The world’s biggest social-media companies, under fire for failing to police content on their sites, have invited an array of outside groups to help them figure out who should be banned and what’s considered unacceptable. That solution is creating a new set of problems—public fights, complaints and legal battles. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have made a concerted push to seek out input from hundreds of groups, a growing number of which lean to the right. The companies have become receptive to behind-the-scenes lobbying as well.

Among the initiatives, Facebook has privately sought advice from the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian public-policy group, and its president Tony Perkins, according to people familiar with those meetings. Twitter’s Chief Executive Jack Dorsey recently hosted dinners with conservatives, including Grover Norquist, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, which advocates for lower taxes. Advisers on the left include the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights group that keeps a list of hate groups.

The airing of President Trump's address on border security has sparked a debate amongst journalists about whether networks should carry Trump's remarks live, if the president has a tendency to twist facts and lie in these types of situations. Some operatives have suggested that networks ask for a copy of the speech ahead of time, so that they can prepare to fact-check the president's comments in real-time or decide to pull the address from the air altogether. The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty said, "Journalists are going to fact-check every word of Trump's nationally televised speech. And it won't mean a thing to his supporters. Which tells you everything you need to know about 2019."

Two years ago I wrote that community broadband builders have two options for network deployment: they could use the problem-solving approach or the creation orientation approach. The problem-solving approach is typical when people deal with the government. The goal is often to make something go away. “Make my taxes go away.” “Make this pothole problem go away.” "Our broadband costs too much, coverage is iffy and customer service sucks!" When community leaders treat broadband only as a problem to be solved, they likely shortchange the technology’s value. Once the network buildout is done, innovative uses for the network become someone else's problem.  Luckily, solving the problem of poor broadband availability has justified the investment for many communities. But how much money - figuratively or literally - have they left on the table in terms of subscriber fees, economic benefits, etc.?

[Craig Settles is a broadband business planner who helps communities get more from their broadband investment]