In a time when the purpose and future of antitrust is again an important topic of political discourse, we need to understand what antitrust enforcers can do today with the laws that exist right now. Laws that have been on the books for a long time – The Sherman Act was passed in 1890 – but which retain their vitality. And their importance.
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Weekly Digest
December 4 - 8, 2017
Digital Beat
Benton Editorial
November 20, 2017
News reports indicate that we should expect to see Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal on net neutrality rules this week in advance of a December 14 vote on the rules. Whatever you think about net neutrality, Chairman Pai's move to release FCC rules before they are voted on is a step in the direction of good government. Transparency is a key ingredient to facilitate democratic participation, accountability, and trust in government. The question in the days ahead is, 'Will FCC leadership be responsive to the public's concerns in the net neutrality debate?'
Benton Editorial
November 20, 2017
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will soon release a draft order that eliminates the FCC's rules that protect broadband internet access service customers from many abuses by their broadband providers. Without the FCC's 2015 Open Internet regulations, your broadband provider will make the rules that govern how you access the internet.This should make you nervous. The companies who reach you over the internet -- think Netflix, Pandora, Etsy, and even World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) -- are certainly nervous. They are telling their investors -- in documents filed at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission -- that they are concerned about the significant and increasing market power of wireline and wireless broadband providers.