11/10/2020

FCC/GOP/MITCH MCCONNELL/NOMINATIONS/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Nate Simington, a very smart and qualified individual, is having his Senate hearing today. Republicans will hopefully confirm him to the FCC ASAP! We need action NOW on this very important nomination!! @SenatorWicker @MarshaBlackburn @senatemajldr“ ––Donald Trump, Twitter.com, November 10, 2020 6:13 am […]

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5/15/2019

ATTORNEY GENERAL/COMMERCE/DEFENSE/DHS/DNI/ECONOMY/FCC/INFRASTRUCTURE/NATIONAL SECURITY/SECRETARY OF STATE/TECHNOLOGY/TREASURY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services, which store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, facilitate the digital economy, and support critical infrastructure and vital emergency services, […]

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3/2/2018

DEMS/FCC/GOP: “Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reached agreement to allow for the sale of spectrum to speed up the introduction of next-generation 5G wireless networks, congressional leaders said on Friday [3-2-18]. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the measure on Tuesday, leaders in both parties said. Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai on […]

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3/1/2018

FCC/GOP/NRA: “Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday [3-1-18] turned down an NRA gun award he received at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, citing the advice of ethics officials at his agency. An executive from the National Rifle Association named Pai the Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award recipient at CPAC for his […]

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2/27/2018

DEMS/FCC/NET NEUTRALITY/POLITICS: “Congressional Democrats today introduced a long-promised resolution aimed at undoing the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of the net neutrality rules. Spearheaded by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the measure would reverse the FCC’s December decision to repeal the Obama-era regulations. It would do so via the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to nix […]

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1/29/2018

CHINA/FCC: “The top U.S. communications regulator on Monday [1-29-18] said he opposed an idea by some security officials to counter the threat of China spying on U.S. phone calls by having the government build and run a national, super-fast 5G wireless network… Three of the other four FCC commissioners also said Monday they oppose nationalizing […]

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1/16/2018

FCC/LEGAL/NET NEUTRALITY: “State attorneys general and internet activists filed legal challenges to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent rollback of Obama -era internet regulations, launching a legal battle that could go on for years. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and more than 20 other officials filed their combined petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals […]

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1/16/2018

FCC/LEGAL/NET NEUTRALITY: “A group of 21 U.S. state attorneys general filed suit to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to do away with net neutrality on Tuesday [1-16-18] while Democrats said they needed just one more vote in the Senate to repeal the FCC ruling. The state attorneys, including those of California, New York and […]

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1/4/2018

FCC: “The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, canceled an appearance at the coming consumer electronics show in Las Vegas because of death threats, according to a person familiar with the matter. The exact nature of the threats remained unclear. An agency spokesman declined to comment, citing security concerns. Mr. Pai, who was […]

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Posted in FCC

12/26/2017

FCC/LEGAL/NEW YORK: “Eric Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, reached a milestone of sorts recently. By moving to sue the Federal Communications Commission over net neutrality this month, his office took its 100th legal or administrative action against the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. His lawyers have challenged Mr. Trump’s first, second and third travel bans […]

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12/14/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday [12-14-17] to dismantle landmark rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the internet, granting broadband companies power to potentially reshape Americans’ online experiences. The agency scrapped so-called net neutrality regulations that prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. […]

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12/14/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY/POLITICS: “The U.S. Federal Communications Commission vote on Thursday [12-14-17] to roll back net neutrality rules could galvanize young voters, a move Democrats hope will send millennials to the polls in greater numbers and bolster their chances in next year’s elections. Democrats are hoping to paint the repeal of the rules by the FCC, […]

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12/14/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday [12-14-17] is set to roll back far-reaching rules governing how internet-service providers treat traffic on their networks, a move expected to empower cable and wireless providers and transform consumers’ online experience. The 2015 ‘net neutrality’ rules were one of the signature regulatory actions of the Obama administration, […]

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12/13/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The Federal Communications Commission’s own chief technology officer expressed concern Wednesday [12-13-17] about Republican Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to repeal the net neutrality rules, saying it could lead to practices that are ‘not in the public interest.’ In an internal email to all of the FCC commissioner offices, CTO Eric Burger, who was […]

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11/29/2017

CRIME/ECONOMY/FCC/FTC: “The federal cop that polices much of the internet is about to shift, a move that could lead to a fundamental reshaping of the online economy. Under the Federal Communications Commission’s plans to step back from the top internet-enforcement job, the Federal Trade Commission will again regulate how internet-service providers operate, reassuming a role […]

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11/22/2017

FCC/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/NET NEUTRALITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Over just two days this week, the Trump administration has both sued AT&T Inc. to block its planned takeover of Time Warner Inc. and proposed allowing internet-service providers—like AT&T—to form closer alliances with content companies, like Time Warner. The two government moves seem to go in opposite directions, on the […]

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11/21/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday [11-21-17] unveiled plans to repeal a landmark 2015 order that barred internet service providers from blocking or slowing down consumer access to web content, and said the regulator will prevent states and cities from adopting similar protections. FCC chief Ajit Pai, a Republican appointed […]

