Ownership

[Commentary] An intensified search for philanthropy by the UK-based Guardian Media Group has touched off an experiment that could provide a new revenue source for American newspapers. A newly created U.S. nonprofit, theguardian.org, has already raised $2.4 million in foundation gifts and pledges, and has sent some of that money to the Guardian news operations to finance five journalism initiatives. The Guardian differs from most American newspapers in that it is owned by a trust that returns all profits to the news organization.

Standard Oil and American Telephone and Telegraph were the technological titans of their day, commanding more than 80% of their markets. Today’s tech giants are just as dominant: In the US, Alphabet’sGoogle drives 89% of internet search; 95% of young adults on the internet use a Facebook product; and Amazon now accounts for 75% of electronic book sales.

[Commentary] The local news business is in serious trouble. So what can be done? As someone who once ran news coverage for both a major group and a major cable news network this is what I would do:

Apparently, US lawmakers are urging AT&T to cut commercial ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and oppose plans by telecom operator China Mobile Ltd to enter the US market because of national security concerns. The warning comes after the administration of President Donald Trump took a harder line on policies initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama on issues ranging from Beijing’s role in restraining North Korea to Chinese efforts to acquire U.S. strategic industries.

[Commentary] The rules and incentive structures underlying how attention and surveillance work on the internet need to change. But in fairness to Facebook and Google and Twitter, while there’s a lot they could do better, the public outcry demanding that they fix all these problems is fundamentally mistaken. There are few solutions to the problems of digital discourse that don’t involve huge trade-offs—and those are not choices for Mark Zuckerberg alone to make. These are deeply political decisions.

Charter Communications told the New York Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently that it is ahead of schedule on a series of state broadband infrastructure improvements promised amid regulatory approval of its Time Warner Cable purchase two years ago. 

A research note from New Street Research throws a little cold water on a potential 5G fixed wireless competitive threat to cable broadband. Verizon is expected to launch the fixed wireless service later in 2018 in 3 to 5 markets, including Sacramento (CA), a Comcast market.

Communications Workers of America (CWA) members have approved a four-year contract with AT&T by an overwhelming majority after a difficult monthslong labor standoff. The deal rolls back offshoring and outsourcing and sets a new standard for wireless retail and call center jobs in America.

As Facebook updates and tweaks its service in order to keep users glued to their screens, countries like Bolivia are ideal testing grounds thanks to their growing, internet-savvy populations. But these changes can have significant consequences, like limiting the audience for nongovernmental news sources and — surprisingly — amplifying the impact of fabricated and sensational stories. Facebook announced plans to make similar changes to its News Feed around the world.

Peter Thiel, the technology billionaire, submitted a bid to purchase Gawker.com, the remaining unsold property from the Gawker Media gossip empire that was nearly destroyed in 2016 by a lawsuit largely bankrolled by Thiel. If approved, the acquisition could be the last step in a yearslong effort by Thiel to finish an independent journalism outfit that angered him in 2007 when it reported, without his permission, that he is gay, a fact widely known at the time in Silicon Valley.