Senate panel opens hearing on crafting U.S. privacy law

The Trump administration is hoping Congress can come up with a new set of national rules governing how companies can use consumers' data that finds a balance between "privacy and prosperity." But it will be tricky to reconcile the concerns of privacy advocates who want people to have more control over the usage of their personal data - where they've been, what they view, who their friends are -and the powerful companies that mine it for profit.

How Comcast is moving beyond the set top box as it rolls out its…

WhatsApp to test limiting the forwarding of messages to 20 chats globally and 5 chats in India in a bid to stop the spread of fake news - The social messaging service has been blamed for its role in spreading dangerous and inaccurate information. - Facebook-owned WhatsApp is making changes Facebook executives struggle to describe a coherent strategy to deal with misinformation on the site; it's a hodgepodge of "exceptions to the exceptions" - Facebook was once the most nimble company of its generation.

Trump DOJ appealing judge’s OK of AT&T-Time Warner merger

Stung by a federal judge's dismissal of its objections to AT&T's megamerger with Time Warner, the Trump Justice Department is challenging the decision with a legal appeal. The Justice Department said in a one-sentence document Thursday it is appealing the ruling last month by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, which blessed one of the biggest media deals ever following a landmark antitrust trial.

AT&T wins court approval to buy Time Warner over Trump opposition

AT&T Inc won court approval on Tuesday to buy Time Warner Inc for $85 billion, rebuffing an attempt by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to block the deal and likely setting off a wave of corporate mergers. The deal, which could close next week, is seen as a turning point for a media industry that has been upended by companies like Netflix Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google which produce content and sell it online directly to consumers, without requiring a pricey cable subscription.

Democrats hope net neutrality issue will win votes this fall

Senate Democrats, joined by three Republicans, pushed through a measure intended to revive Obama-era internet rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic, though opposition in the House and the White House seems insurmountable. Republicans on the short end of the 52-47 vote described the effort to reinstate "net neutrality" rules as "political theater" because the GOP-controlled House is not expected to take up the issue and the Senate's margin could not overcome a presidential veto.

Democrats hope net neutrality issue will win votes this fall Source: AP

Senate Democrats, joined by three Republicans, pushed through a measure intended to revive Obama-era internet rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic, though opposition in the House and the White House seems insurmountable. Republicans on the short end of the 52-47 vote described the effort to reinstate "net neutrality" rules as "political theater" because the GOP-controlled House is not expected to take up the issue and the Senate's margin could not overcome a presidential veto.

Senate Democrats push to reinstate ‘net neutrality’ rules

Don't expect the House to go along with the Senate's expected passage of legislation that would revive an Obama-era rule requiring equal treatment for all web traffic by internet providers. Opponents such as Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate's vote later Wednesday on a measure reversing the Federal Communications Commission's decision that scrapped the "net neutrality" rule amounted to "political theater" with no prospects of approval by the GOP-controlled House.

Senate backs effort to restore ‘net neutrality’

Senate Democrats, joined by three Republicans, pushed through a measure Wednesday intended to revive Obama-era internet rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic, though opposition in the House and the White House seems insurmountable. Republicans on the short end of the 52-47 vote described the effort to reinstate "net neutrality" rules as "political theater" because the GOP-controlled House is not expected to take up the issue and the Senate's margin could not overcome a presidential veto.

AT&T chief lobbyist out after hiring of Trump attorney Cohen

Stephenson says the company made a "big mistake" in hiring President Donald Trump's attorney Michael Co... The state Department of Justice has again concluded that secretly recorded videos of a Democratic activist reveal no evidence of election fraud. The state Department of Justice has again concluded that secretly recorded videos of a Democratic activist reveal no evidence of election fraud.

Mayo: Crime consultant CenturyLink’s idea

The city of Monroe retained a consultant last year to propose "best practices" to combat crime and improve community confidence at the request of Glen Post, CenturyLink's chief executive officer, Mayor Jamie Mayo says. In recent years, the city has faced record highs in violent crime, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's uniform crime reporting data, as previously reported by The Ouachita Citizen .

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Before the sweeping tax cuts were passed late last year, major U.S. corporations joined President Trump and Republicans in Congress in vowing the reform would grow the economy, create jobs and raise wages. And since then, many have boosted minimum wages, doled out bonuses and increased spending and charitable giving.

Federal court rules against AT&T, closing ‘loophole that could’ve swallowed the Internet’

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Federal Trade Commission in a closely watched case that threatened to undercut the consumer watchdog's ability to pursue certain misbehaving companies throughout the U.S. economy. While the case nominally began as an FTC crackdown on Dallas-based AT&T's marketing of "unlimited data" plans for cellphones, the legal battle soon took on much greater significance as the telecom giant sought to defend itself.

This Thursday, July 27, 2017, photo shows an AT&T logo at a store in…

AT&T is calling on Congress for a national net neutrality law that would govern internet providers and tech companies alike, which the telecom giant says would end a fractious, years-long debate over the future of the web. In a series of full-page ads Wednesday in major newspapers such as The Washington Post and the New York Times, AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson proposed an "Internet Bill of Rights" that could help guarantee an open internet, one in which online content is not blocked or slowed down by telecom or cable companies, nor by internet companies such as Google or Facebook.