Tag: FCC

Supreme Court upholds FCC move to loosen media ownership rules

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The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a move by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to relax media ownership rules, handing down a unanimous ruling that favors large broadcasters.

The decision dealt a blow to challengers who argued that laxer regulations could usher in more media consolidation at the expense of minority and female media ownership.

The justices found the FCC had acted reasonably in its 2017 regulatory rollback, which included scrapping a rule that had barred a single company from owning a radio or TV station along with a newspaper in a single local market. Continue reading.

FCC approves broadband stipend for low-income families hit by pandemic

Federal Communications Commission will give out $50 to $75 per month to low-income families and people laid off because of the pandemic

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to establish a program that will provide a $50 monthly stipend for broadband internet access to individuals struggling during the pandemic.

The stipend, provided by the new Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, will increase to $75 per month for people living on tribal lands, and includes a one-time, $100 discount on a computer or tablet.

Congress created the program last December and included $3.2 billion for it in the fiscal 2021 omnibus spending package. Individuals who qualify for the program include those who lost their jobs or were furloughed because of the pandemic and low-income families, including recipients of Medicaid, food stamps and free or reduced school lunch. Pell Grant recipients also qualify. Continue reading.

Appeals court upholds net neutrality repeal but rules FCC can’t block state laws

The Hill logoA federal appeals court on Tuesday delivered a mixed ruling for net neutrality supporters and opponents alike, allowing the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2017 repeal to stand but striking down a key provision blocking states from implementing their own open internet rules.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals also sent the repeal order back to the FCC, ordering the agency to revise it to take into consideration other issues, like the effect that it will have on public safety, broadband subsidies and the regulation of cable pole attachments.

Though the ruling was mixed for both sides of the issue, it’s still unclear whether any of the parties involved in the lawsuit plan on appealing the decision.

View the complete October 1 article by Harper Neidig on The Hill website here.

The FCC’s net neutrality rules are gone. Now this is what could happen to the Web.

The following article by Geoffrey A. Fowler was posted on the Washington Post website December 14, 2014:

The FCC removed net neutrality regulations, so now surfing the Internet will be more like waiting in lines at the airport. The Post’s Geoffrey Fowler explains. (Jhaan Elker, Geoffrey Fowler/The Washington Post)

This post has been updated. 

Let’s talk about the end of net neutrality in terms of a hellscape everyone knows: airport security lines.

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to repeal its net neutrality rules, which since 2015 had prohibited Internet providers from blocking or slowing particular websites. Washington treats it as a partisan issue, but it’s not. A new survey by the University of Maryland shows 83 percent of Americans — including 75 percent of Republicans — support keeping the existing rules after being presented detailed arguments on both sides. Continue reading “The FCC’s net neutrality rules are gone. Now this is what could happen to the Web.”

This poll gave Americans a detailed case for and against the FCC’s net neutrality plan. The reaction among Republicans was striking

The following article by Brian Fung was posted on the Washington Post website December 12, 2017:

Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo)

On the eve of a pivotal vote that would deregulate the broadband industry, a fresh survey from the University of Maryland shows that large majorities of Americans — including 3 out of 4 Republicans — oppose the government’s plan to repeal its net neutrality rules for Internet providers.

The results paint the picture of an electorate that is largely at odds with the GOP-led Federal Communications Commission, whose chairman, Ajit Pai, plans to vote Thursday to lift key rules for corporations such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. The move would permit such companies to speed up some websites, and slow down or block others, as Internet providers seek new business models in a rapidly changing media and technology environment. Continue reading “This poll gave Americans a detailed case for and against the FCC’s net neutrality plan. The reaction among Republicans was striking”

7 Things to Know About Ajit Pai, the Man Trump Tasked With Killing Net Neutrality

The following article by Jefferson Morley was posted on the AlterNet website November 27, 2017:

Trump’s FCC commissioner is waging an under-the-radar attack on the World Wide Web.

Credit: Getty Images

Ajit Pais is chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the government agency that regulates radio and television airwaves, cable TV, and internet. In other words, he has immense power.

President Trump appointed Pai to serve as chairman in January and Pai has quickly moved to advance the interests of big broadcasting companies and internet service providers at the expense of the public. Next month, the five-member FCC will vote on Pai’s proposal to roll back FCC rules limiting cable and internet service providers from charging more for their services.

Even Trump supporters should be appalled, says the reliably conservative Forbes magazine. Continue reading “7 Things to Know About Ajit Pai, the Man Trump Tasked With Killing Net Neutrality”

NY AG probing ‘massive scheme’ to influence FCC with fake net neutrality comments

The following article by Rebecca Savransky was posted on the Hill website November 22, 2017:

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) is investigating what he calls a massive scheme to corrupt the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with fake public comments on net neutrality.

In an open letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, Schneiderman said the agency hasn’t provided him with information “critical” to an investigation his office is conducting. Continue reading “NY AG probing ‘massive scheme’ to influence FCC with fake net neutrality comments”

F.C.C. Plans Net Neutrality Repeal in a Victory for Telecoms

The following article by Cecilia Kang was posted on the New York Times website November 21, 2017:

The Federal Communications Commission released a plan on Tuesday to dismantle landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet, clearing the way for internet service companies to charge users more to see certain content and to curb access to some websites.

The proposal, made by the F.C.C. chairman, Ajit Pai, is a sweeping repeal of rules put in place by the Obama administration. The rules prohibit high-speed internet service providers, or I.S.P.s, from stopping or slowing down the delivery of websites. They also prevent the companies from charging customers extra fees for high-quality streaming and other services. Continue reading “F.C.C. Plans Net Neutrality Repeal in a Victory for Telecoms”

FCC plan would give Internet providers power to choose the sites customers see and use

The following article by Brian Fung was posted on the Washington Post website November 21, 2017:

The FCC has unveiled a plan to repeal net neutrality, or the idea that Internet service providers can’t block or favor websites. See what this means for you. (Jhaan Elker, Brian Fung/The Washington Post)

The Federal Communications Commission took aim at a signature Obama-era regulation Tuesday, unveiling a plan that would give Internet providers broad powers to determine what websites and online services their customers see and use.

Under the agency’s proposal, providers of high-speed Internet services, such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T, would be able to block websites they do not like and charge Web companies for speedier delivery of their content. Continue reading “FCC plan would give Internet providers power to choose the sites customers see and use”

Here’s why your local TV news is about to get even worse

The following article by Margot Susca, Professorial Lecturer, American University School of Communication, on the Conversation website November 12, 2017:

Considering the history of television news a few years ago, iconic anchor Ted Koppel declared that CBS’ 1968 debut of “60 Minutes” forever altered the landscape of broadcast journalism: A news program drew enough advertising to turn a profit. As Koppel told it, “60 Minutes” showed broadcasters that news divisions could make money – which was a huge shift in how management executives thought of news, affecting both the quality and type of coverage broadcast over the publicly owned airwaves.

Until then, broadcast news in the U.S. had been a costly requirement media companies had to bear as part of getting permission to use the airwaves. “All of a sudden, making money became part of what we did,” Koppel told the audience of a “Frontline” series called “News War.”

In the decades since, news divisions have been held to the same profit-making standards as corporate media’s entertainment divisions. Corporate owners slashed foreign bureaus as coverage remained focused on emotion and celebrity rather than public affairs. Continue reading “Here’s why your local TV news is about to get even worse”