The Consequences of a Washington Internet Power Grab
As commissioners with the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission, respectively, we are disturbed to see our agencies on a collision course that could disrupt the country’s thriving Internet providers and businesses, with little or no added benefit for consumers. As the Internet brings greater efficiencies and benefits to the U.S. economy, some regulators […]
NYC: Verizon demands exclusive deals from landlords before installing FiOS
When New York City officials ordered Verizon to finish the citywide fiber rollout that it promised but didn’t deliver on time, the city also said Verizon must not demand bulk agreements from landlords in exchange for faster deployment. Verizon agreed to wire up the whole city in 2008 in exchange for a lucrative cable television […]
FCC votes to subsidize Internet access
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to expand a government telephone subsidy program for low-income Americans to cover Internet access. The regulators voted 4-1, although two approved only parts of the program, to begin revamping the $1.7 billion Lifeline subsidy to give recipients a choice of using it for phone service, high-speed Internet, […]
House passes extension of Internet tax ban
The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would permanently extend a ban on state and local taxes on Internet access. Lawmakers approved the legislation on a voice vote, which would also ban discriminatory taxes on e-commerce. The ban, first passed in 1998, has required a series of extensions over nearly two decades. But […]
U.S. Solidifies and Expands Leadership in Internet Usage
New data (link is external) from the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast and Methodology 2014-2019 show that U.S. and global Internet traffic continues to grow at double digit rates, that the U.S. is on a path to solidify and expand its leadership in international Internet usage, and that video over fixed networks remains the […]
Why States Taxing Internet Would be Better
The U.S. House is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that would prevent state and city governments from levying taxes on Internet access. The bill is important for a number of reasons. But it also highlights an important tension between Washington and the states — one that affects how we regulate what has become […]
AT&T has joined cable industry and wireless industry lobbyists in suing the Federal Communications Commission’s over new Net neutrality rules.
AT&T claims that in creating its new Net Neutrality rules, the FCC has violated the US Constitution and the federal Communications Act of 1934. AT&T’s lawsuit takes aim at rules the FCC adopted in February and officially published in the federal government’s Federal Register, or journal of regulation, on Monday. The rules forbid broadband providers […]
New bill would invalidate FCC’s net neutrality rules
A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced a bill that would invalidate the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s recently passed net neutrality rules. The legislation, introduced by Representative Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican, is called a resolution of disapproval, a move that allows Congress to review new federal regulations from government agencies, using an expedited legislative […]
USTelecom Continues its Legal Fight Against FCC on Net Neutrality
The telecommunications trade group has filed a supplemental petition with the courts so it can keep its legal standing in the fight against recent net neutrality rules changes made by the FCC. In March, USTelecom, a Washington-based telecommunications trade group that is battling the FCC over recent net neutrality changes made by the agency, filed […]
USTelecom Files Suit Against Government’s New Internet Rules
NEW YORK – A legal fight against the Federal Communications Commission’s new Internet traffic rules has begun. The rules were voted on in February and uphold the principle of net neutrality — that online content be allowed to load at the same speed. They forbid paid fast lanes favoring some content and say broadband providers […]
FCC’s Net Neutrality Rule Wrecks the Internet
The Internet is one of the most dynamic and competitive marketplaces in existence. It has become a cornerstone of the American economy and culture. Because of this, concerns about the future of an open and fair Internet, coined as “net neutrality,” have come to light. Net neutrality may seem like a complex issue, but at […]
US FCC faces lawsuits against proposed net neutrality order
U.S. broadband industry trade body USTelecom and Internet provider Alamo Broadband filed Monday lawsuits against a controversial U.S. Federal Communications Commission proposal to reclassify broadband providers, which could be the harbinger of similar lawsuits from Internet companies. The FCC voted by 3-2 in February to approve new net neutrality rules that would help ensure […]
GOP says Obama aides meddled in net neutrality
WASHINGTON -Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused independent regulators of bowing to White House pressure on net neutrality, citing thousands of emails and other documents that show close coordination between the Federal Communications Commission and senior aides to President Barack Obama. The political sparring on Capitol Hill was unlikely to affect a decision by the FCC […]
Republican senator criticises ‘terrible’ FCC plans to regulate web
The US government is on a path to have “virtually unlimited power” to regulate every aspect of the internet, the chairman of the powerful Senate commerce committee said Wednesday. Republican senator John Thune slammed the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) plans to introduce sweeping new powers to regulate the broadband industry, saying they would stifle […]
FCC redefines advanced broadband as 25 Mbps; Republicans blow a gasket
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has redefined advanced broadband as having 25Mbps download speeds, up from 4Mbps, giving the agency new authority to pass rules to encourage deployment across the country. The FCC, in a 3-2 party-line vote Thursday, also determined that this newly-defined advanced broadband wasn’t being rolled out in a timely manner […]
Congress should let cities provide their own Internet
PRESIDENT OBAMA made it a point to highlight the importance of providing high-speed Internet access to all Americans in his State of the Union address last week. No one disagrees with the sentiment. The method he proposed, however — removing legislative barriers that prevent some cities and towns from creating their own Internet networks — […]
Obama calls for expanding broadband Internet
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — President Obama bit the hand that helped to fund his re-election Wednesday, criticizing big cable companies for holding monopolies in many communities and calling for faster broadband Internet service across America. Many Americans are “pretty much at the whim of whatever Internet provider is around,” Mr. Obama said. “Meanwhile, you’re wondering […]
Google Fiber, Comcast’s nightmare come to life
What’s every incumbent ISP’s worst nightmare? If we had to guess, it looks something like the filing that Google just made with the Federal Communications Commission. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Google this week told the FCC that reclassifying broadband providers under Title II of the Telecommunications Act would have a big side benefit […]
Want to see broadband’s future? Check out the airline industry
A New Yorker explainer on why the airlines want to make you suffer has been making the social media rounds. It’s an excellent case study in how the airlines have created a miserable experience for passengers so they can build a profitable business based on charging fees for bags, early boarding and better seats. […]
F.C.C. Backs Opening Net Neutrality Rules for Debate
F.C.C. Backs Opening Net Neutrality Rules for Debate WASHINGTON — Federal regulators appear to share one view about so-called net neutrality: It is a good thing. But defining net neutrality? That is where things get messy. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to open for public debate new rules meant to guarantee […]