Big Tech
Frances Haugen, U.S. House Witnesses Say Facebook Must Address Social Harms
The former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower said the company must be accountable for the social harm it causes.
ARPA
Sohn Broadcast Ties Questioned, Broadband in Baltimore, Facebook Asked to Sell Giphy in U.K.
The National Association of Broadcasters raised concern about FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s ties to defunct streaming service Locast.
Infrastructure
TPI New Broadband Map, Justice Dept. Stands for Section 230, Ericsson Looks to Acquire Vonage
TPI released their broadband map, which tracks speeds, availability, and adoption rates across the country.
Broadband Live
Experts Warn Against Total Repeal of Section 230
Panelists note shifting definition of offensive content.
Amazon
House Passes Reconciliation Bill, State AGs Investigate Instagram, Broadband’s Q3 Rebound
President Biden’s social safety net and climate package now faces hurdles in the Senate.
Infrastructure
Facebook Lobbying Congress on Blockchain Policy
The registration comes after the company rebranded to Meta, taking it beyond its social media origins.
Big Tech
Experts Caution Against One Size Fits All Approach to Content Moderation
Cost of moderation another factor as to why some experts say standardized content moderation policies may not work for all.
China
House Passes Small Business Cybersecurity Bills, Facebook Shutting Down Facial Recognition Tech, Yahoo Exiting China
The House pushed forth bills aimed at increasing cybersecurity notification and support for small businesses.
Section 230
Democrats Use Whistleblower Testimony to Launch New Effort at Changing Section 230
The Justice Against Malicious Algorithms Act seeks to target large online platforms that push harmful content.
Robocall
Facebook Changes and Second Whistleblower, Comcast’s Spam Call Feature, AT&T Picks Ericsson for 5G
Facebook is nudging teens away from harmful content, Comcast’s new spam call blocker, AT&T goes with Ericsson for standalone 5G.
BT
City Loses Case for Streaming Revenues, 1/3 Get News from Facebook, Open Broadband Project
Ashdown wanted share of streaming revenues, chunk of Americans regular consumers of news on Facebook, Open Broadband project takes off.
Social Media
Congress Must Force Facebook to Make Internal Research Public, Whistleblower Testifies
Frances Haugen testifies in front of the Senate studying protecting kids online after revealing herself as Facebook whistleblower.
Infrastructure
FCC Kicks Off 3.45 GHz Spectrum, Facebook Wants FTC Complaint Tossed, BAI Closes Mobilitie Buy
More mid-band spectrum is being auctioned off, Facebook says no evidence of monopoly, BAI gets regulatory approval for Mobilitie buy.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Bill Delayed, Facebook’s Whistleblower Unveils, GDPR Fines Rise
Infrastructure bill does not see expected vote Thursday, Facebook’s whistleblower reveals herself, GDPR has huge fines.
FCC
Facebook Pauses Instagram for Kids, $1.2B from Emergency Connectivity Fund, Ransomware Attacks
Facebook pauses photo-sharing app for kids, FCC announces $1.2B in first wave of ECF, ransomware attacks on the rise.
FTC
Washington’s Antitrust Push Could Create ‘Chilling Effect’ on Startups, Observers Say
There is concern that an FTC focused on ‘big is bad’ will stunt economic growth in the future.
