press release

AT&T apologized for for its “serious misjudgment” in hiring President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen to provide “insights” into how the new administration would handle issues like net neutrality and AT&T’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable. Although Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai denied hearing from Cohen, new scheduling documents obtained through FOIA by corruption watchdog American Oversight show Chairman Pai met with with top AT&T executives at a private dinner in Barcelona a month after the company began paying Cohen.

A bipartisan group of thirty-one Senators sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission calling for greater funding for the Rural Health Care (RHC) program.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to consider updating the framework for licensing Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band. The NPRM proposes to modernize and rationalize the EBS spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band to allow more flexible use. The item proposes to rationalize the service areas of existing EBS licenses and to provide additional flexibility to current and future EBS licensees.

The Federal Communications Commission  launched a proceeding to consider eliminating various rules that require the maintenance and posting of broadcast licenses and related information in specific locations. The FCC originally adopted broadcast license posting rules in 1930. Over the years, it expanded these rules to apply to new services that were deployed by broadcasters.

[Press release] The news reports that AT& T and Swiss-based drugmaker Novartis paid Michael Cohen, President Trumps personal lawyer, an estimated $1.8 million in 2017should set off alarm bells for the lobbying profession, Congress, and the American people. In 2005, it took the actions of one man, Jack Abramoff, for the American people and Congress to come down hard on the lobbying profession. There was legislation seeking to outright ban lobbyist activities to requiring that they report every move they made. Today however is a different story.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Simons has named seven senior staff members:

First Lady Melania Trump unveiled Be Best, her initiative meant to support children and the many issues they are facing today.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA) sent a letter to the Office of Special Counsel requesting an investigation into all three Republican Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioners regarding their involvement with the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). 

The Santa Clara Principles offer guidance to internet platforms on how to provide users with meaningful due process when their posts are taken down or their accounts are suspended, and to help ensure that the enforcement of company content guidelines is fair, unbiased, and respectful of users’ free expression rights. The three principles urge companies to:

• Publish the numbers of posts removed and accounts permanently or temporarily suspended due to violations of their content guidelines;