force TV and radio stations to pay for a portion of the FCC broadband data collection, from which they said they derive no benefit. The National Association of Broadcasters, in meetings with the FCC’s Office of Managing [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-22-21 Under a proposed new law, if an algorithm used by platforms like Twitter or Facebook promotes vaccine misinformation and disinformation on their sites, edge providers will be considered publishers of that content, and thus liable for it. With vaccine/COVID-19 misinformation a hot topic in D.C. and at the [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-22-21 The House Energy & Commerce Committee on July 21 approved a bunch of bills meant to promote cybersecurity and network supply chains, including one – the Secure Equipment Act of 2021 – extending the FCC’s ban on using tech from suspect Chinese suppliers. The bills now go to [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-22-21 A trio of Republicans has introduced a bill that would require the FCC to consider levying Universal Service Fund broadband subsidy fees on Big Tech edge providers including video streaming giants Netflix and YouTube. There have been periodic calls to expand the USF contribution base given that it [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-21-21 The Federal Trade Commission has voted along party lines to rescind its policy statement that it would not require prior notice and approval of mergers undertaken by companies that have settled FTC complaints against previous proposed mergers. Under that policy, the FTC was still able to require either [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-21-21 It has not taken long for new Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to signal big FTC process changes are coming, including by starting to hold public meeting – as the FCC has always done – and circulating some proposals for public perusal, though not enough and with [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-21-21 Cable broadband operators are OK with most of the Treasury Department’s framework for handing out billions of dollars in broadband deployment and adoption funds via the state and local COVID-19 Fiscal Recovery Funds in the American Rescue Plan, but definitely not prioritizing government owned or operated networks when [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-20-21 The House passed a bill and a resolution July 20 aimed at achieving greater media diversity. The votes on each were 319-105 – they were part of a bloc vote on a handful of communications-related bills. H.R. 1754, the MEDIA (Measuring the Economics Driving Investments and Access) Diversity [...]