House

Calls for U.S. to Investigate, Prosecute News Corp. Grow Louder

Stevie Converse — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:09:55 -0400

Full article: Yahoo News
Dylan Stableford
As members of the British Parliament trumpet Rupert Murdoch's decision to drop News Corp.'s proposed $12 billion takeover of BSkyB as a "victory," there are rumblings from lawmakers in the United States that the company may have violated American law over the course of the phone-hacking scandal plaguing the company. And now members of Congress are beginning to weigh in.

Murdoch Scandal Jumps the Pond

Stevie Converse — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:45:22 -0400

Full article: Huffington Post
Timothy Karr
It seems clear now that Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp. colleagues believed that their tremendous media power placed them above the law. Now the scandal that started in Great Britain has crossed the Atlantic and could cause more homegrown trouble for the U.S.-based media company.

House Democrats Circulate Letter Touting AT&T-T-Mobile

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:36:39 -0400

Full article: Paid Content
Sam Gustin
A group of Democratic lawmakers is circulating a letter addressed to the FCC and the Justice Dept. touting the benefits of AT&T’s proposed $39 billion merger with T-Mobile. But Free Press says that, despite AT&T’s claim that the merger will help bring wireless broadband to 97 percent of Americans, "the truth is that it won’t take a merger to get next-generation mobile broadband to rural and underserved communities."

AT&T Misleads Congress on Merger

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:58:06 -0400

Full article: Free Press
More than 70 Democrats have signed a letter to the FCC and the Justice Department touting the alleged benefits of AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile. But members of Congress should be more careful about signing any letter that AT&T puts in front of them. This letter is riddled with misleading and factually inaccurate statements that contradict what the company is telling investors and regulators. It is simply wrong on the facts.

Republicans Seek Administration Info on FCC Regulations Review Compliance

Stevie Converse — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:38:22 -0400

Full article: Broadcasting & Cable
John Eggerton
House Republican leaders want to know how cooperative the FCC has been with the Obama administration's executive order on reviewing regulations for their impact on the jobs and economy. The FCC, as an independent agency, is not bound by the order, but FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has said the agency is honoring the spirit of the order in online regulation reviews.

Bill Calls for Wireless Carriers to Define '4G'

Stevie Converse — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:26:15 -0400

Full article: Government Computer News
All those ads from wireless carriers touting phones with "4G speeds" sound impressive. But a California lawmaker says there's not enough clarity on exactly what that term means in terms of the data speed consumers get. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced a bill June 22 that would mandate disclosure of data speeds at the point of purchase.

Tech, Recording, Wireless Companies Endorse Eshoo-Issa Resolution

Stevie Converse — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:11:53 -0400

Full article: The Hill
Sara Jerome
The recording, technology and wireless industries teamed up to say Congress should not mandate cell phone makers to include radio chips on their devices. They endorsed a resolution from Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Communications subcommittee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that says just that.

House to Vote on Anti-Net Neutrality Measure; Administration Threatens Veto

Stevie Converse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:56:38 -0400

Full article: Broadband Breakfast
Jonathan Charnitski
The House of Representatives is anticipated to hold a floor debate and vote this week on a measure that would put the kibosh on Net Neutrality rules passed by the FCC late last year, but the White House has said that it would likely veto such a measure should it come across the President's desk.

A Tea Party Hit on Net Neutrality

Stevie Converse — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:31:49 -0500

Full article: American Prospect
Nancy Scola
In that genre of political theater that is a political debate on what is already a foregone conclusion, yesterday's high-profile hearing on Net Neutrality was a flop by almost any measure. The hearing was an attempt to make the committee chairman Rep. Greg Walden's (R-Ore.) argument for discrimination on the Internet seem sensible. That argument misfired.

House Goes Nuts over Net Neutrality

Stevie Converse — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:45:30 -0500

Full article: Huffington Post
Timothy Karr
Republican members of a key House Commerce subcommittee decided to give phone and cable companies absolute, unrestricted power over the Internet. By a party-line vote of 15 to 8 they passed a "resolution of disapproval" that would strip the FCC of its ability to protect Internet users -- freeing up companies like Verizon and Comcast to block our right to speak freely and share information on the Internet.