Reuters
Trump administration asks court to dismiss challenge to social media executive order
The Trump administration has filed a motion asking a court to dismiss a lawsuit against the president’s executive order targeting social media companies, calling it a “profound misunderstanding.” The lawsuit was brought in June by the Center for Democracy and Technology. CDT argued Trump’s social media executive order violates the First Amendment rights of social media companies, will chill future online speech and reduce the ability of Americans to speak freely online.
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President Trump withdraws renomination of FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly
The White House withdrew the nomination of Federal Communications Commissioner Mike O'Rielly to serve another term, a surprising development that came after his nomination was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in July. The announcement came less than a week after Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said he would block O'Rielly's nomination over the five-member FCC's unanimous decision to allow Ligado Networks to deploy a low-power nationwide mobile broadband network.
Attorney General Barr accuses Hollywood, Big Tech of collaborating with China (Reuters)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 07/16/2020 - 16:43PayPal pledges over $500 million to support minority-owned US businesses (Reuters)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 06/12/2020 - 05:57![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/pai_testify_4.jpg?itok=qu4NFHjn)
Trump's Social Media Regulation Push Faces Key Hurdle at the FCC
President Donald Trump's effort to regulate social media companies' content decisions may face an uphill battle from Federal Communications Commission regulators who have previously said they cannot oversee the conduct of internet firms. In August 2018, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said, "The government is not here to regulate these platforms. We don't have the power to do that." Former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, wrote on Twitter that the review ordered by President Trump is "based on political #speech management of platforms.
France to go ahead with digital tax this year regardless of possible international deal (Reuters)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 10:46Alphabet's Loon and South Africa's Vodacom to Expand Rural Internet in Mozambique (Reuters)
Submitted by Robbie McBeath on Wed, 05/13/2020 - 11:34Children at risk as pandemic pushes them online, International Telecommunications Union warns
Children are accessing the internet at a younger age, spending longer online and are at greater risk of cyber bullying as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps them at home, said the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The United Nations agency estimates that 1.5 billion children are out of school due to lockdown measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, forcing them to go online for their schooling but also their social lives and hobbies.