Harper Neidig

Senate confirms full slate of FTC commissioners (updated)

The Senate unanimously confirmed all five of President Trump's nominees to serve on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), bringing the consumer protection agency to full strength for the first time since the start of the new administration. The FTC will now be chaired by Joseph Simons, a Republican antitrust attorney who led the commission's competition bureau during the George W.

FCC Chairman Pai receives NRA gun award for courage

In lieu of delivering advertised remarks dubbed "American Pai: The Courageous Chairman of the FCC," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai received the National Rifle Association's (NRA) “Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award” at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The NRA-sponsored award was given to Chairman Pai in recognition of months of heavy criticism over his successful push to repeal the agency’s network neutrality rules. Chairman Pai led the push to repeal the rules, which were overwhelmingly supported by the public.

FCC dismisses Warren's attacks as 'hot air'

After Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized the Federal Communications Commission in an op-ed that appeared in the Washington Post, the FCC replied:

Facebook, Amazon set lobbying records

Facebook and Amazon both set quarterly records for federal lobbying over the last three months, leading a pack of large tech companies that are increasingly under siege in Washington. Each company spent a little more than $4 million on lobbying in the second quarter, the first time either firm has spent that much on their influence operations in the capital. Google, which has also seen its fortunes change in Washington, spent just $2.9 million in the second quarter — the least it’s spent on lobbying since 2011.

Privacy advocates worry FTC will fall short in addressing YouTube children's privacy practices

Consumer advocates are pushing for the Federal Trade Commission to come down hard on YouTube’s handling of children’s videos after conversations with the agency’s leadership prompted concerns about how regulators would be approaching a settlement with the video-sharing site. The Center for Digital Democracy and the Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood sent a letter to the FTC, urging the FTC to force YouTube to separate the children’s videos from the rest of the platform in order to better crack down on illegal data collection of younger viewers.

Senators spar with Google exec over use of 'persuasive technology'

Lawmakers expressed disbelief when Maggie Stanphill, Google’s director of user experience, told the Senate Communications Subcommittee “No, we do not use persuasive technology at Google.” At issue before the panel was how algorithms used by companies like Google, Facebook and others might influence their users. Stanphill's statement prompted pushback from senators who had been scrutinizing the company over its content decisions on platforms like YouTube. “You don’t want to clarify that a little further?” Sen Brian Schatz (D-HI) asked.

White House rejects House Judiciary Democrats' request for documents on AT&T-Time Warner merger

White House counsel Pat Cipollone told House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Rep David Cicilline (D-RI) that the White House is rejecting their request for information that would shed light on whether President Donald Trump tried to sway the Justice Department into opposing the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Cipollone said that the documents requested by the lawmakers were shielded under confidentiality protections afforded to the president and his advisers.

Life in the minority at the FCC

Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is nearly two years into her second stint as a Democratic member of the FCC. Her first five-year term was during the Obama administration before she left the agency briefly when her confirmation for a new term was held up amid Senate bickering. Prior to being confirmed in 2012, Rosenworcel was a policy counsel at the Senate Commerce Committee, first under the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) then former Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV). Prior to that, she got her start as a staffer for the FCC in 1999.

FTC says it only has 40 employees overseeing privacy and data security

The Federal Trade Commission told Congress that it only has 40 full-time employees dedicated to overseeing internet privacy and data security and requested lawmakers give the agency more resources to adequately police tech companies. FTC Chairman Joseph Simons wrote in a letter to House leaders that the commission lags far behind other developed countries’ data watchdogs.

President Trump meet with Google CEO

President Donald Trump revealed he had met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai to discuss the company's work in China and allegations of anti-conservative bias. The president said on Twitter that the unscheduled meeting went "very well" following months of Republican attacks against Silicon Valley over how social media companies handle conservative speech. "Just met with @SundarPichai, President of @Google, who is obviously doing quite well. He stated strongly that he is totally committed to the U.S. Military, not the Chinese Military," President Trump wrote.

FCC claims on broadband access under scrutiny

The Federal Communications Commission is being scrutinized over its claims that its deregulatory agenda has led to record gains in the private sector’s efforts to expand access to high-speed internet in rural and underserved communities. In Feb, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated a draft of the agency’s annual progress report on broadband deployment. He touted data showing that the number of Americans without access to broadband fell by more than 25 percent and that a record number of homes had received new fiber connections in 2017.

