Ownership

Apparently, T-Mobile and Sprint, fighting to win regulatory clearance for their $26.5-billion merger, are considering possible concessions to salvage the deal. Among the top options being discussed is the separation and potential sale of their “prepaid” businesses.

Apple suffered a significant defeat at the Supreme Court, when the justices ruled that consumers could forge ahead with a lawsuit against the tech giant over the way it manages its App Store. The 5-4 decision allows device owners to proceed with a case that alleges Apple has acted as a monopoly by requiring iPhone and iPad users to download apps only from its portal while taking a cut of some sales made through the store. The legal question in the case was whether the suit was barred by a 1977 decision, Illinois Brick Co. v.

When does a company become too big or too successful to exist? Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, argues that Facebook should be dismantled because “big” poses a risk to society. In my view — and that of most people who write about technology’s impact on society — what matters is not size but rather the rights and interests of consumers, and our accountability to the governments and legislators who oversee commerce and communications.

Battles over corporate power that played out over the course of the 20th century may provide the best clues to how companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon might ultimately be reined in. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the moderation of malicious content online could be overseen by an industry standards body similar to the Hollywood system for rating movies established in the 1960s. Another potential model is the body with roots in the 1930s that polices the securities industry, according to Zuckerberg’s top US policy executive, Kevin Martin.

Sen Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that Silicon Valley has been arrogant, with a "toxic undercurrent" to industry practices that "can't be ignored," -- and wouldn't be ignored by Washington. She suggested that Big Tech needed to lose the attitude and engage with policymakers "more directly and respectfully" rather than "ducking out on hearings when called to testify." She said the only thing Facebook has done right in the past year is to prove they can no longer self-regulate.

The Federal Trade Commission testified before the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce about its efforts to effectively protect consumers and promote competition, while anticipating and responding to changes in the marketplace.

Members of the 4Competition Coalition met recently with Federal Communications Commissioners Brendan Carr, Michael O’Rielly, and Geoffrey Starks, as well as advisers to Chairman Ajit Pai and other FCC officials, to reiterate their opposition to the proposed merger. The 4Competition Coalition consists of Dish Network, AFL-CIO, Common Cause, Rural Wireless Association and more than a dozen other entities. Their meetings come as several Wall Street analysts have lowered the odds that the deal will go through.

The Justice Department weighed in on a years-long legal battle between the Federal Trade Commission and Qualcomm, warning that the outcome in the case could hurt the ability of US companies to compete in 5G wireless technology. The Federal Trade Commission first sued Qualcomm in Jan 2017, claiming the maker of mobile phone technology violated antitrust rules in its licensing agreements with phone manufacturers. Qualcomm fought the charges at trial in Jan 2019, and US District Judge Lucy Koh has yet to make a ruling in the case.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the progressive firebrand whose rebukes of the tech sector drew headlines on the 2018 campaign trail, supports the outlines of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) sweeping proposal to break up tech firms like Amazon and Facebook. “The idea itself is something that I am supportive of because taking an antitrust approach I believe is absolutely relevant and it’s appropriate to take,” said Rep Ocasio-Cortez. Amazon’s role as “both the marketplace, producer, seller … creates an antitrust issue,” she said. Rep.

Expect to hear official announcement on May 3 of Sinclair Broadcast Group's deal to acquire 21 regional sports networks from Walt Disney for $10 billion. The price tag for the regional sports networks is less than some industry observers initially anticipated.