News

WASHINGTON — Last Friday, Verizon announced that its sponsored-data and usage cap-exemption program, marketed as FreeBee, would take care of data charges that Verizon customers might otherwise rack up for the carrier’s recently launched online video platform, go90.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission reported that broadband internet-access services are not being deployed to all Americans in a timely and reasonable fashion.

The Free Press Action Fund joined a coalition urging the House Judiciary Committee to change the designation for its upcoming Section 702 hearing from “classified” to “open.” Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is used to acquire communications of Americans and others around the world without a warrant.

LOS ANGELES — A coalition of media-justice, Internet-rights and public-interest groups will testify Tuesday before the California Public Utilities Commission in opposition to Charter Communications’ proposed $67-billion takeover of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

Free Press Action Fund joined a coalition urging Congress to repeal the dangerous cybersecurity bill that proponents snuck into a must-pass government-funding package.

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, 59 U.S. digital-rights, consumer-advocacy and privacy organizations submitted a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler calling for strong rules to protect the privacy and data security of broadband users.

WASHINGTON — The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will convene a hearing on Tuesday to debate legislation that could modify the Federal Communications Commission’s February 2015 Net Neutrality order.

WASHINGTON — Proposals to undercut the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order were left out of the must-pass omnibus congressional spending bill released in the early hours on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently announced that a newly formed Delaware-based company had paid $140 million to purchase the daily newspaper and its affiliated publications. The financial backers behind the new company have refused to disclose the new owners’ identities to the public or even newsroom staffers.

WASHINGTON — Attorneys for open Internet supporters made the case for Net Neutrality protections in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday. Representing Free Press, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge, appellate litigator Kevin Russell helped argue on behalf of two-dozen public interest groups, social justice organizations and tech companies to defend the Federal Communications Commission’s February decision.