Who owns, controls, or influences media and telecommunications outlets.
Ownership
Sprint affiliate Shentel starts negotiation clock with new T-Mobile
The closure of the T-Mobile merger with Sprint kicked off a round of questions about how the new entity will work, including for Sprint affiliate Shenandoah Telecommunications (Shentel), which offers services under the Sprint brand. Shentel received a Conversion Notice from T-Mobile pursuant to the terms of its affiliate agreement with Sprint which sets forth a cascade of deadlines and potential outcomes. First, there’s a 90-day period for the companies to negotiate mutually agreeable terms and conditions for Shentel to continue as an affiliate of the new T-Mobile.
FCC Reactions to 'Team Telecom' Executive Order
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the USTelecommunications Services Sector: “I applaud the President for formalizing Team Telecom review and establishing a process that will allow the Executive Branch to provide its expert input to the FCC in a timely manner. Now that this Executive Order has been issued, the FCC will move forward to conclude our own pending rulemaking on reform of the foreign ownership review process.
Executive Order on Establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector
President Donald Trump established the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector, the primary objective of which shall be to assist the Federal Communications Commission in its public interest review of national security and law enforcement concerns that may be raised by foreign participation in the United States telecommunications services sector. The function of the Committee shall be: (i) to review applications and licenses for risks to national security and law enforcement interests posed by such applications or licens
T-Mobile Absorbs Sprint After Two-Year Battle
T-Mobile closed its takeover of Sprint after a nearly two-year battle with federal and state authorities. The merger, worth about $31.8 billion based on T-Mobile’s closing stock price March 31, marks the end for Sprint as a company and a brand. The once-thriving network operator spent most of the past decade losing customers after a string of engineering and marketing missteps gave the upper hand to rivals, T-Mobile chief among them. The combination turns the US’ third and fourth-largest wireless carriers into a far more substantial third place competitor to Verizon and AT&T.
Outbreak Loosens E-Book Rules for Libraries
Book publisher Macmillan rescinded its policy that restricted libraries from buying e-books for the first two months after release. The change will take effect March 20. “There are times in life when differences should be put aside,” Macmillan CEO John Sargent said in a letter to authors and libraries.
Legislation to Deter Anticompetitive Abuses
Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sens Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced new legislation to deter anticompetitive abuses that distort the competitive process and harm consumers, innovation, and new business formation. The Anticompetitive Exclusionary Conduct Prevention Act prohibits anticompetitive exclusionary conduct that risks harm to the competitive process.
THIS EVENT IS CANCELED
The workshop will be the second in a two-part series hosted together with the Department of Justice. The two workshops will allow for a dynamic discussion about the proposed guidelines to complement the written public comments about the proposed guidelines that were submitted to the agencies.
The Communications and Technology Subcommittee will consider:
H.R. 451, the “Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act,” was introduced by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Al Green (D-TX) and Peter King (R-NY). The Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act would repeal the requirement on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reallocate and auction the 470-512 MHz spectrum band, also known as the T-Band.
Rep Cicilline, Sen Klobuchar and Others Express Serious Concerns over Reports that DOJ Official Urged Dish Executive to Lobby Sens to Influence FCC Regulatory Process
House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sent a letter with members of their respective subcommittees, expressing serious concerns over the Justice Department’s handling of the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger.
Struggling AT&T plans “tens of billions” in cost cuts, more layoffs
AT&T is planning tens of billions of dollars worth of cost cuts, said AT&T President and COO John Stankey. Stankey also discussed the future of DirecTV satellite service, saying it won't be the primary TV option AT&T pitches to most customers going forward. For the company-wide cuts, AT&T management "has looked at effectively 10 broad initiatives that we believe can generate double digits of billions over a 3-year planning cycle," Stankey said.