1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2019

July 2019

White House social media summit not a ‘one-and-done,’ President Trump’s allies say

President Donald Trump’s “social media summit” probably marks the beginning, not the end, of Silicon Valley’s political headaches, opening the door for the White House and its conservative allies to intensify their attacks on Facebook, Google and Twitter over allegations that they exhibit political bias. President Trump coupled his complaints about the tech industry with a promise to summon top tech executives to Washington in the coming weeks and a threat to unveil new regulations targeting the way social media sites moderate content.

FCC Activates Disaster Information Reporting for Tropical Storm Barry

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) in response to Tropical Storm Barry. DIRS is a voluntary, web-based system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, cable and Voice over Internet Protocol providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis. Communications providers are reminded that for providers that participate in DIRS, the separate Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) obligations are suspended for

FTC Approves Roughly $5 Billion Facebook Settlement

Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission voted to approve a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook over a long-running probe into the company’s privacy missteps. The 3-2 vote by FTC commissioners broke along party lines, with the Republican majority lining up to support the pact while Democratic commissioners objected. The matter has been moved to the Justice Department’s civil division and it is unclear how long it will take to finalize. Justice Department reviews are part of the FTC’s procedure but typically don’t change the outcome of an FTC decision.

E-Rate remains critical to school broadband connectivity

In its ninth annual E-Rate Trends Report, compliance firm Funds For Learning finds the Federal Communications Commission's connectivity discount program for schools and libraries remains crucial to providing broadband access for many, with 88% of applicants expecting bandwidth needs to grow in the next three years. Among the findings: 82% of E-rate applicants report that home internet access for students or library patrons remains insufficient, 70% find that the program's competitive bidding rules are lowering internet service prices, and 88% report Wi-Fi is "extremely important" to meeting

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