Wendy Davis

Netflix is calling for the government to crack down on broadband providers that impose data caps on their subscribers.

Data caps "discourage a consumer’s consumption of broadband, and may impede the ability of some households to watch Internet television in a manner and amount that they would like," Netflix says in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission. Netflix is urging the FCC to rule that all data caps on wireline networks, as well as "low" data caps on mobile networks, may "unreasonably limit Internet television viewing." The company adds that data caps (as well as pay-per-byte billing) don't seem to have any purpose other than to make online video more expensive for consumers. Consumer advocates have made the same point, arguing that data caps don't help manage congestion on wireline networks, given that the caps aren't pegged to current network conditions.

An ad industry watchdog has referred Sprint to the Federal Communications Commission over ads stating that mobile customers can save 50 percent on their monthly rates by switching to Sprint.

The National Advertising Division, a unit administered by the Better Business Bureau, recommended in May that Sprint revise the ads, which appeared on TV, the radio, the Web, and in print. On Aug 19, the NAD said it had referred Sprint to the FCC because the company "has not agreed to implement all of NAD’s recommendations." A Sprint spokeswoman says the company believes its ads are "truthful, accurate and in the spirit of competition." The ads, which were challenged by T-Mobile, promised to slash people's bills by 50% when they switched to Sprint. T-Mobile argued that the boasts were problematic because its customers are on "hundreds" of plans, and only some customers would see their bills reduced by 50 percent by switching to Sprint.

Comcast is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reject proposed rules that would prohibit broadband providers from charging higher fees to subscribers who decline behaviorally targeted ads.

"A bargained-for exchange of information for service is a perfectly acceptable and widely used model throughout the U.S. economy, including the Internet ecosystem, and is consistent with decades of legal precedent and policy goals related to consumer protection and privacy," Comcast writes in a new FCC filing. The broadband provider adds that a prohibition on a pay-for-privacy pricing system "would harm consumers by, among other things, depriving them of lower-priced offerings." Comcast also contends the FCC "has no authority to prohibit or limit these types of programs."

Streaming video service Aereo is pushing forward with its argument that it should be allowed to resume operations on the grounds that it's now a “cable system” and entitled to transmit television programs as long as it pays licensing fees.

Aereo's latest round of court papers come in response to a motion by broadcasters for “summary affirmance” of US District Court Judge Dale Kimball's order enjoining Aereo from operating in six states: Utah, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming and Oklahoma.