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11/20/2017

FCC/LEGAL: “The Federal Election Commission has levied a fine on three conservatives groups, a rare move for an agency where partisan gridlock in recent years has meant less enforcement of campaign-finance rules. The commission determined that the American Conservative Union illegally funneled money from a nonprofit that doesn’t disclose its donors to a super PAC […]

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11/20/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “Federal regulators this week are expected to unveil their plans for reversing Obama-era rules that require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally, a move that could fundamentally reshape the internet economy and consumers’ online experience. The changes, expected to be adopted at the Federal Communications Commission meeting in mid-December, would […]

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11/15/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The telecom industry won a big victory in May when the FCC launched a repeal of its Obama-era net neutrality rules, over the objections of Democrats and tech giants like Google and Netflix. Now both sides are about to find out how sweeping the reversal might be. The FCC, under Trump-appointed […]

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10/25/2017

FCC: “The Federal Communications Commission is planning to make sweeping changes to media-ownership rules next month, eliminating or scaling back longstanding limits on local ownership of TV stations and newspapers, its chairman said Wednesday [10-25-17]. The plan by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, would eliminate or reduce several regulatory barriers—including some from the 1970s—that […]

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Posted in FCC

10/11/2017

FCC/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has said a lot of bad things about the media since he started running for president two-plus years ago. He’s suggested that the press doesn’t really like America. He has said the media is the ‘enemy of the American people.’ He has repeatedly called journalists the ‘most dishonest’ people. […]

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10/11/2017

FCC/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [10-11-17] suggested that NBC’s broadcast license should be pulled as punishment after NBC News published a report stating that the president sought a dramatic increase in the nation’s nuclear arsenal… It is the second time in as many weeks that Trump has felt compelled to attack NBC […]

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10/2/2017

FCC/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Senate confirmed on Monday [10-2-17] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to serve another five-year term on the telecommunications regulatory panel. Pai won confirmation 52-41 over objections from Democrats, who criticized him for moving to dismantle Obama-era internet access rules and taking other steps to deregulate U.S. telecommunications rules but […]

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9/28/2017

FCC/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Senate on Thursday [9-28-17] advanced the nomination of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai for another term, making it more likely that the FCC will move forward with a number of regulatory moves, including a rollback of Obama-era net-neutrality rules. The procedural vote to advance the nomination for a second five-year […]

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8/3/2017

FCC: “Federal regulators took steps Thursday [8-3-17] to close the digital divide in rural America, moving to reshape two subsidy programs that they say haven’t been as effective as needed. Expanding access to broadband in hard-to-serve areas across the U.S. has proved a challenge for years, not only because of costs, but also because of […]

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Posted in FCC

7/31/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “A U.S. congressional committee on Monday [7-31-17]asked for input from Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Facebook Inc (FB.O), Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and other major companies on a proposed rewrite of rules governing consumer internet access, according to an email reviewed by Reuters. Last week, the House of Representatives Energy and […]

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7/17/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “A group representing major technology firms including Alphabet Inc and Facebook Inc urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Monday [7-17-17] to abandon plans to reverse the landmark 2015 rules barring internet service providers from blocking or slowing consumer access to web content. The Internet Association said in its filing with the FCC […]

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7/13/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “The Federal Communications Commission opened a new inquiry into ways to curb unwanted robocalls Thursday [7-13-17], with the aim of deterring use of fake phone numbers—a tactic known as spoofing that has been a major factor in the current epidemic. Robocalls recently have run at a rate of more than 2.5 billion a […]

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6/28/2017

FCC/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said he will nominate Brendan Carr, currently the Federal Communications Commission’s general counsel, as a Republican commissioner at the agency. The choice is a victory for the FCC’s new Republican chairman, Ajit Pai. Mr. Carr was an aide to Mr. Pai before becoming the agency’s general counsel. Mr. Carr […]

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5/18/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “Regulators began dismantling Obama-era net neutrality rules with a vote on Thursday [5-18-17], opening the way to fewer restrictions on broadband providers and raising web companies’ fears they’ll face barriers to reaching customers. The Federal Communications Commission in a 2-1 Republican-led vote gave preliminary approval to Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to replace rules […]

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04/10/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY/OBAMA: “A federal regulator’s plan to roll back Obama -era net-neutrality rules is sparking another battle that is expected to rival or exceed the epic political clashes over internet regulation in recent years. The dispute intensified last week when Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai held a closed-door meeting with telecommunications groups to sketch […]

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3/26/2017

FCC/INTERNET PRIVACY/POLITICS: “Now that Republicans are in charge, the federal government is poised to roll back regulations limiting access to consumers’ online data. States have other ideas. As on climate change, immigration and a host of other issues, some state legislatures may prove to be a counterweight to Washington by enacting new regulations to increase […]

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3/08/2017

FCC/NET NEUTRALITY: “Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai defended his partial rollback of Obama-era internet privacy rules at a hearing Wednesday [3-8-17], saying consumers would remain protected by federal law. But Democrats warned his efforts to scale back privacy and net neutrality rules could lead to consumer harm. ‘At the end of the day the […]

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