What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Members of the FCC’s Consumer Outreach team will take to the road again for the next in a series of Rural Tours, this time journeying to the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
During their travels to various cities and towns, the team will meet with community leaders and groups to share information and resources regarding telecommunication issues that affect daily lives. The team will also discuss the latest telecom scams targeting consumers’ privacy and pocketbooks, particularly in rural areas.
The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, in coordination with the Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO) and the Wireline Competition Bureau, will host a webinar to discuss available resources and best practices for small and rural communications providers regarding network reliability and security.
This event is online only. Participants may register and join this webinar on the day of the event using the information provided below.
Sprint and T-Mobile Merger Approval, Said to Be Near, Could Undercut Challenge by States
Apparently, the Justice Department is moving closer to approving T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint, but only if the companies sell multiple assets to create a new wireless competitor. The department is pushing T-Mobile and Sprint to sell a prepaid mobile service and valuable radio frequencies that carry data to wireless devices. The companies have approached three internet and television providers — Dish Network, Charter and Altice — about buying Boost Mobile, a prepaid service owned by Sprint, and airwaves owned by Sprint.
PrivaxcyCon will focus on the latest research and trends related to consumer privacy and data security.
FTC Chairman Joe Simons will provide opening remarks for PrivacyCon 2019, which will be followed by four sessions of presentations and discussions on research submitted for the event.
A new attack on social media's immunity
For all the talk of antitrust investigations, the bigger threat to tech platforms like Google and Facebook is an intensifying call from Congress to revamp a law that shields them and other web companies from legal liability for users' posts. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff joined a group of policymakers calling to reconsider the legal protections afforded to tech platforms.
Antitrust Agenda
The go-to metric for antitrust enforcers has long been increasing prices. Critics, however, have begun to question whether that approach needs an update, given that tech giants like Google and Facebook offer free services. And this week, some of the nation’s leading antitrust enforcers made clear they’re willing to take a broader view. Justice Department antitrust chief Makan Delrahim said his office will consider factors like privacy violations or free speech restrictions as signs that product quality and market competition have deteriorated.
The federal Lifeline Program provides low-income consumers with a monthly discount on their phone or internet service. This is an important benefit that helps consumers stay connected to family, work, education, and health services among many other aspects of their daily lives. With the implementation of the National Verifier, consumers and Lifeline providers can verify applicant eligibility in a faster, more efficient and more accurate manner.