Vox

[Commentary] While the repeal of network neutrality threatens democracy, by putting free expression at the discretion of a few large companies that can slow down or block what you see or read, the Federal Communications Commission order added a little-noticed but much more direct attack on our ability to make democratic choices about internet access: The agency invoked its power to preempt state laws to block states from setting their own rules about net neutrality. Legislators and governors in several large states are exploring whether there are ways to get around that preemption, and expe

The Supreme Court agreed to reconsider one of the most contentious issues in the business world: whether online retailers must collect sales taxes. By taking on a law passed by South Dakota's legislature for the express purpose of testing its legality, the court will return to an issue it addressed 25 and 50 years ago, before consumers did nearly 10% of their shopping on the internet.

Facebook wants to make it easier for people to find local news from vetted sources. The social network is testing a new section inside its app called “Today In,” a feed made up entirely of local news, events and announcements. The test is running in just six cities for now: New Orleans (LA), Little Rock (AR), Billings (MT), Peoria (IL), Olympia (WA), and Binghamton (NY). Facebook users who self-identify as living in those areas will be able to visit the new section to see local information, like stories from local publishers or emergency updates from local authorities.

Democratic senators rejoiced on Jan 9 that they had secured enough votes to force the Senate to debate whether to restore the US government’s recently repealed network neutrality rules. But their celebrations could prove short-lived on Capitol Hill, where Republicans control both chambers of Congress — and can easily scuttle any attempt to revive regulations that required internet providers to treat all web traffic equally.  In speech after speech, though, Democratic Sens mostly sidestepped those issues.

The Internet Association, a leading lobbying group for Amazon, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Twitter and other tech giants, said that it would be joining the coming legal crusade to restore the US government’s network neutrality rules. The Internet Association specifically plans to join a lawsuit as an intervening party, aiding the challenge to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s vote in December to repeal regulations that required internet providers like AT&T and Comcast to treat all web traffic equally.

Apparently, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his scheduled appearance at a major upcoming tech industry trade show after receiving death threats. It’s the second known incident in which Chairman Pai’s safety may have been at risk, after a bomb threat abruptly forced the chairman to halt his controversial vote to scrap net neutrality rules in December 2017.

The fiercest advocates for network neutrality are readying a new war in the nation’s capital, hoping to restore the rules that the Trump administration just eliminated — and galvanize a new generation of younger, web-savvy voters in the process. Not even a month after the Federal Communications Commission voted to scrap its requirement that internet providers treat all web traffic equally, an armada of tech startups, consumer activists and state attorneys general are preparing to take the agency to court.