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Obama Vows To Veto Bill Blocking Net Neutrality Rules

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday November 8, 2011 @ 1:03pm PSTTags: FCC, FCC Net Neutrality Rules, Net Neutrality, President Barack Obama, Verizon

This would be just the third veto Barack Obama has made, but the White House says today that he’ll go there if the Senate on Thursday endorses a bill to upend the FCC’s net neutrality rules. The resolution to scrap the regulations — which are due to take effect on November 20 — is similar to one that the House passed in April. The Senate vote could be close: Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s bill has 42 co-sponsors. Supporters include Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, who favors net neutrality but says the issue should be decided by Congress — not the FCC. In today’s “Statement of Administration Policy,” the White House says that “the open Internet enables entrepreneurs to create new services without fear of undue discrimination by network providers.” For example, Comcast wouldn’t be able to favor transmissions over its broadband lines for a service it likes, such as Hulu, over those of a rival such as Netflix. The administration says that disapproval of net neutrality would “threaten the very foundations of innovation in the Internet economy and the democratic spirit that has made the Internet a force for social progress around the world.” If the Senate passes the bill, then the administration statement says “his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution.” READ MORE »

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Verizon Appeals FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday September 30, 2011 @ 1:59pm PDTTags: FCC, FCC Internet, FCC Net Neutrality Rules, Net Neutrality, Verizon

Verizon’s fight to overturn the FCC’s net neutrality rules is on. The phone giant today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. to step in and consider whether regulators have the right to set rules for the Internet. Verizon Deputy General … Read More »

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Net Neutrality Fight Just Beginning As FCC Moves To Implement Its Rules

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday September 23, 2011 @ 11:05am PDTTags: Comcast, FCC, FCC Net Neutrality Rules, Hulu, Netflix, Verizon

It may be premature for consumer advocates to do their victory dance now that the FCC has taken the legal step necessary to implement its controversial net neutrality rules. Regulators today put the open Internet standards into the Federal Register, which … Read More »

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Liberty Media’s John Malone Says Cable Is ‘Pretty Much A Monopoly’ In Broadband

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday May 6, 2011 @ 10:44am PDTTags: Cable, FCC Net Neutrality Rules, John Malone, John Malone Liberty Media, Netflix Online Streaming, Starz Entertaiment, Starz Executives

Liberty Media chairman John Malone is probably getting an earful from his pals in the cable industry this afternoon after he made a comment that’s sure to haunt both him and them. Talking to Wall Street analysts about the growing number of consumers who buy high-speed Internet services from cable companies, Malone said that “cable is pretty much a monopoly now” in broadband. Oops. The executive who once was considered such a monopolist in cable TV that Al Gore referred to him as Darth Vader caught himself, adding, “I don’t want to use that word.” But he may be reminded that he used the M word every time consumer advocates call on federal regulators to crack down on cable — for example, by insisting on net neutrality rules. Malone says consumers won’t cut the cord with cable even as services including Netflix offer movies and TV shows over the Web. Phone companies such as Verizon and AT&T “are not going to aggressively” build out fiber-optic services that could match the speed and security of cable’s broadband, he said. Meanwhile, “the threat of wireless broadband is way overblown. There just isn’t enough bandwidth” for them.

In contrast to Malone’s blunt comments, other Liberty executives said they wouldn’t provide many details about Starz’s new lawsuit against Dish Network. Starz, and in a separate suit Disney, allege that Dish violated their contracts by giving satellite customers free access to the premium channel for about a year. Starz CEO Chris Albrecht says that his company didn’t lose money; Dish pays a fixed annual rate to offer Starz and Encore. But the additional viewers may have helped Starz’s ratings. Read More »

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FCC Approves Net Neutrality Rules, WGAE Slams Them, WGAW Cautiously Optimistic

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday December 21, 2010 @ 11:17am PSTTags: FCC, FCC Broadband Service, FCC Internet, FCC Net Neutrality Rules
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: Amidst criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, the FCC today adopted new rules designed to ensure that broadband service remains open to all. The five-member commission’s 3-2 vote went down along party lines, with the 3 Democrats … Read More »

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