Ownership

On Dec 19, 2017, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wrote to several members of Congress who had expressed concern over Sinclair Broadcast Group's Proposed acquisition of Tribune Media. In his response, Chairman Pai wrote, "Consistent with our rules, the Commission will evaluate whether this proposed transaction is in the public interest.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH), and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-MS) sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook expressing concern over recent reports that Apple throttles processor performance for older iPhone models.

According to conversations in recent days with current and former Fox executives, producers, and hosts, President Donald Trump looms almost as large in the minds of employees as Roger Ailes did. Fox hosts regularly get calls from Trump about segments he likes—or doesn’t. “When you worked at Fox, you knew that at any moment Roger Ailes was watching. Every day was like a job interview with Ailes. Now it’s the same way for Trump,” says a veteran Fox News contributor.

Netflix, Amazon, and the major film studios have sued the makers of "The Dragon Box," a device that connects to TVs and lets users watch video without a cable TV or streaming service subscription. Joining Netflix and Amazon as plaintiffs in the suit are Columbia Pictures, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. The suit asks for financial damages and an injunction preventing Dragon Media from continuing the alleged copyright infringement.

January 20 marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration. With little indication of what his communications policy plans were before the election, now seems a good time to reflect on what his Administration’s priorities have been over the past 12 months. Here’s a look at what Trump's Federal Communications Commission decided to tackle first in 2017.

Early signs suggest the legal fight over AT&T’s $85 billion Time Warner takeover will focus heavily on the small screen, drawing much of its evidence from the companies’ video rivals. Those competitors argue the telecom company will use Time Warner’s entertainment assets against them.

President Donald Trump repeated a pledge to change the nation’s libel laws in a way that would make it easier for people to sue news organizations and publishers for defamation, another salvo from a president who has expressed hostility toward longstanding press freedoms. “We are going to take a strong look at our country’s libel laws, so that when somebody says something that is false and defamatory about someone, that person will have meaningful recourse in our courts,” President Trump said. Expanding on the theme, he added, “Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace and do not rep

Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, warned against the growing skepticism of technology giants, arguing that the businesses are vital for growth and innovation. In his 2018 “State of American Business Address,” Donohue said it’s important not to overregulate an industry that is “improving people’s everyday lives.” “This is especially important as a backlash against major tech companies is gaining strength — both at home and abroad, and among consumers and governments alike,” he said, according to a transcript of his prepared remarks.

[Commentary] Historically, the Federal Communications Commission has carried out its congressional charge to uphold the public interest in the airwaves by protecting broadcaster’s obligation to localism. Unfortunately, the Trump FCC is now proceeding to dismantle the policies that made American broadcasting great. The beneficiaries will be the big corporate broadcasters. The losers will be American viewers and democratic values.

[Tom Wheeler served as the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 2013-2017]

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.