Bloomberg

Cable systems around the US provide towns and cities with public-access channels showing school board and city council meetings, as well as networks like one that keeps New York City’s firefighters connected to the internet. NYC’s information network feeds cable TV and internet service into every fire house in all five boroughs, and also carries public-safety messages The services are provided for free -- but probably not for long.

Apparently, the  Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into Facebook for possible antitrust violations, an early-stage probe that is examining competition in its oldest business -- social media. The agency has already contacted third parties that could aid in the investigation as it tries to understand competitive dynamics. Though the company has made many acquisitions and expanded into new businesses, including messaging, virtual reality and e-commerce, the FTC’s probe is focused on its most long-standing offering -- social networking.

Apparently, the Department of Justice is poised to approve T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint under a divestiture plan that would equip satellite-TV operator Dish Network with the building blocks for a new wireless network. The companies have spent weeks negotiating with antitrust enforcers and each other over the sale of assets to Dish to satisfy concerns that the more than $26 billion merger of the No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers by subscribers would hurt competition.

San Francisco is challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s move to override a city mandate that apartment and office building owners share in-use cable wiring with broadband providers upon request. On July 22, the city asked the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to undo the commission’s decision to preempt part of a San Francisco law, which bars building owners from interfering with an occupant’s right to choose a communications service.