FTC
Lina Khan Pitches Ideas For Regulating Big Tech In Nomination Hearing
Senate Commerce Committee considers nominations for Lina Khan, Bill Nelson and Leslie Kiernan.
Infrastructure
Hawley Calls For Ban On Large Corp Mergers, Chip Shortage Coming For Routers, Big Telecom Breakup
April 12, 2021 – Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO, shared with Axios a new proposal that would bar corporate giants from acquisitions and strengthen century-old antitrust laws. “This country and this government shouldn’t be run by a few mega-corporations,” Hawley told Axios. The Republican Party “has got t
Big Tech
Regulatory Commission Needed To Monitor Big Tech Collection Of Consumer Data, Professor Says
April 8, 2021 — There needs to be a digital regulatory commission created to ensure big tech cannot run wild with consumer data, said Robin Gaster, a George Washington University public policy scholar. Gaster, who’s also president of Incumetrics, a data and program evaluation consultancy, published
Judiciary
Supreme Court Declares Trump First Amendment Case Moot, But Legal Issues For Social Media Coming
April 5, 2021—Despite accepting a petition that avoids the Supreme Court deliberating on whether a president can block social media users, Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday issued a volley that may foreshadow future legal issues surrounding social media in the United States. On Monday, the Supreme C
$20B Fiber Bill; VISA Accepts U.S. Crypto Coin; Intermountain Hybrid Virtual Care
March 31, 2021 – Republican South Carolina Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Monday reintroduced the State Fix Act, which would expand broadband access to underserved rural areas. The bill would provide $20 billion for broadband infrastructure utilizing fiber-optic cables and 5G techno
T-Mobile Wins on Infrastructure, Lina Khan FTC Nomination, Open Source Collaboration
March 23, 2021 — A federal judge ruled Friday that the San Francisco city leader unlawfully denied T-Mobile permits to upgrade infrastructure during the pandemic. The ruling was made under the 2012 Spectrum Act, which prevents State or local government from denying improvements and upgrades to exist
EFF
Changes to Section 230 Might Lead To Removal of Legitimate Speech, Subtract from Historical Record
March 17, 2021 – Changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act may not lead to the solution that America wants or needs, said panelists during a South by Southwest event Tuesday. Section 230 grants immunity to social media platforms for user-generated content. It’s an increasingly visible
FTC
Democrats Introduce Community Broadband Act, Lina Khan for FTC, Facebook Wants Lawsuits Dismissed
March 11, 2021 – Democratic lawmakers have introduced new legislation to ensure their residents have broadband access by removing roadblocks for public-private partnerships and locally-owned broadband systems. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. and Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. introdu
FCBA
Industry Experts Fight Over Whether Satellite Tech Should Monopolize 12 GigaHertz Band
March 8, 2021—Experts are divided about how the 12 GigaHertz (GHz) spectrum should be utilized in the wake of the historic C Band auction, which would primarily be used by satellite technologies. Representatives from some of the largest wireless providers quarreled in a lively exchange on March 4 as
Antitrust
House Committee Hears of Big Tech’s Alleged Anticompetitive Behavior in New Hearing
WASHINGTON, March 2, 2021 – A House committee on Thursday heard of the need for strengthened antitrust measures to stem the influence of big technology companies, which are alleged to have increased its stranglehold on data on the internet. The committee heard of Google’s and Facebook’s overwhelming
FCC
U.S. Window of Opportunity for Open Radio Access Networks is Closing, Say Panelists
February 24, 2021—Some experts suggest that the future of wireless connectivity is in open radio access networks, but the window of opportunity for the U.S. to lead the way in this endeavor is closing. Radio access networks comprise physical pieces of equipment – such as antennae or other hardware –
china
Parler Returns Online, Shawnee Gets $22 Million for Illinois Build, Clubhouse’s Quantum Leap
February 16, 2021 — After being abruptly removed from web servers by tech giants on January 10, the controversial social network Parler returned online on Monday. Parler is a social network dominated by right-wing users which, following the removal of former President Trump from Twitter, grew in p
FCC
Former FCC Commissioners Reflect on Changes Since 1996 Telecommunications Act
February 9, 2021 – As 2021 marks the 25-yearanniversary of the Telecommunications Act, former Federal Communications Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Harold Furchtgott-Roth reminisced Monday on their time in Congress as staff members when the law was passed. The Hudson Institute hosted the conversati
Montana Democrats Push for Rural Broadband, Hints for Big Tech under Biden, Parler CEO Fired
February 8, 2021—Montana state Democrats have announced a legislative package that aims to fill the rural broadband gap. State Rep. Katie Sullivan has introduced LC 2670, a bill that would see the creation of either a broadband manager or an advisory board under the state’s executive. The goal of t
Jeff Bezos to Step Down at Amazon, North Carolina Broadband Dashboard, Crown Castle Sites Grow
February 4, 2021 – Serving as CEO of the company he founded as an online book store in his garage in 1995, Jeff Bezos on Tuesday said he step down from that role as Amazon. Bezos is expected to be replaced by Andy Jassy, who has been with the company since 1997 and currently serves […]
Biden-Harris Administration
Slaughter Named FTC Chair, Combatting Disinformation with Community Media, Kimmelman Departs Public Knowledge
January 22, 2021—President Joe Biden designated Rebecca Slaughter as acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday. Slaughter has served as an FTC Commissioner since May 2018. As a commissioner, Slaughter championed aggressive use of the FTC’s authorities to combat the abuse of consumers’
