Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and John Thune (R-SD) rolled out a plan that, if passed, would dramatically reshape the economics of television. The idea is to unbundle broadcast programming so that individual consumers could pick -- and pay for directly -- only the channels that they want to watch.
Why Twitter’s users are in open revolt
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Twitter is planning to debut a Facebook-style, algorithmically curated newsfeed -- provoking a backlash among Twitter users. In addition, the image-sharing site Twitpic announced that it was shutting down amid legal pressure from Twitter over Twitpic's trademark application.
What to make of Obama’s tepid response on network neutrality
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Nearly a decade after he vociferously defended an Internet that didn't speed up Web traffic to Fox or slow traffic to BarackObama.com, President Barack Obama's stance on network neutrality has considerably softened.
The first phone company to publish a transparency report isn’t AT&T or Verizon
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Ever since we learned that the country's phone companies were handing vast amounts of data to the government under court order, pressure has been mounting for them to publish a Silicon Valley-type transparency report detailing how exactly they're complying. Now the first such report is out. But instead of coming from industry mainstays such as Verizon or AT&T, the disclosure comes from a little-known, left-leaning service known as CREDO Mobile.
Will the FCC strike down AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan?
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler indicated that he'd be watching closely as AT&T rolled out a new offering called Sponsored Data, which promises to keep certain mobile browsing from counting against your monthly data cap but which has raised the ire of network neutrality advocates.
This week proves we’re better off with four wireless carriers
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
There's a clear case for having more wireless companies rather than fewer of them, and this week demonstrates why.
Wireless competition is good for consumers — even if it costs taxpayers extra
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The Federal Communications Commission, under the leadership of freshly-confirmed chairman Tom Wheeler, is hard at work on rules that will govern an upcoming spectrum auction. AT&T and Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carriers, want the FCC to hold an unrestricted auction that could allow them to maintain or even widen their lead in premium low-frequency spectrum. Their smaller competitors, especially T-Mobile, are urging the FCC to adopt rules to guarantee that the largest carriers do not wind up with a disproportionate share of that spectrum.
Our tweets are getting shorter
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Tweets have been getting shorter and shorter.