News

WASHINGTON — On Thursday morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Section 215 of the Patriot Act does not authorize some of the sweeping surveillance programs the NSA and other intelligence agencies use.

Charles Benton, the chairman of the Benton Foundation and a longtime champion of community media, public broadcasting and universal broadband access, died Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Communications & Technology will convene a hearing to consider three draft bills on transparency at the Federal Communications Commission. Rep. Anna Eshoo describes the bills as “political retribution for the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules.”

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky introduced a resolution of disapproval to overrule the FCC’s Net Neutrality order. The resolution mirrors a similar effort in the House that Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia introduced earlier this month.

WASHINGTON — Comcast abandoned its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable on Friday morning. The move followed media reports of considerable skepticism about the benefits of the merger by staff at the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, the two agencies charged with reviewing the deal.

WASHINGTON — According to reports in the Wall Street Journal and Politico, FCC staff may be prepared to recommend that Comcast’s proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable be designated for a hearing.

WASHINGTON — On Monday, the Office of the Federal Register published the Net Neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission adopted in February. The publication of the rules bring real Net Neutrality protections closer to becoming official, but it also will trigger additional lawsuits from opponents of the open Internet.

WASHINGTON — On Monday, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia introduced a resolution of disapproval to overrule the FCC’s Net Neutrality order. Thirteen other Republican members of Congress joined Collins on the resolution.

WASHINGTON — Net Neutrality supporters from all 50 states visited congressional home offices to drop off petitions and letters and voice strong support for the Net Neutrality rules recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Congress will convene the first of five hearings on the FCC’s new Net Neutrality rules. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, “FCC Process: Examining the Relationship Between the FCC and the White House,” is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.