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  2. November 2017

November 2017

Chairman Pai sees expanded role for FTC, Critics say FTC can’t react quickly, has limited role

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to gut Obama-era net neutrality rules calls for handing off the job of policing broadband service to an agency with different powers and a different mandate. Giving the Federal Trade Commission oversight for the web can make sense from Pai’s perspective: It’s a consumer-protection agency that already has taken action against high-speed internet providers. But, there’s a key difference: The FCC sets rules designed to prevent bad behavior, while the FTC acts after wrongdoing has occurred.

This Week in Comcast: With Net Neutrality on the way out, what’s next?

Comcast continues to repeat it’s mantra that it will never block, throttle or discriminate against lawful content. But slight adjustments in its wording over the years indicates the Philadelphia-based company could change its position. Internet service providers have a monopoly or duopoly in many parts of the country, leaving consumers with little-to-no choice if they disagree with ISPs disclosed policies.

New Net Neutrality Comments Re-Flood Docket

The Federal Communications Commission's Restoring Internet Freedom order has reinvigorated the FCC network neutrality docket, with tens thousands of new comments warning against the planned Dec. 14 vote on the order posted in the last day alone.  The docket already had over 22 million comments, and now is pushing toward 23 million, with over a half million in the last month, many of those since the order was circulated.

McDowell: Threats Against FCC’s Pai Could Warrant Investigation

The attacks online and in protest signage against Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his family over the Restoring Internet Freedom order circulated last week continued to draw condemnation, including a suggestion law enforcement may need to get involved.  That included from a longtime colleague, Robert McDowell, former senior FCC Republican commissioner and now chief public policy adviser for Mobile Future.

Fair but Unequal

[Commentary] What the rollback of net neutrality rules actually mean for the US Internet ecosystem over the next several years? 1. Blatant Discrimination Against Particular Services Is Not That Likely; 2. Blatant Favoritism Of Particular Services Is Quite Likely; and 3. Different Tiers Of Services Based On Ability To Pay Is Overwhelmingly Likely. The result will not be blatant discrimination and censorship of the Internet (which most Americans will not tolerate). Nope.

Study: Cable and broadcast news networks largely ignore planned net neutrality repeal

In the eight days after news broke that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wants to fully repeal network neutrality rules, cable and broadcast news networks -- aside from MSNBC -- have given the story very little coverage. 

The 5 most ridiculous things the FCC says in its new net neutrality propaganda

A new “fact sheet” sent out by the Federal Communications Commission asks: what if facts are flexible things that we can bend to our preferred reality? It lists a series of “myths” about the commission’s proposal, followed by “facts” that supposedly debunk them — except the facts are often wrong, or directly confirm the myth that they’re trying to debunk. Here are some of the most flagrant examples.

AT&T, Time Warner extend deadline to finalize merger

AT&T and Time Warner are extending the termination date of their merger to April 22, 2018 now that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing to block their deal.  Despite the DOJ’s move to stop the merger, both companies are hopeful they’ll still be able to complete the $85 billion deal if they beat the agency’s lawsuit. “AT&T intends to vigorously contest the DOJ’s allegations and is confident that the Court will reject the DOJ’s challenge to the merger,” the company wrote in its SEC filing.

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