Ars Technica
Comcast trying to “torpedo” Biden FCC pick Gigi Sohn, advocacy group says
Comcast's hiring of a new lobbyist is part of an attempt to "torpedo" President Joe Biden's nomination of Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to the Federal Communications Commission, according to advocacy group Free Press. "Comcast just hired a lobbying firm to try to torpedo Gigi Sohn's nomination to the FCC," said Free Press.
SpaceX abandons Starlink plan that Amazon objected to, but fight isn’t over
SpaceX has abandoned a Starlink plan that Amazon objected to during a high-profile battle at the Federal Communications Commission in 2021, and wants to launch its second-generation broadband satellites starting in March 2022. But the dispute isn't over, as Amazon says that SpaceX's latest filing "raises a number of issues that call for analysis and a potential response" and asked the FCC for a month-long delay before comments are due.
Google hired union-busting consultants to convince employees “unions suck” (Ars Technica)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Tue, 01/11/2022 - 14:43Verizon overrides users’ opt-out preferences in push to collect browsing history
Verizon is automatically enrolling customers in a new version of a program that scans mobile users' browser histories—even when those same users previously opted out of the program when it had a different name. The carrier recently announced changes to its "Verizon Selects" program along with a new name. "Verizon Custom Experience Plus is the new name of our Verizon Selects program," Verizon said in a FAQ.
Thousands of AT&T customers in the US infected by new data-stealing malware (Ars Technica)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 12/01/2021 - 17:08Google Play apps downloaded 300,000 times stole bank credentials (Ars Technica)
Submitted by benton on Mon, 11/29/2021 - 17:26Big Tech firms should pay ISPs to upgrade networks, telcos in Europe claim
The CEOs of 13 large European telecommunications companies called on tech giants—presumably including Netflix and other big US companies—to pay for a portion of the Internet service providers' network upgrade costs.
FAA forced delay in 5G rollout despite having no proof of harm to aviation, according to industry experts (Ars Technica)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 23:56FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn Faces Republican Resistance
Senate Republicans are planning a strong fight against President Biden's nomination of consumer advocate Gigi Sohn [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] to the Federal Communications Commission. "I will do everything in my power to convince colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject this extreme nominee," said Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Sohn has a longtime career in government policy, having co-founded consumer-advocacy group Public Knowledge in 2001.