Washington Becomes 1st State to Approve Net-neutrality Rules

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, speaks before signing a bill Monday, March 5, 2018, in Olympia, Wash., that makes Washington the first state to set up its own net-neutrality requirements in response to the Federal Communications Commission's recent repeal of Obama-era rules. The FCC voted in December to gut U.S. rules that meant to prevent broadband companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet.

Washington State Tells Ajit Pai to Suck It

As we likely all are aware, Ajit Pai's FCC voted a few months ago to undo federal Net Neutrality laws, and in that process the FCC also prohibited states from making their own "local" Net Neutrality laws. Washington state has stepped up to become the first to fully thumb its nose to the FCC by passing its own Net Neutrality protections .

We need to demand that our government protect free speech on the internet

In this day and age, it is close to impossible for anyone to get through life without using the internet. That reality is even more true here in Alaska, where larger distances separate us and we have less infrastructure to connect us.

Senate Democrats push for support to reinstate net neutrality

U.S. Senate Democrats launched efforts on Tuesday to win a vote to reinstate Obama-era rules guaranteeing an open internet, suggesting it would be a major issue in the 2018 mid-term elections. Democrats remain one Republican senator shy of winning a majority in the Senate to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's order to undo the 2015 open internet rules.

Senate Democrats Have a Plan To Save Net Neutrality

Republican-led Federal Communications Commission formally published a rule reversing long-standing and vital protections of the internet known as net neutrality . The FCC's new rule would let big corporations restrict how consumers access their favorite websites by forcing them to buy internet access in packages, paying more for "premium" service, as with cable television.

Will the FCC overturn net neutrality?

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to publish on Thursday its December order overturning the landmark Obama-era net neutrality rules, two sources briefed on the matter said Tuesday. The formal publication in the Federal Register, a government website, means state attorneys general and advocacy groups will be able to sue in a bid to block the order from taking effect.

FCC reversal of net neutrality rules expected to be published Thursday: sources

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to publish on Thursday its December order overturning the landmark Obama-era net neutrality rules, two sources briefed on the matter said Tuesday. The formal publication in the Federal Register, a government website, means state attorneys general and advocacy groups will be able to sue in a bid to block the order from taking effect.

IG Reviewing FCC Changes That Benefited Sinclair-Tribune Merger

The internal watchdog at the Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into whether changes made by the agency last year improperly helped to grease the skids for Sinclair's purchase of Tribune, The New York Times reported. At issue is the timing.

FCC chair actions on eve of Sinclair-Tribune deal under scrutiny

The Federal Communications Commission's top internal watchdog has opened an investigation into whether agency chair Ajit Pai and others improperly changed rules governing ownership of TV stations in order to benefit Sinclair Broadcasting. The New York Times reported today that just weeks after Pai spearheaded rule changes last April that resulted in companies like Sinclair being able to own significantly more stations, the broadcasting giant said it had agreed to purchase Tribune Media for $3.9 billion.

5G trial balloon bursts into flames

But the fact that somebody in the president's National Security Council was at least thinking about it shows how seriously the administration is taking America's technological competition with China, and the immense potential of next-generation wireless technology. The teacup-sized tempest began Sunday night, when the online news service Axios published a startling report based on an NSC memo and PowerPoint presentation.

Reported plan for government wireless network gets panned

In this Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, file photo, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai answers a question from a reporter after a meeting where commissioners voted to end net neutrality, in Washington. Telecom regulators and industry groups voiced opposition Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, to a government-built wireless network that the Trump administration is reportedly considering.

Ag Broadband Coalition Hails Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act

AG BROADBAND COALITION HAILS PRECISION AGRICULTURE CONNECTIVITY ACT Jan. 26, 2018 Source: Agricultural Broadband Coalition news release The Agricultural Broadband Coalition applauded bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate for introducing the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 on Thursday, a milestone piece of legislation that will help to revolutionize farming across the United States.

Democratic attorneys general compete to churn out lawsuits against Trumpa s agenda

With Democrats struggling to stop President Trump in Washington, a cadre of attorneys general have stepped up to claim leadership of the anti- Trump resistance, using the courts to try to derail the administration's agenda. Massachusetts, New York and California are leading the way, with Maryland, Washington and Hawaii also playing major roles in launching legal battles to stop executive actions on issues such as immigration, the environment and Obamacare.

Senate panel to probe Hawaii alerts as FCC investigates

A U.S. Senate panel plans to hold a Jan. 25 hearing on the errant Hawaii ballistic missile alert that stirred panic and anger as the Federal Communications Commission investigates the matter. The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to announce later Thursday it will hold a hearing next week on the false alert and why it went uncorrected for 38 minutes, officials said.

Suit by 22 state attorneys general seeks to block FCC’s net neutrality repeal

A group of 22 Democratic state attorneys general, including those from California and New York, have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of tough net neutrality rules for online traffic.

Hawaii Ballistic Missile False Alarm: ‘Someone Pressed the Wrong Button’

The threat of a North Korean missile hitting hitting Hawaii is dangerously real, as President Donald Trump 's "button" tweets stoke dangerous tensions between the United States and the North Korean dictatorship. The threat felt very real on Saturday morning in Hawaii after an emergency alert was sent out to TV, radio, and cell phones about an inbound ballistic missile.

FCC Democrat reacts to death threats, racist attacks against Chairman Ajit Pai

A Democratic commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission responded to a report that the agency's Republican chairman, Ajit Pai, was being subject to not only racists comments but also deaths threats which prompted him to cancel an appearance at a recent event. The question was: "What do you think about the horrifically racist things people have said about Ajit Pai, as well as the numerous death threats and threats made to his family? Merits of Net Neutrality notwithstanding, do you think his treatment should be given more attention?" Earlier this month, a report from Recode stated that Pai canceled a speaking engagement at a major technology industry event days before it was scheduled to place because of death threats.