The U.S. needs bright-line regulation prohibiting data throttling and paid prioritization, Public Knowledge Senior Counsel John Bergmayer told the FTC. An industry-related speaker fired back, arguing that self-regulation is the approach.
Google breached EU antitrust law by hampering rivals from placing search advertisements on websites, the European Commission said. It fined the company 1.49 billion euros, the third time it slapped massive penalties on Google for abusive behavior. The almost $1.7 billion fine takes account of the seriousness and long duration of Google's actions (2006-2016), said Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager at a Wednesday briefing. She acknowledged the company has made positive changes to its conduct related to Search and Android. Google said it will continue to give rivals more visibility.
FirstNet is developing a road map to enhance its network, “which will be driven by the needs of the public safety community,” officials said Wednesday during the board’s quarterly meeting, streamed from Jackson, Mississippi. Chairman Edward Horowitz and other FirstNet officials said the network’s primary goal is to be as useful as it can be for public safety agencies that subscribe.
Nexstar and Tribune announced specific divestiture plans to unload 19 stations in 15 markets to Tegna and E.W. Scripps in connection with Nexstar's proposed buy of Tribune, said Nexstar Wednesday. The sale would yield $1.32 billion cash. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook earlier estimated the company would divest around $1 billion in TV stations to comply with FCC ownership rules. Opposition comments this week argued the proposed deal wasn’t yet “ripe” for review because specific divestiture plans hadn't been disclosed (see 1903190054).
State bills to empower electric rural cooperatives to get into broadband are getting support in red states with large underserved rural areas. Mississippi enacted a measure in January (see 1901300026). Bills are on the move in states including Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma. Conservative lawmakers appear to find co-ops more palatable than municipalities as non-telecom entities delivering broadband service, agreed a supporter and an opponent of muni broadband.
After a "disappointing" outcome from its challenge of AT&T's buy of Time Warner, DOJ will seek court approval to bifurcate some antitrust trials into liability and remedy phases, agency antitrust chief Makan Delrahim said at the annual summit of America's Communication Association -- formerly the American Cable Association (see 1903200021). "It's never fun to lose, but you learn more from losing than from winning," Delrahim said. Separately, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly criticized Justice for not updating its media market definitions from what he said were antiquated silos.
Universal Service Administrative Co. is working to enhance its Lifeline national verifier (NV) of consumer eligibility, said Michelle Garber, USAC vice president-Lifeline, noting some changes will take time or could require more FCC direction. She acknowledged the NV's lack of greater access to government databases, particularly in less-populated rural states, increased initial verification failure rates, but said access to a key Medicaid national database is coming. "I don't think it's a question of if that'll happen; it's a question of when," she told us recently. "I feel like it'll happen this year."
GCI Communication asked the FCC to reconsider a public notice that "purports" to give providers rate guidance for the USF rural healthcare telecom program (see 1902190031). The Wireline Bureau's Feb. 15 PN "entirely disregards detailed, on-the-record objections to which the Commission is legally obligated to respond and which show the guidance to be irrational and counterproductive, ignoring relevant evidence of market-based prices," petitioned GCI, posted Tuesday in docket 17-130: "It will be vulnerable on judicial review." Alaska Communications last week said the PN guidance "appears to overlook ... pragmatic realities" (see 1903140062).
The FCC doesn't go far enough in proposed unified licensing for satellites and earth stations in the same geostationary orbit (GSO) network, satellite operators and allies said in docket 18-314 comments this week. Many backed other agency suggestions for streamlining Part 25 rules. One area of contention is a proposal to allow applicants to correct application omissions or errors without losing their place in line. Replies are due April 16.
A proposal from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to tax the tech industry on data collection is a political move that’s not realistically enforceable, said politically conservative and libertarian tech observers Tuesday. During an American Action Forum event, R Street Institute Fellow Caleb Watney called it an effort to seize political momentum, rather than an attempt to solve real issues.