Ownership

Who owns, controls, or influences media and telecommunications outlets.

What Happened to Facebook's Grand Plan to Wire the World?

In 2013 Mark Zuckerberg debuted a bold, humanitarian vision of global internet. It didn’t go as planned—forcing Facebook to reckon with the limits of its own ambition.

Union files complaints against AT&T, Nexstar for failing to disclose plans for tax savings

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against AT&T and Nexstar Media Group after the companies failed to provide information sought by the union about how the businesses planned to use their savings from the corporate tax cuts in the Republican tax law. “Like so many companies, AT&T promised that it would use savings from the tax bill to create good, family-supporting U.S. jobs,” said Lisa Bolton, vice president of CWA Telecommunications and Technologies.

Facebook lets advertisers target users based on sensitive interests

Facebook allows advertisers to target users it thinks are interested in subjects such as homosexuality, Islam or liberalism, despite religion, sexuality and political beliefs explicitly being marked out as sensitive information under new data protection laws. The social network gathers information about users based on their actions on Facebook and on the wider web, and uses that data to predict on their interests.

The rise of the pro-Trump media machine

Pro-Trump media is spreading across the US, disseminating Trumpian rhetoric about fake news and mainstream media bias through every medium. The big picture, from Rodney Benson, chair of NYU's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication: "Many of the media moving toward subscriptions have disproportionately left-liberal audiences. ... While liberal media draw their circles ever tighter around themselves (via paywalls, high-level content, etc.), conservatives are fighting to extend their mass reach."

Internet Association Answers Chairman Walden's Call to Testify

On behalf of Internet Association, which represents the world’s leading internet companies, I want to take this opportunity to respond to your open call for "Silicon Valley CEOs” to testify before Congress (San Francisco Chronicle, House Committee Seeks Input From Tech CEOs, May 14, 2018). I am happy to testify on behalf of our members to help the committee explore the ways that the internet benefits all Americans.

As big chains gobble up small TV stations, merged newsrooms are creating a uniformity of news coverage

The TV news has a familiar feel to it in west-central Pennsylvania. News stories broadcast on WJAC, the NBC affiliate in town, have appeared on nearby station WATM, the ABC affiliate. And many of those stories are broadcast on WWCP, the Fox station here, as well.

Is Sprint a victim of 'The Rule of Three and Four?'

[Commentary] Bruce Henderson hypothesizes that a stable, competitive industry will never have more than three significant competitors and that the industry will find equilibrium when the market shares of the three competitors reach a ratio of 4:2:1. Taking a closer look at the wireless businesses of the four major operators in the U.S., the market share in revenue terms at the end of 2017 was: Verizon (38%); AT&T (31%); T-Mobile (17%); and, Sprint (14%). In terms of profitability as measured in operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA), the relative differentials wer

MMTC, NABOB Say FCC Should Help Northstar, SNR Cure DE Applications

The Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council and National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters told the Federal Communications Commission it needs to work with SNR Wireless and Northstar to help them qualify for designated entity (DE) bidding credits, a way to encourage minority participation in spectrum auctions. The two companies teamed with Dish Network to acquire $10 billion worth of spectrum licenses in the AWS-3 auction.

AT&T faces a Trumpworld reality check

The ouster of AT&T's top lobbyist caught DC telecom insiders by surprise and underscored that even the most well-oiled Washington machine isn't immune to inadvertent entanglement with Trumpworld scandal. 

Giuliani Said President Trump Killed AT&T Time Warner Merger, But the White House Says He’s Wrong

In another seeming flareup of his chronic foot-in-mouth disease, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani on May 11 told the Huffington Post that the president “denied the merger” sought by AT&T and Time-Warner.