Legislative Activity Proposed Merger Of Comcast And Time Warner Cable To Face Scrutiny On Thursday, February 13, Comcast announced its intent to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC) in a $45 billion transaction that would combine the two largest cable companies in the country. The proposed acquisition, however, is expected to receive close scrutiny from the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Net Neutrality Legislation Introduced Last Monday, February 3, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced the Open Internet Preservation Act of 2014 (S. 1981 and H.R. 3982). The legislation would restore the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “net neutrality” rules, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Communications Act Update On January 15, the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology heard testimony from four former chairs of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), each of whom addressed a number of high-level legal and policy issues that Congress could consider as part of a review of … Continue Reading
In Verizon v. FCC, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the Federal Communications Commission’s (“Commission” or “FCC”) anti-discrimination and anti-blocking provisions of the Open Internet regime. The panel vacated each measure as “per se common carrier obligations” impermissibly imposed on providers of broadband Internet service, which … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Members Introduce Video Policy Bills Last Thursday, December 12, two members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced video reform legislation that would eliminate or reform a number of provisions in current law governing video policy. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) introduced the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act (H.R. 3720), … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Retransmission Consent and Television Blackouts Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) circulated draft legislation entitled the Video CHOICE (Consumers Have Options in Choosing Entertainment) Act, which intends “to eliminate television blackouts caused by retransmission consent disputes,” among other policy goals. Permanent Extension of Internet Tax Freedom Act Introduced House Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte (R-VA) introduced … Continue Reading
Legislative and Regulatory Activity Privacy The World Wide Consortium (W3C), which has led the multistakeholder effort to establish a universal Do Not Track (DNT) standard, will reach its last call deadline next Monday, July 1. In an email to members of the working group last week, W3C co-chairs Peter Swire and Matthias Schunter pledged to … Continue Reading