Fortune
Want to solve America’s problems? Start with broadband
In October 1944, my grandfather William B. Benton delivered a clarion call in the pages of Fortune magazine. On behalf of the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a national coalition of business leaders, he offered a forward-looking agenda to deliver a more peaceful and prosperous future for all Americans—not just a few. At the time, that future was difficult to imagine. Fifteen years prior, the Great Depression had roiled the American economy, driving unemployment rates to almost 25% in 1933.
Former President Barack Obama Worries That Tech Has Led Society Astray (Fortune)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 11/21/2019 - 17:39The $50 Billion 5G Battle: The Wireless Industry Needs More Airwaves, But It’s Going to Be Costly
As the big wireless companies roll out super-fast 5G technology, they're facing a significant crunch in airwave spectrum to cover the whole country. There's a possible swath of airwaves that they're eying to solve the problem, but other communications industry players don't want to surrender the space easily. The years-long battle, which is now playing out at the Federal Communications Commission, pits some of the most powerful players in Washington, D.C. on opposite sides.
How This Google Team Is Trying to Make the Company’s Products More Inclusive (Fortune)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 10/09/2019 - 14:54When Will Twitter Ban White Nationalists? Civil Rights Leaders Urge the Site to Take Action
As the two-year anniversary of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville approaches, civil rights and digital activists say Twitter has not done nearly enough to prevent white nationalists from spreading hate speech online. Twitter is facing increased pressure to take action following the mass shooting in El Paso, where the shooter—who appeared to embrace white nationalism—killed 22 people and injured dozens more.
Public Knowledge's Gene Kimmelman and Charlotte Slaiman: Only Regulation Can Jump-start Competition in Big Tech (Fortune)
Submitted by benton on Tue, 07/16/2019 - 15:04AT&T Has Become a New Kind of Media Giant
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s strategy [to synergize all of the company properties] is breathtaking in scale and scope, the largest transformation underway at any company in the Fortune 500. AT&T’s main traditional competitor, Verizon, has chosen an entirely different path, and Stephenson’s new rivals are in markedly different businesses. Stephenson marvels, “I spend as much time thinking about Amazon and Netflix as I do thinking about Verizon and Comcast now.”
Inside Google's Civil War (Fortune)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Sun, 05/19/2019 - 21:11Sprint Goes to Court to Block AT&T's Controversial '5GE' Label as Misleading
AT&T’s decision to label some of its most advanced 4G LTE mobile network as “5G Evolution” has drawn scorn from rivals and some analysts who claim the carrier is misleading consumers about the real arrival date of faster fifth-generation technology called “5G.” Competitor Sprint went a step further and filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from using the term and having a label show on customers’ phones as “5GE.” “AT&T has employed numerous deceptive tactics to mislead consumers into believing that it currently offers a coveted and highly anticipated fifth generation wireless network, k