Ali Breland

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s reported plans to scale back network neutrality measures. “The only way to protect a free and open internet is with strong net neutrality rules of the road — not voluntary guidelines — that ensure businesses, innovators and families can use the world’s greatest platform for commerce and communications,” Sen Markey said. “Chairman Pai’s proposal would put the future of an open and free internet in the hands of big corporations and the powerful few at the expense of consumers.”

Reps Michael Capuano (D-MA) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) launched a petition to block congressional action that would get rid of consumer broadband privacy protections. The petition — hosted on Whitehouse.gov — asks the government not to “let Internet providers spy and sell our online data” and to “please keep the FCC's Privacy Rules” in place. “Other laws block the FTC from enacting any rules on ISPs,” the lawmakers' petition reads. “Consumers would have no privacy rules. We want better privacy protections like the FCC rules, not more loopholes.”

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai put more pressure on the Lifeline affordable internet program, announcing that he would allow states to decide which companies are certified to participate. The announcement comes after Chairman Pai's decision earlier in 2017 to cut nine providers from the Lifeline program, which elicited criticism from groups that supported the measures.

In his new statement, Chairman Pai said that he would not defend federal certification for the Lifeline program — which subsidizes internet access for low income households — out of respect for states' own legal jurisdictions. “But as we implement the Lifeline program — as with any program we administer — we must follow the law,” Chairman Pai’s statement read. "And the law here is clear: Congress gave state governments, not the FCC, the primary responsibility for approving which companies can participate in the Lifeline program under Section 214 of the Communications Act.” Twelve states are challenging the legality of FCC’s orders regarding Lifeline. Chairman Pai said that it would be a “waste of judicial and administrative resources to defend the FCC’s unlawful action in court,” noting the “FCC will soon begin a proceeding to eliminate the new federal designation process.” Chairman Pai also said that he believed that the FCC should not approve the pending Lifeline Broadband Provider applications for broadband companies seeking to be part of the Lifeline program.

Federal Communications Commissioner Chairman Ajit Pai said that President Trump’s charge that media outlets including The New York Times, CNN and NBC are “fake news” is a “political debate,” that he would not “wade into.”

When asked by separate reporters during the FCC’s monthly open meeting if those organizations were “fake news,” as President Trump has repeatedly dismissed them, Chairman Pai said both times that he would not comment. “Well look, that’s a political debate that people in the political arena have been debating back and forth,” Chairman Pai said. “My job is to not to be a political actor. It is simply to be somebody at the FCC who, as I said, is administering the laws of the United States. I’m simply not going to wade into that kind of political debate.”

Later he said, “Several years ago, I pointed out that I thought the news media performed a core job, exercising the First Amendment function of gathering news and the importance of distributing it to communities across this country, and keeping people informed,” Pai said. “I stand by those comments.”

The European Commission requested that Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus alter their terms of service or face potential fines. The Commission — the executive arm of the European Union — noted that their demands came amid increasing complaints from consumers who have been targeted by frauds and scams and that they had “been subject to certain terms of services that do not respect EU consumer law.”

The companies mentioned met with the Commission on March 16 to discuss solutions to the rising consumer complaints regarding their social media platforms, and according to the Commission will offer solutions in one month. Should the Commission not find the solutions “satisfactory,” it noted, “consumer authorities could ultimately resort to enforcement action.”

Numerous high-profile Twitter accounts were hacked March 15 to display Nazi swastikas and messages supporting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Some of the more prominent accounts that were hacked included BBC North America, Reuters Japan, Forbes Magazine and Justin Bieber Japan. Many of the compromised account holders have regained control of their profiles according to tweets sent out after the hacks. The tweets from compromised accounts bear the hashtags #NaziHollanda or #Nazialmanya.

Congressional Republicans are moving against the Federal Communications Commission's broadband privacy rules. In recent days, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have offered legislation to roll back the Obama-era measures, with bills from Sen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Both bills aim to kill the rules using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Republicans to block rules with only a simple majority in both chambers.

The FCC's privacy rules were approved under then-Chairman Tom Wheeler, a Democrat, in October, and bar internet service providers from collecting "sensitive" consumer data like browsing information and app usage data without their customers' express consent. But Congress has only 60 legislative days after the regulations were approved to roll them back using the CRA. That timeline means Sen Flake and Chairman Blackburn have until mid-May to get their measures through Congress. So far, things are moving in the right direction for opponents of the privacy rules.

The leaders of the House Oversight Committee raised concerns that President Donald Trump may be violating federal law by deleting his tweets. In a letter addressed to White House counsel Donald McGahn, committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) expressed concern over the White House’s digital record-keeping practices. “Many of the messages sent from [Trump’s] Twitter account are likely to be presidential records and therefore must be preserved,” the two wrote. “It has been reported, however, that president Trump has deleted tweets, and if those tweets were not archived it could pose a violation of the Presidential Records Act.” Reps Chaffetz and Cummings also noted their unease with encrypted apps White House staffers have been using, which the lawmakers believe may pose a risk to record keeping and transparency.

Sen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced a measure that would reverse the Federal Communications Commission’s privacy rules for internet service providers. The resolution would kill the FCC’s ‘Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services’ regulation through the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to reject certain recently passed regulations by majority vote.

The FCC rules limit broadband providers from accessing and collecting personal customer information, including web browsing data and app usage history. The regulation, approved by the agency in October, was opposed by internet service providers who said it prevented them from using their customers' data for profit as most internet companies do. Sen Flake's resolution has 21 Republican co-sponsors, including Sens John Barrasso (R-WY), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV).

The new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is heading before Congress for the first time since taking over the agency.

Republican Chairman Ajit Pai will testify on March 8 before the Senate Commerce Committee, joined by FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O'Reilly. While GOP lawmakers are likely to praise Chairman Pai, Democrats will look to put the FCC's new boss on the hot seat. Sure to get attention are Pai's moves to chip away at the Obama administration's landmark net neutrality rules. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) has been one of his most vocal critics and can be expected to hit Chairman Pai with tough questions.

Democrats are also likely to voice their concerns about the makeup of the FCC. The FCC currently has two vacancies for commissioner and its unclear when President Trump will nominate another Republican and Democrat to fill those slots