Associated Press
House approves antitrust bill targeting Big Tech dominance
The House of representatives approved antitrust legislation targeting the dominance of Big Tech companies by giving states greater power in competition cases and increasing money for federal regulators. The Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act passed by a 242-184 vote. It was separated from more ambitious provisions aimed at reining in Meta, Google, Amazon, and Apple and cleared by key House and Senate committees. Those proposals have languished for months, giving the companies time for vigorous lobbying campaigns against them.
Internet service providers drop challenge of privacy law (Associated Press)
Submitted by dclay@benton.org on Wed, 09/07/2022 - 15:48Facebook parent Meta settles suit in Cambridge Analytica scandal
Facebook corporate parent Meta has reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit alleging the world’s largest social network service allowed millions of its users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s victorious presidential campaign in 2016. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed in court documents filed Aug 26. The filing in San Francisco federal court requested a 60-day stay of the action while lawyers finalize the settlement. That timeline suggested further details could be disclosed by late October.
Facebook misses election misinformation in Brazil ads (Associated Press)
Submitted by Grace Tepper on Mon, 08/15/2022 - 17:07T-Mobile settles to pay $350 million to customers in data breach (Associated Press)
Submitted by benton on Mon, 07/25/2022 - 11:01Ruling could dampen government efforts to rein in Big Tech
The Supreme Court’s latest climate change ruling could dampen efforts by federal agencies to rein in the tech industry, which went largely unregulated for decades as the government tried to catch up to changes wrought by the internet. In the 6-3 decision that was narrowly tailored to the Environmental Protection Agency, the court ruled that the EPA does not have broad authority to reduce power plant emissions that contribute to global warming. The precedent is widely expected to invite challenges of other rules set by government agencies.
Gov. Walz (D-MN) Signs Agriculture Bill with over $200 million to support further broadband development in rural Minnesota (Associated Press)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 05/27/2022 - 13:47Lots of broadband money, but US expansion finds speed bumps
Congress has appropriated tens of billions of dollars for a variety of programs to help fill the digital gap exposed by the pandemic when millions of people were locked down in their homes with no way to study, work or get online medical care. The first of those funds are reaching municipalities, businesses and other groups involved in the effort, but some say supply chain issues, labor shortages and geographic constraints will slow the rollout. The demand for fiber optic cable goes beyond wired broadband to homes and businesses.