Rep Tlaib, Democratic Representatives urge regulators to block T-Mobile-Sprint merger

Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is leading a group of progressive Democratic Representatives in calling on regulators to block the proposed $26 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, arguing that the deal will hurt workers and the low-income consumers who rely on the two telecommunications giants' affordable offerings. Rep Tlaib and 36 Democratic Reps are sending letters to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim.

Groups urge FTC to break up Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal

Advocacy groups urged the Federal Trade Commission to order a breakup of Facebook after the agency concludes its investigation into the company’s handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The groups, led by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wrote in a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons that modest enforcement actions would not be adequate to curb Facebook’s privacy practices. They urged the FTC to require Facebook to divest from subsidiaries like WhatsApp and Instagram and to i

Sens Manchin, Sullivan lift hold on FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr

Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) lifted his hold on Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr after the agency promised to prioritize rolling out funding for wireless broadband in rural areas. Sen Manchin announced the hold on Commissioner Carr the week of Dec 10 after the FCC announced it would pause the funding program while it conducts an investigation into coverage data submitted by major wireless carriers.

Sen Manchin (D-WV) Manchin puts hold on Carr's FCC nomination over wireless internet fund delay

Sen Joe Manchin (D-wV) has placed a hold on Commissioner Brendan Carr's renomination to the Federal Communications Commission in response to the FCC’s decision to pause a program that would fund wireless internet expansion in rural areas. Sen Manchin announced the hold on Carr's renomination a week after FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the agency’s Mobility Fund Phase II program would be suspended temporarily while regulators investigate whether major wireless carriers submitted false data on their coverage maps.

Five things to know about 5G

5G, short for fifth generation, aims to deliver much faster wireless for mobile users and spur new innovation for internet-connected devices. Here are five things to know about the new technology.

AT&T urges appeals court to let Time Warner merger stand; mentions Trump

AT&T asked an appeals court to reject the Justice Department’s challenge of a federal judge’s decision approving its $85 billion merger with Time Warner. The telecom company, which closed the merger in June, responded to the Justice Department’s appeal, arguing that prosecutors failed to prove during trial that the deal would hurt competition and raise prices for consumers.

Google responds to President Trump: Denies favoring ideologies in search results

Google responded to President Donald Trump, denying that its algorithms favor liberal media outlets over right-wing ones.

Court halts FCC move to lower broadband subsidies for tribal areas

A federal court has blocked the Federal Communications Commission from making changes to its Lifeline broadband subsidy program that would have effectively eliminated benefits for many Native Americans living on tribal lands. A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the FCC’s order, saying that it would likely cause significant loss of telecommunications service to tribal areas.

CWA targets AT&T, GOP over post–tax law job losses

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is targeting Republican lawmakers and AT&T in a new advertising campaign aimed at highlighting the telecommunication company’s job cuts after receiving a boost from the GOP’s tax law. The CWA has launched radio ads in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Texas that ties Republican candidates to the job cuts. The group estimates that AT&T has cut 7,000 jobs since the tax bill went into effect in 2018. They accuse the company of using its tax savings to enrich its shareholders and executives rather than investing in workers.

Senators urge Department of Justice to review Comcast bid for Fox

A group of senators is urging the Justice Department to scrutinize Comcast’s $65 billion bid to buy much of 21st Century Fox. The senators wrote to Makan Delrahim, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, asking him to review whether Comcast would be able to use Fox’s entertainment offerings to suppress its competitors.

Groups join petition to delay Sinclair-Tribune merger review

A growing number of groups are urging the Federal Communications Commission to delay its review of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s merger with Tribune Media, while a court weighs a recent agency move that would ease the deal's approval. The organizations joining the effort include the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the conservative outlet Newsmax and the telecom trade group NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association. The groups joined a petition first filed in June by Public Knowledge and Common Cause to the FCC.

T-Mobile, Sprint execs pitch merger to Senate antitrust subcommittee

Executives from T-Mobile and Sprint pitched their $26 billion merger to the Senate's antitrust subcommittee, saying that the combination would give their companies the ability to develop increased capabilities and catch up with bigger wireless carriers. “When we do this, AT&T and Verizon will be forced to react and follow our lead or we will happily take their customers and give them more value and better price,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said.  “Trust me, the New T-Mobile will not stop, we will be relentless,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Schumer blames congressional GOP for net neutrality repeal

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is blaming congressional Republicans for the repeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s network neutrality rules.