By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-7-21 The Federal Trade Commission has signaled it is rethinking its enforcement principles regarding its Sec. 5 authority to prevent unfair methods of competition, saying under the current FTC guidance, the Commission “has doubled down on the Commission’s longstanding failure to investigate and pursue ‘unfair methods of competition.’” In [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 7-7-21 Former president Donald Trump is the lead representative in a class action suit against the “Big Tech” giants including Facebook, Google, and Twitter, as well as their respective CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Sandar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey. The former president, in a setting staged to more than evoke the [...]

By Michael Balsamo and Marcy Gordon (AP), washingtonpost.com, 6-28-21 A federal judge on Monday (June 28) dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general, dealing a significant blow to attempts by regulators to rein in tech giants. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled Monday [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-24-21 For the first time in a decade, bills that would provide greater public access to the courts via the media, including streaming, have cleared an important hurdle. That came at a markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee Friday (June 24). According to Fix the Court, which has been [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-23-21 The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday (June 23) began marking up a host of Big Tech-targeted antitrust bills that tech companies have labeled a threat to freedom of speech and an existential threat to U.S. competitiveness. The package includes over a half dozen bills, including one whose name suggests [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-22-21 Add every state broadcasters’ association to the list of those arguing that a recent court ruling requires the Federal Communications Commission to reform its regulatory-fee process and start levying charges on those who benefit from agency work – and not just those, like broadcasters, that hold FCC licenses. [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-22-21 The FCC has unanimously voted to adopt changes to its rules to allow the importation and shipping of a limited number of 5G communications and other devices before they have secured FCC approval. The Commission had already voted unanimously last December to propose the changes. “Since the 1970s, [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-22-21 The association representing tech giants including Amazon, Facebook and Google, is calling on Congress to delay consideration of antitrust bills aimed squarely at its members. The bill package was introduced less than two weeks ago. The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a markup for Wednesday, June 23, at [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-18-21 Cable broadband operators said the FCC should not extend emergency alert system (EAS) warning requirements to Internet service providers or streaming services, arguing that the combination of already required broadcast, cable, and wireless alerts “are more than sufficient to convey timely and relevant emergency and public safety information [...]

By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 6-17-21 The FCC has proposed revising its equipment authorization and competitive bidding rules to better keep untrustworthy entities out of U.S. networks. The Commission voted unanimously at its June 17 public meeting to approve a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and notice of inquiry (NOI) to better protect U.S. [...]