Politico

Net Neutrality Query

National advocacy groups including the ACLU, CREDO Action, Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and Free Press Action Fund are sending a questionnaire to 38 members of Congress — and those challenging them in the upcoming midterm elections — about the vote to restore net neutrality via the Congressional Review Act in the House, which needs a simple majority to pass. For incumbents: “Have you signed, or do you firmly commit within the next 30 calendar days to sign, the discharge petition for the House net neutrality CRA, and will you vote in favor of the net neutrality CRA if it comes up fo

Net neutrality, Uber cap are focus of NY Attorney General forum

The candidates running to become New York’s next attorney general each sought to assure a tech-friendly audience that they would be defenders of network neutrality and entrepreneurship during a candidate forum on Aug 14. Rep Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Public Advocate Tish James, Zephyr Teachout and Leecia Eve — all running to secure the Democratic nomination in September’s primary election — made their pitches to protect industry actors while at the same time presenting themselves as bulwarks against the presidency of Donald Trump.

America’s Newspapers Just Played Right Into Trump’s Hands

[Commentary] Nothing flatters an independent journalist less than the sight of him forming a line to drink from the same fountain as his colleagues. Such a spectacle will unfold on Aug 16, as 200 or more editorial pages will heed the call sounded by Boston Globe op-ed page editor Marjorie Pritchard to run editorials opposing President Donald Trump’s unrelieved press-bashing. Participating dailies include the Houston Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Miami Herald and the Denver Post, as well as the Globe.

Merger Concerns in Brief

Opponents of the AT&T-Time Warner merger are taking aim at District Judge Richard Leon’s June decision to allow the deal to go forward. Here’s a rundown of some of their legal briefs as an appeals court prepares to take up the case:

TracFone's Lifeline Petition

TracFone Wireless, a reseller active in the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, filed an emergency petition with the FCC on August 10 raising concerns about the government’s new national verifier tool, meant to help ensure subscribers are who they say they are and avoid the waste, fraud and abuse that has plagued the program in the past. The Obama-era reform finally began rolling out on a preliminary basis in some states this summer.

Sinclair's merger breakup could frustrate its TV ambitions

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s singularly nasty breakup with Tribune Media may put a serious damper on the conservative-leaning broadcast giant's ability to expand, despite its persisting hunger to do so. Sinclair insists it will press on with business as usual and is already eyeing other acquisition targets in its bid to expand into a full-fledged conservative media titan on par with Fox News.

Lawmakers Not Happy with FCC Inspector General Report

Democratic lawmakers weren’t happy with the Federal Communications Commission inspector general concluded that the agency "misrepresented facts and provided misleading responses to Congressional inquiries" regarding an outage of the FCC’s online commenting system.

Facebook looks to advance data privacy conversation

Tech companies are assessing their roles in protecting their users as officials in Washington debate whether the government should take a firmer hand in safeguarding Americans’ privacy.

The Fire Under the Trump Privacy Push

A tech industry source close to Trump administration’s push to come up with some sort of national privacy policy fills us in on the scheduling nitty-gritty. The White House is expected to issue a set of draft rules in late summer or early fall at the latest. The draft will be opened up for comment, possibly via a formal Commerce Department request for information. From there, legislation is a possibility, though not the only one on the table. If it seems like the privacy push is moving at an expedited pace, there’s a reason for that. In a word, Privacy Shield.

Tech scrambles to navigate White House privacy push

The Trump administration is exploring some sort of national privacy proposal amid efforts by the European Union and California to impose their own data requirements on the tech industry. “Companies are finding themselves squeezed on both sides," said Daniel Castro, vice president of Washington-based think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Internet giants balked at California's new rules and think Europe's GDPR is a mess, but they also know the industry is developing a reputation for being obstructionist.

FCC Chairman Pai Eyes Rural Broadband Fix

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai told a group of House members he acknowledges shortfalls with the subsidy arrangements for rural telecom carriers.

Deadlines Set in Net Neutrality Legal Bout

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has set briefing deadlines in the challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality repeal. Mozilla, state attorneys general and other groups fighting the FCC’s rollback will file their arguments Aug. 20. The Internet Association, Computer & Communications Industry Association and other organizations bolstering their case will file Aug. 27. The FCC has to respond Oct. 11, and the telecom associations backing the agency, including CTIA and USTelecom, will file their briefs Oct. 18. Final briefs in the case are due Nov. 27.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Thune Eyes Packaging Broadband Deployment Bills

Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-SD) is eying ways to combine his STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment Act, S.

Are Sinclair’s problems just getting started?

A favorable presidential tweet and a court win on a crucial Federal Communications Commission regulatory loophole may have buoyed Sinclair Broadcast Group as the conservative broadcaster faces the daunting prospect of a lengthy administrative hearing over its Tribune merger. But the “lack of candor” the FCC flagged when it sent the deal for review could dog the company beyond the transaction (Sinclair didn’t offer complete information about its ties to entities picking up stations it planned to spin off in connection with the deal, the agency contends).

Rep Young: Pro-Net Neutrality, Anti-CRA

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) won’t be the second Republican to support Democrats’ Congressional Review Act effort to revive Obama-era net neutrality rules, a Young spokeswoman confirmed. Fight for the Future relayed an Alaskan business owner’s account of Rep Young privately pledging, she said, to sign the Democrats’ discharge petition to force a CRA floor vote. Rep.

Well, This Is Awkward

Wave Wireless, a fixed wireless broadband provider from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s hometown of Parsons (KS), is among the 182 companies pushing back on the FCC’s approach to a valuable swath of mid-band airwaves. Wave Wireless — which Chairman Pai said serves his parents in a 2017 tweet — and its fellow companies, mostly small rural providers, want the FCC to preserve smaller geographic license sizes in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band.

Four Telecom Bills Sail Through House

Four pieces of telecom-focused legislation passed the House by generous margins. Lawmakers passed by voice votes the PIRATE Act, H.R. 5709 (115), which would boost penalties for unlicensed radio broadcasters, and the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, H.R.

Mo problems, mo money for tech

As controversies have piled up for top tech companies, so have their lobbying bills. Tech firms continued to pour record sums of money into federal lobbying during the second quarter, new disclosures show, reflecting their defensive maneuvering on matters like consumer privacy, market competition and the treatment of political speech on social media. Facebook spent its largest single-quarter sum ever, $3.67 million, during a period that included CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s grilling in Congress over the company’s privacy lapses and the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Android case widens transatlantic rift

Even before the ink could dry on Europe’s record €4.3 billion ($5 billion) antitrust fine against Google, clashing interpretations rushed into the Brussels-created fray. The financial penalty would change everything for Google and Silicon Valley’s other tech giants — it was a European attack on a “great” American company, according to a tweet from President Donald Trump. Or it would change nothing. As usual, the reality is somewhere in between.

Chairman Blackburn Eyes Final Broadband Push

House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Marsha Blackburn(R-TN) is looking to consolidate a number of broadband proposals under the banner of National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) reauthorization. “I would very much like to get this done before the August break. I don’t know if that is going to be a possibility, but I sure would like to be moving this out.” Chairman Blackburn also expressed interest in reviewing the Senate’s recent bipartisan 5G wireless legislation, S.