Federal-Communications-Commission

Net Neutrality Repeal Officially Takes Effect, Permitting ISPs to Throttle, Block, and Prioritize Content for Payment

| Importance: 9/10

The FCC’s “Restoring Internet Freedom” order officially takes effect, eliminating the Title II net neutrality protections that had prohibited internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or creating paid “fast lanes” for content delivery. Nearly six months …

Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai Comcast Corporation Verizon Communications AT&T net-neutrality fcc telecommunications regulatory-capture ajit-pai +1 more
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FCC Repeals Net Neutrality Regulations Under Industry Pressure

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 along party lines to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations, eliminating critical protections that prevented internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against web traffic. The decision, championed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, shifts …

Ajit Pai Mignon Clyburn Federal Communications Commission Verizon Comcast +2 more regulatory-capture net-neutrality fcc telecom internet-freedom +2 more
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FCC Begins Investigation into Massive Fake Comments Campaign on Net Neutrality Repeal

| Importance: 9/10

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation into the unprecedented manipulation of its public comment system during the net neutrality repeal process. An estimated 18 million out of 22 million comments were found to be fake, generated through coordinated campaigns by …

Ajit Pai Federal Communications Commission New York Attorney General's Office digital-democracy regulatory-capture telecommunications corporate-manipulation technology-policy
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Trump Appoints Ajit Pai as FCC Chairman, Installing Former Verizon Lawyer to Regulate His Former Employer

| Importance: 9/10

President Donald Trump designates Ajit Pai as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, elevating the sitting Republican commissioner and former Verizon Communications associate general counsel to lead the agency responsible for regulating his former employer and the broader …

Donald Trump Ajit Pai Verizon Communications Federal Communications Commission Tom Wheeler revolving-door regulatory-capture fcc net-neutrality verizon +2 more
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FCC Votes 3-2 for Strong Net Neutrality Protections Through Title II Reclassification After Record Public Engagement

| Importance: 9/10

The Federal Communications Commission approves landmark net neutrality protections by a 3-2 party-line vote, reclassifying broadband internet service as a “telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 to establish legally enforceable rules prohibiting …

Tom Wheeler Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai Michael O'Rielly Mignon Clyburn +2 more net-neutrality fcc telecommunications title-ii tom-wheeler +1 more
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FCC Approves Paid Prioritization "Fast Lanes" Proposal Despite Massive Public Backlash

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Communications Commission votes 3-2 to advance Chairman Tom Wheeler’s controversial proposal that would permit internet service providers to charge content companies for priority “fast lane” access to consumers, fundamentally threatening net neutrality principles. The …

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Verizon Lawsuit Successfully Overturns FCC Net Neutrality Rules, Court Demands Title II Reclassification

| Importance: 9/10

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals delivers a landmark ruling in Verizon v. FCC, striking down the Federal Communications Commission’s anti-blocking and anti-discrimination net neutrality rules while paradoxically outlining the path to stronger protections through Title II reclassification. The …

Verizon Communications DC Circuit Court of Appeals Federal Communications Commission Julius Genachowski net-neutrality telecommunications regulatory-capture verizon fcc +1 more
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FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker Joins Comcast Four Months After Approving NBC Universal Merger

| Importance: 8/10

FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announces her resignation to join Comcast-NBC Universal as senior vice president of governmental affairs, just four months after voting to approve the company’s merger with NBC Universal. Baker was part of the 4-1 majority that approved the $30 billion …

Meredith Attwell Baker Comcast Corporation NBC Universal Federal Communications Commission Craig Aaron +1 more regulatory-capture fcc revolving-door telecommunications comcast +1 more
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FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker Joins Comcast Four Months After Approving NBC Universal Merger

| Importance: 8/10

FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announces her resignation to join Comcast-NBC Universal as senior vice president of governmental affairs, just four months after voting to approve the company’s merger with NBC Universal. Baker was part of the 4-1 majority that approved the $30 billion …

Meredith Attwell Baker Comcast Corporation NBC Universal Federal Communications Commission Craig Aaron +1 more regulatory-capture fcc revolving-door telecommunications comcast +1 more
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FCC Passes First Net Neutrality Rules with Major Wireless Exemption in 3-2 Party-Line Vote

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Communications Commission approves the Open Internet Order by a 3-2 party-line vote, establishing the first formal net neutrality regulations but with significant weaknesses that would prove legally vulnerable. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s order established three core rules: …

Federal Communications Commission Julius Genachowski Comcast Corporation Verizon Communications AT&T net-neutrality fcc telecommunications regulatory-capture deregulation
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FCC Orders Comcast to Stop Throttling BitTorrent Traffic in Historic 3-2 Vote on Net Neutrality

| Importance: 9/10

The Federal Communications Commission votes 3-2 to punish Comcast for its “surreptitious interference” with BitTorrent uploads, marking the first time any U.S. broadband provider has been found to violate net neutrality principles. The Commission formally adopted an order finding that …

Federal Communications Commission Comcast Corporation Electronic Frontier Foundation Kevin Martin net-neutrality regulatory-capture telecommunications fcc comcast
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FCC Abolishes Fairness Doctrine - Partisan Media Ecosystem Enabled

| Importance: 9/10

On August 4, 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, a 1949 policy requiring broadcast license holders to present controversial issues of public importance in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints. The elimination of this fundamental …

Federal Communications Commission Mark S. Fowler Ronald Reagan Robert Bork Antonin Scalia media-infrastructure regulatory-capture fairness-doctrine partisan-media fcc +1 more
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Cable Communications Policy Act - Media Deregulation and Consolidation Enabled

| Importance: 7/10

On October 30, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, fundamentally deregulating the cable television industry and setting the stage for massive media consolidation. Written and championed by conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the act amended …

Ronald Reagan Barry Goldwater Federal Communications Commission Cable industry media-deregulation corporate-consolidation regulatory-capture reagan-administration media-infrastructure
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