Antitrust
Section 230 Has Coddled Big Tech For Too Long, Says Co-Author of Book on Amazon
Co-author of “The Amazon Jungle” says Section 230 has allowed Big Tech to get away with far too much.
Section 230
Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act in 1996, protects providers from liability for content or information posted by their users. It is often referred to as “the 26 words that created the internet.”
Joe Biden
Government’s Reactive Nature Hobbling Tech Regulation, Expert Says
Congress may need another big tech breach to move earnestly on regulation, says consultant.
FCC
Sen. Mike Lee Promotes Bills Valuing Federal Spectrum, Requiring Content Moderation Disclosures
April 5, 2021 – Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said Friday spectrum used by federal agencies is not being utilized efficiently, following legislation he introduced early last year that would evaluate the allocation and value of federally-reserved spectrum. The Government Spectrum Valuation Act, or S.553 and
Infrastructure
Silberman Dissent Rails Against Big Tech, Space Force Broadband, North Carolina Public Private Partnerships
March 29, 2021—Judge Laurence Silberman has worn many hats throughout his career—diplomat, lawyer, jurist—and he may now add “staunch critic of big tech” to his list of titles. Silberman wrote the dissenting opinion in Tah v. Global Witness Publishing, released on March 19 by the D.C. Circuit Court
COVID
Pressed by Congress, Big Tech Defends Itself and Offers Few Solutions After Capitol Riot
March 26, 2021 – The heads of the largest social media companies largely defended their platforms, reiterated what they’ve done, and offered few solutions to the problems that ail them during a congressional hearing Thursday. But, under harsh questioning from the House Energy and Commerce Committee,
Biden-Harris Administration
Sen. Mark Warner Says His Section 230 Bill Is Crafted With Help of Tech Companies
March 23, 2021 – Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said he and his staff are in “regular contact” with big tech representatives about Section 230 reform. “Both my staff and I are in regular contact with a host of individuals on the tech side,” Warner said Monday at a Protocol webinar discussing internet
Expert Opinion
Trevor Wagener: State Regulation of Content Moderation Would Create Enormous Legal Costs for Platforms
Dozens of bills regulating internet content moderation have been proposed in at least 30 state legislatures, and one in Utah currently sits on the governor’s desk awaiting his veto or signature. If enacted, many of the bills would impose prescriptive state regulations governing internet content mode
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
Section 230
Section 230 Reform Requires Citizen Participation, Says Sen. Amy Klobuchar
In the conversation to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which governs liability for internet intermediaries, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, said Tuesday the public must get involved. “We can’t fight Google and other million-dollar companies with duct tape and Band-Aids,” Klobuchar
EFF
Supporters of Section 230 Agreed About Concerns, But Counterarguments Dominated Panel Discussion
February 13, 2021 – With many current proposals to revise Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, supporters of the landmark internet law on Tuesday discussed how new proposals could heavily interfere with the First Amendment. The general angst about how people are using the internet badly, c
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
Section 230
Tread Carefully if Section 230 is to Be Changed, Experts Say at INCOMPAS Event
February 8, 2021—Amending too rashly or quickly the internet intermediary liability provision of the Telecommunications Act will harm smaller companies and new entrants but won’t have the intended impact on larger players, according to experts. Former President Donald Trump has often complained abou
Section 230
Social Media Needs to Be Held Accountable to a Higher Standard Than No Standard
February 8, 2021— The spread of disinformation and misinformation can be controlled if the same rules on transparency required of the broadcast industry are applied to social media, an Atlantic Council webinar heard Wednesday. That includes making changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency
Section 230
Reforming Section 230 Will Benefit Some, Wound Others, and Confuse All
January 27, 2021—Legislation to change Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act stands to benefit some, wound others, and downright confuse all. Discussions over whether the Internet should be moderated, and how, ensued between a panel of communications policy experts during a Cato Institute we
Section 230
Crackdown on Online Conspiracy Speakers After January 6 Highlights Need for Platform Accountability
WASHINGTON, January 14, 2021 – The power of big technology companies has been on display in the week since the insurrection of January 6, as platform companies have clamped down on speakers and web sites promoting violence and conspiracies, said panelists in a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event o
Broadband Live
Special Broadband Breakfast Live Online Town Hall on Section 230 on Wednesday, January 13, 2021
See, “Crackdown on Online Conspiracy Speakers After January 6 Highlights Need for Platform Accountability,” Broadband Breakfast, January 14, 2021 Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place every Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. You can watch the January 13, 2021, event on this page. You can also
