Brian Fung

As it became clear in November 2017 that the Department of Justice was heading for a legal  showdown with AT&T over its Time Warner merger, the company offered a proposal that it said would address the government’s concerns about competition. But thus far, only two percent of AT&T's rivals have expressed support for that plan. Of the 1,000 letters sent by AT&T to competing TV providers in November notifying them of the proposal, just 20 received a positive response. The lukewarm interest highlights the enormous stakes facing the entertainment industry. 

Microsoft is looking to turn school buses into Internet-enabled hotspots in an experiment that’s aimed at helping students in rural Michigan do their homework. The company wants to use empty TV airwaves to beam high-speed Internet signals to buses in Hillman (MI) as they travel to and from school, according to regulatory filings submitted Wednesday to the Federal Communications Commission. “The proposed deployment would help … by providing high-speed wireless Internet access on school buses as they complete their morning and afternoon routes,” the filing reads.

The Washington state network neutrality law marks the beginning of what analysts say could soon become a massive headache for Internet service providers (ISPs): a jumbled mix of state and federal rules that may be looser in some places and tougher in others. “One of the fears of Internet service providers is a patchwork of different state regulations,” said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecom analyst. “It’s much easier to manage and work from one national set.”

Every week, a motley crew of tech wonks and legal experts meet in Washington to discuss the problem they've been grappling with for almost a year now: how to save the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules. Of the 70 to 80 regulars in the gathering, a few hail from industry groups such as the Internet Association — one of Silicon Valley's biggest lobbying operations — or the small-telco trade association INCOMPAS, according to people familiar with the matter.

SpaceX's worldwide network of thousands of orbiting devices that can beam Internet signals down to earth from low orbit, 5G data, and more efficient use of our airwaves -- all these could boost competition in your local broadband market in the coming years. If it pays off, the result may be faster Internet speeds, better service and lower prices.

A federal judge has ruled against AT&T in its effort to force the Justice Department to reveal whether President Donald Trump inappropriately interfered with a regulatory review of the telecommunication company's $85 billion Time Warner merger.  The ruling from Judge Richard Leon rejects AT&T's argument that the government has singled out the company for special scrutiny. The move blocks an attempt by AT&T to draw Trump into the legal battle by raising questions as to what, if any, pressure he may have placed on antitrust regulators to stop the acquisition.

AT&T is demanding that the Justice Department hand over additional evidence to prove that President Donald Trump did not wield political influence over the agency as its antitrust enforcers reviewed the company's bid to acquire Time Warner. DOJ should produce a log of any conversations that may have transpired between the White House and Attorney General Jeff Sessions pertaining to AT&T's $85 billion merger, the company argued before a federal judge. Separately, DOJ should also be required, AT&T said, to disclose any conversations between AG Sessions and the agency's antitrust d

Claiming that ad-blockers have cut "deeply" into its revenue, the media company Salon is asking some readers to bolster its bottom line — by helping the site generate cryptocurrency.

State governments are becoming pivotal players in the battle over net neutrality. Gov Phil Murphy (D-NJ) this week became one of the latest to adopta new strategy, signing an executive order that effectively forces Internet service providers (ISPs) that do business with the state to abide by strong net neutrality rules. Rather than directly regulating the broadband industry, the executive order imposes procurement obligations on state agencies.

Rupert Murdoch — the Fox News founder and executive chairman of News Corp, which owns the Wall Street Journal — said that Facebook should support credible news organizations by paying them for their content. Beyond publishers receiving money for their content, it isn't clear how Murdoch envisions his cable analogy playing out on the Internet.