The FCC this week was scheduled to vote on a new proposal on public feedback that Senators and consumer activists say will make it easier for the agency to ignore your complaints. But the agency retreated from the planned vote after numerous reports outlined the agency’s agenda. As it stands, the FCC currently…
News
Wired: It Just Got Easier for the FCC to Ignore Your Complaints
IT MAY SOON be harder to get the Federal Communications Commission to listen to your complaints about billing, privacy, or other issues with telecommunications carriers like AT&T and Verizon. Today, the agency approved changes to its complaint system that critics say will undermine the agency's ability to review and act on the complaints it receives. (more…)
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Wired: Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court Could Spell Trouble for Tech
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has chosen Washington DC Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court. The decision, which Trump announced Monday night, is likely to face opposition not only from Democrats in Congress but also from leaders within the tech industry who oppose Kavanaugh’s perspective on…
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Writing
Buzzfeed News: Two Companies Won, Democracy Lost
When a federal judge this week cleared AT&T’s $85 billion takeover of Time Warner, he urged that “the temptation by some to view this decision as being something more than a resolution of this specific case should be resisted.” But the consequences of his ruling will go well beyond one…
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Media
On Point: Breaking Down the AT&T-Time Warner Decision
The fate of the AT&T Time Warner deal has been decided. And with it, a message sent to media moguls and beyond. (more…)
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Statement of Gigi Sohn on Court Ruling Permitting AT&T-Time Warner Merger
Today, US District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled that the merger of AT&T and Time Warner can proceed, finding that the Department of Justice had not met its burden of proof that the effect of the combination would be “substantially to lessen competition” in violation of Section 7 of the…
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Wired: THE FCC’S NET NEUTRALITY RULES ARE DEAD, BUT THE FIGHT ISN’T
Federal net neutrality protections are officially dead. Today the Federal Communications Commission's rules barring internet providers from blocking or slowing content, or giving special treatment to certain content, were wiped off the books, following an FCC vote last December. But don't expect to see huge changes right away. (more…)
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CNN Tech: The end of net neutrality is here
The way the internet is regulated in the US is about to change. The controversial repeal of Obama-era net neutrality protections is officially set to take effect on Monday, despite ongoing efforts from members of Congress, state officials, tech companies and advocacy groups to save the rules. The Republican-led Federal…
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Media
Statement of Gigi Sohn on the June 11 Effective Date of the FCC’s December 14, 2017 Net Neutrality Repeal
On Monday, June 11, the Federal Communications Commission's December 14, 2017 repeal of the agency's 2015 Open Internet Order will go into effect. This repeal not only eliminates the 2015 Open Internet Rules, but also eliminates the agency's authority to oversee the broadband market. The following statement should be attributed…
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The Hill: States defy repeal of net neutrality
States are pushing their own net neutrality laws and rules in defiance of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal, heightening the possibility that supporters will be waging another legal battle over the popular Obama-era regulations. Washington and Oregon have already passed their own laws to fill the void left by…