If you're a Techdirt reader or just a general regular on the ol' internet, our topic this week — the current situation with net neutrality and the FCC — needs little introduction. And we've got two very special guests joining us to discuss it: former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler (author…
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Axios: Tech allies slam FCC’s broadside against web platforms
The tech industry and its liberal allies pushed back Tuesday on Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's contention that they're a greater threat to free speech online than internet providers like Comcast and Verizon that are subject to the net neutrality rules he's trying to repeal. Why it matters: Pai is trying…
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CNET: FCC chairman calls Twitter the real threat to an open internet
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has gone on the attack to defend his proposal to roll back net neutrality regulations. Pai said in a speech Tuesday he wanted to "cut through the hysteria and hot air" about the proposal he unveiled last week that would unwind the Obama-era rules that prevent…
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Wired: How Bots Broke The FCC’s Public Comment System
ON A SINGLE day in late May, hundreds of thousands of public comments poured into the Federal Communications Commission regarding its plans to roll back net neutrality protections. A week and a half later, on June 3, hundreds of thousands more followed. The spikes weren't the voices of pro-net neutrality Americans, worried what…
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Mashable: Ajit Pai’s proposal to kill net neutrality is even worse than we expected
Few who follow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the history of its efforts to enshrine network neutrality rules into law were surprised yesterday when Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he would make public a proposal to deregulate broadband Internet access by “reclassifying” it as an information service under the Communications Act…
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Gizmodo: Here’s the FCC’s Plan to Kill Net Neutrality
The FCC on Wednesday released a draft order that would effectively repeal landmark Obama-era regulations that ensure internet service providers offer consumers equal access to online content and services. The 210-page proposal spells the end of net neutrality—the principle that internet providers, or ISPs, should be restricted from blocking or…
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Associated Press: What happens once ‘net neutrality’ rules bite the dust?
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission formally released a draft of its plan to kill net-neutrality rules , which equalized access to the internet and prevented broadband providers from favoring their own apps and services. Now the question is: What comes next? (more…)
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Washington Post: How two decisions in Washington could turn AT&T into a uniquely powerful company
The future of AT&T could be shaped by two big decisions in Washington this week, with the Justice Department suing the telecom giant on Monday to block its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner and the Federal Communications Commission announcing a plan Tuesday to roll back net neutrality rules, handing a big win to Internet providers.…
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CNN Tech: Trump’s FCC moves quickly to upend internet, media rules
Ajit Pai may go down as one of President Trump's most effective, and controversial, regulators. Pai, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has moved fast to eliminate regulations for large internet service providers and broadcast media conglomerates. In the process, Pai, a former lawyer for Verizon (VZ, Tech30) who was appointed to the FCC…
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New York Times: F.C.C. Plans Net Neutrality Repeal in Victory for Telecoms
The Federal Communications Commission announced on Tuesday that it planned to dismantle landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet, clearing the way for companies to charge more and block access to some websites. The proposal, put forward by the F.C.C. chairman, Ajit Pai, is a sweeping repeal of…