Biden-Harris Administration
Apple Gets a Foot in Joe Biden’s Door. What Will It Mean for Silicon Valley?
One question looming over the final vote-count is the 2020 Election: How will big tech fare during the next presidential administration?
House Judiciary
Coronavirus Pandemic Renders Small Businesses More Reliant on Digital E-Commerce Platforms Than Ever Before
September 22, 2020 — The coronavirus pandemic has taken a dire toll on small businesses across the United States. In an attempt to subsist, many small businesses have been forced to close their physical doors, and try their hand in the digital marketplace, utilizing opportunities offered by e-commer
Big Tech
Ethical Technology Still in Early Stages, But Here to Stay, Say Axios Panelists
August 6, 2020 — Although many ethical technologies are still in early developmental stages, they are here to stay, said participants in an Axios webinar Thursday. The webinar, titled “Ethical Tech in a Time of Crisis,” saw participants discuss the strengths and shortcomings of the ways in which tec
Antitrust
Brookings Panelists Call For Breaking Up and Breaking Open Big Tech Powerhouses
August 4, 2020 — Panelists in a Tuesday Brookings Institution webinar discussed their takes on the historic House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee hearing on July 29. The hearing brought the CEOs of four of Silicon Valley’s most affluent businesses — Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google — together to
Funding
Infrastructure Stimulus Bill Predictions, Call For Broadcast Reform, Big Tech Hearing Reactions
Panelists speaking on a Thursday Brookings Institution webinar expressed mixed views on the likelihood of Congress passing a federal infrastructure stimulus by the summer of 2021. Tracy Ross, director of federal policy at PolicyLink, said she was confident that Congress would pass such a bill by nex
Antitrust
Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google Respond and Deflect Manifold Criticism by House Judiciary Panel
July 30, 2020 — Wednesday’s House Judiciary Antitrust subcommittee hearing marked the first time four tech CEOs appeared before Congress, and the first time Amazon’s head, Jeff Bezos, spoke to U.S. legislators, albeit remotely. Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai
EU
Big Tech CEOs Prepare to Defend Alleged Anticompetitive Practices
July 28, 2020 — The CEOs of four of the world’s biggest technology companies are preparing to defend their rapidly-expanding businesses in a blockbuster hearing Wednesday. The meeting of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee will see members grill the heads of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple
Army
West Des Moines and Google Fiber, Big Tech’s Advantage, Trump Considers TikTok Ban
The city of West Des Moines will invest $40 million to become Iowa’s first Google Fiber-enabled city, the Des Moines Register reported. The agreement between the West Des Moines City Council and Google Fiber is set to pass Monday, with other fiber providers expected to sign on at a later date. The p
AI
Contact Tracing App Can Assist in Reopening Localities Safely, According to AI Task Force Panelists
July 9, 2020 — In the absence of federal leadership, the number of coronavirus cases has continued to climb in the United States, reaching a new single-day record number of infections on Wednesday with 60,000 cases recorded in 24 hours, according to infectious disease physician Dr. Krutika Kuppalli.
China
Tech Market Has Many Opportunities for Smaller Companies, Says New America
July 1, 2020 — The time is right for smaller companies to seize market share amid the coronavirus, said New America representatives in a meeting of Slate’s Future Tense program on Tuesday. Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America, said that the success of Zoom during a time when the majority of Amer
FCC
Republican Communications Commissioners Decline to Support Additional Broadband Funding, Also Blast Big Tech
June 24, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission needs increased funding of an unknown amount for its broadband subsidy projects, said Comissioners Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr in a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing Wednesday. When Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D
Andrew Yang
Broadband Roundup: Transatlantic Working Group Calls for Transparency, Andrew Yang Launches Project, CENIC CEO to Speak
The Transatlantic High Level Working Group on Content Moderation and Freedom of Expression, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, published a report on Monday urging democracies to adopt a flexible regulatory framework to curb online hate speech and manipulated disinformation. The group c
FCC
Broadband Roundup: Companies Impact Global Tech Standards, Accelerating C-Band Clearing, Experts Debate Antitrust
June 16, 2020 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced a new rule on Monday which he claimed will ensure the country’s telecommunications industry is able to fully contribute to global standards development activities. The new Bureau of Industry and Security rule allows licenses previously
China
Broadband Roundup: Police Scanner App Downloads, Zoom and China, Big Tech Testimonies, Arthur Sidney
Downloads of police scanner apps and secure messaging apps have increased in response to concerns about a lack of privacy amid widespread protests, CNET reported. Several companies have already committed to halting the development of facial recognition technologies. But protestors are still concerne
EFF
Interoperability an Effective Measure Against Big Tech Monopolies, Says Lincoln Network
June 11, 2020 — Interoperability is a practical safeguard against big tech oligopolies, said participants in a Lincoln Network forum Wednesday. Participants argued that besides sweeping government intervention, the best way to break up large, too-powerful social media companies like Facebook is
Big Tech
Technology Behind Google and Apple’s Protocol is Insufficient for Contact Tracing, But Preserves Users’ Privacy
June 1, 2020 — Google and Apple are rarely criticized for not collecting enough data on users, but under the state of emergency COVID-19 has brought about, this is no longer the case, said panelists at a webinar hosted Thursday by the Cato Institute. Because users’ location data could help reduce th
