Social Media
January 12, 2021 — President Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to the content moderation practices that digital platforms exercised since the events of January 6 – including banning him from Twitter — before departing Andrews Joint Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, onboard Air Force One. The P
Section 230
January 2, 2021 — When the Senate reconvenes on Sunday at 11:45 a.m., the body will gavel in for the first session of the 117th Congress. All bills not passed as of Friday, January 1, 2021 – the last day Congress was in session – will die. One of those bills is the Eliminating Abusive […]
broadband roundup
Hours after blocking legislation to increase direct payments in the coronavirus stimulus legislation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday introduced a bill tying $2,000 stimulus checks to unrelated items on President Donald Trump’s agenda, including a full repeal of Section 230 of the
Congress
December 29, 2020 — On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump signed into law a major coronavirus stimulus package, barely avoiding a government shutdown before a Monday night deadline. Trump has railed against the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and the $1.4 trillion government funding bill si
Section 230
December 23, 2020 — President Donald Trump on Wednesday followed through on his threat to veto the annual defense appropriations bill over the unrelated issue of liability for internet content. In a statement from Trump to the House of Representatives released today, he wrote, “I am returning, witho
broadband roundup
A lawsuit filed Wednesday by a coalition of ten Republican state attorneys general, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, accuses Google of making an “unlawful agreement” with Facebook, that gave special privileges to the social media giant, in exchange for promising not to support a competing a
broadband roundup
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham on Tuesday introduced legislation to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act if Congress doesn’t figure out how to revamp the legal shield by January 1, 2023. Graham’s bill is the first real effort to translate President Donald Trump’s
Section 230
December 15, 2020 — At a moment in which many are calling for the repeal or revision of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, from President Donald Trump to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham to President-elect Joe Biden (by some statements), the Electric Frontier Foundation
FCC
December 9, 2020 — The Senate on Wednesday voted 49-46, along party lines, to confirm the appointment of President Donald Trump’s nominee Nathan Simington to the Federal Communications Commission. Critics warn that Simington’s confirmation could stall the incoming Biden administration’s agenda, incl
Section 230
November 10, 2020 — Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation grilled President Donald Trump’s proposed nominee to the Federal Communications Commission, Nathan Simington, on his stance on the FCC’s jurisdiction to interpret Section 230, during a nominations hearing on
Big Tech
November 6, 2020 — With Twitter flagging and obscuring Donald Trump’s tweets on a daily basis, and with Facebook and other internet gatekeepers clamping down on pro-Trump vote conspiracy groups, one question looming over the final vote-count is: How will big tech fare during the next presidential ad
broadband roundup
Technology and advocacy groups voiced strenuous opposition to the Trump administration’s proposal to Congress that would, if passed, limit the ability of tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to claim immunity for content on their internet platforms. The Justice Department proposal to Congr
Section 230
September 14, 2020 — Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on Wednesday blasted the Trump administration for its efforts to impose President Donald Trump’s political agenda upon an independent agency. Speaking during a webinar hosted by the Center for Democracy and Technology, Starks c
Section 230
September 1, 2020 – Justice Department attorney Lauren Willard said that the Trump administration wanted to change Section 230 to incentivize big tech platforms to address criminal activity and to provide transparency when they take down lawful content. Speaking at an American Bar Association webina
broadband roundup
Congressional leaders made calls for modernizing broadband infrastructure nationwide during the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a four-day long virtual event showcasing Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for the presidential election. “We need to rebuild our infrastructure and mak
Section 230
July 27, 2020 — The U.S. Commerce Department under the Trump administration on Monday followed through on the president’s orders and filed a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission to issue proposed rules narrowing the protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. “A ha
