Ownership

The Obama-era Federal Trade Commission spent 19 months investigating Google over allegations that it violated antitrust laws by favoring its own products over rivals’ in search results. The agency ultimately voted against taking action, saying changes Google made to its search algorithm gave consumers better results and therefore didn’t unfairly harm competitors. That conclusion underplays what the FTC’s staff found during the probe.

Rogers Communications has agreed to buy Shaw Communications for about 20 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to roughly $16 billion. The deal, which would remove Canada’s fourth-largest wireless provider from a thin competitive arena, will be scrutinized by three federal government agencies, including the competition bureau, the Canadian telecommunications regulator and the department of industry. Innovation, Science and Industry minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement that the government would focus on affordability, competition, and innovation in its analysis of the deal

The House Antitrust Subcommittee debated an antitrust bill that would give news publishers collective bargaining power with online platforms like Facebook and Google, putting the spotlight on a proposal aimed at chipping away at the power of Big Tech. At a hearing. Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, emerged as a leading industry voice in favor of the law. He took a divergent path from his tech counterparts, pointing to an imbalance in power between publishers and tech platforms.

Congress is considering the most significant changes to antitrust law in decades, including some proposals with bipartisan support. Lawmakers are looking at setting a higher bar for acquisitions by companies that dominate their markets; making it easier for the government to challenge anti-competitive conduct; and potentially forcing some giant technology companies to separate different lines of their businesses.

House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO), Rep Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), and Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act that will allow small news outlets to band together to negotiate with large online platforms like Google and Facebook. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act will establish a temporary, 48-month safe harbor that allows small news publishers to negotiate collectively with online platforms to protect Americans’

DISH Network announced its plans to acquire Republic Wireless, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service operating on the T-Mobile network. Upon close, DISH will assume approximately 200,000 customer relationships, the Republic Wireless brand, and other supporting assets. Once acquired by DISH, Republic customers will not see any immediate changes to their experience or plans, and there is no need for customers to take action.

TracFone is the largest wireless reseller in the U.S., with about 21 million subscribers and prepaid brands including Straight Talk and Simple Mobile.

AT&T announced it would be spinning off its TV business — including DirecTV, AT&T TV, and U-verse — in a deal it claimed would greatly benefit the company’s customers, employees, and shareholders. The deal provides AT&T with a $7.8 billion cash infusion to pay down debt and recent wireless spectrum purchases, and a 70 percent stake in the “new” DirecTV.

Altice USA snapped up Morris Broadband, a provider of high-speed Internet and cable TV services to customers in North Carolina. The deal, which is valued at $310 million, will expand Altice’s operations in North Carolina where it already has a presence through its 2015 acquisition of Suddenlink. Morris Broadband is a division of Morris Communications, which is a privately held media company based in Georgia that also owns newspapers, radio stations and billboards.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition eager to build on our last thirty-five years of advocacy to remedy harms done to our gente, and build a better, more equitable future. This includes eliminating hate, discrimination, and racism towards Latinx and marginalized communities, and safeguarding the democracy of the United States of America. 

• Digital Rights are Civil & Human Rights
• Broadband Access 
• Net Neutrality 
• Platform Accountability