FCC to promote high-speed broadband competition
WASHINGTON — Americans lack real choices among providers of high-speed Internet service, with fewer than 1 in 4 homes having access to two or more providers of the broadband speeds that are quickly becoming “table stakes” in modern communications, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday.
FCC could allow fast lane on web in net neutrality policy shift
WASHINGTON — The principle that all Internet content should be treated equally as it flows through cables and pipes to consumers looks all but dead.
Cable TV merger would also join Internet giants
On the face of it, the merger of the two largest U.S. cable companies would seem like a non-starter, given its steep regulatory hurdles and skepticism from consumer watchdogs.
Court rejects FCC rules on equal Internet access
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out Federal Communications Commission rules that require Internet service providers to give all traffic equal access through their networks.
House passes bill that raises the bar for lawsuits over patents
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bill protecting technology companies and their customers from nuisance patent-infringement lawsuits by shell companies that exist merely to gather dormant patents and threaten lawsuits against suspected violators.
Senate passes startups bill, with amendments
WASHINGTON — Depending on who is speaking, a bill approved by the Senate on Thursday to make it easier for small companies to raise money will either improve the economy by creating jobs or cause unwitting investors to get swindled.
Verizon, MetroPCS challenge to net neutrality shot down by court
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Monday rejected as “premature” a lawsuit by Verizon and MetroPCS challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s pending rules aimed at keeping Internet service providers from blocking access to certain websites or applications.
Legislators mull Internet freedom, privacy measures
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers examining the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendation for a “do not track” mechanism to restrict the monitoring of Internet users said they supported stricter safeguards for consumer privacy, but raised questions on how the system would work.
Wiretaps used in fraud, trading cases
WASHINGTON — Secret, court-approved wiretaps put in place more than two years ago are now being used by prosecutors in a widening inquiry of securities fraud and insider trading involving hedge funds and consultants that provide industry research, according to court documents and interviews with people close to the investigations.