NetNeutrality
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FCC says sharing DDoS attack details undermines security
Back in May, HBO's John Oliver exhorted viewers to add their public comment on the FCC's website for net neutrality. While at first it seemed as if the server couldn't handle the extra load of commenters, the FCC said that the site had been a victim of multiple distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. When asked for evidence of the cyberattack by regulators, senators and journalists, the FCC refused to share any data. Last month, a group of ranking House committee members sent a letter to the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, which expressed concerns about the agency's "cybersecurity preparedness, and the multiple reported problems with the FCC's website in taking public comments in the net neutrality proceeding." Pai's response — dated July 21st and posted on July 28th — was predictably vague in responding to the specific queries from the Representatives. He said "it would undermine our system's security to provide a specific roadmap of the additional solutions to which we have referred."
Rob LeFebvre07.31.2017
Congress invites tech CEOs to testify at net neutrality hearing
Today, during a hearing on FCC oversight, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden announced another hearing entitled "Ground Rules for the Internet Ecosystem." That hearing will discuss potential legislation regarding net neutrality regulations and the committee has invited CEOs of major tech companies and internet providers to testify. Some of the companies include Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and Charter Communications.
Mallory Locklear07.25.2017
FCC denies report that it didn’t document alleged cyberattack (updated)
The Federal Communications Commission now claims to have no data on a DDoS attack that took down its website in May, just months after stating it had "gigabytes" of documentation on the incident. The supposed attack followed talk show host John Oliver redirecting viewers to the FCC's comment section, where he encouraged them to complain about the organization's stance on net neutrality. With over 9 million comments reportedly left on the site, the FCC quickly responded, stating that it couldn't accept more feedback, because it was incapacitated by an alleged DDoS attack. Now, after a freedom of information request filed by Gizmodo attempted to reveal more about the 'attack,' the FCC is claiming that its previous thorough analysis on the incident "did not result in written documentation." (Editor's note: the FCC has refuted the reporting done by Gizmodo and issued a statement. Please see the update below for the full details.)
Tom Regan07.20.2017
Trump endorses FCC's plan to roll back net neutrality
After last week's heavily participated in Day of Action, where thousands of companies and groups spoke out against the FCC's plan to roll back regulations put in place in 2015, Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked during a press briefing what the president thought of net neutrality. Spicer said he didn't know, which is a rather ridiculous response given all of the current attention the topic is getting.
Mallory Locklear07.19.2017
Comcast tells the FCC that net neutrality should be voluntary
Last week, thousands of companies and organizations stood up for net neutrality during the Day of Action and as the first round of comments on the FCC's plan to severely cut back protective regulations wraps up, over 8.4 million comments have been filed. Comcast added its comments today and posted its stance online. In sum, it supports the FCC's proposed deregulations but specifically the removal of Title II classifications. Comcast claims it will still support the open internet regardless of the decision but maintains that Title II hurts innovation.
Mallory Locklear07.17.2017
Net neutrality supporters sent over 5 million emails to the FCC
Yesterday, activists advocating for a free and open internet rallied individuals to submit over two million comments and millions of emails and phone calls to the FCC in support of Net Neutrality. Popular sites across the web, from Yelp to Pornhub (and Engadget!), urged users to contact the federal agency and Congress with a singular message: Don't let internet service providers create faster and slower connections to boost their profit margins.
David Lumb07.13.2017
The internet needs us to save net neutrality
Today, thousands of websites and organizations are showing their support for net neutrality in hopes of preserving the open internet. Consider Engadget among them. The Federal Communication Commission, as chaired by former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai, is exploring ways to repeal the open internet rules put into effect by former chairman Tom Wheeler, and that's just not OK.
Chris Velazco07.12.2017
The internet rallies around the fight for net neutrality
Today is the net neutrality Day of Action, and many thousands of organizations, companies and websites are standing up against the FCC's plan to gut net neutrality rules and let ISPs regulate themselves. The first deadline for comments on the FCC proposal is up in five days, and plenty of sites are making it easy today to voice your opinion.
Mallory Locklear07.12.2017
Virgin Mobile makes Twitter ‘free’ to access
If you have a 4G plan with Virgin Mobile, you can now access Twitter without diving in to your monthly data allowance. That means you can scroll through your feed, check your mentions and respond to pressing Direct Messages without fear of incurring any charges. The "data-free" access joins Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, which the company first offered to subscribers last November. The only catch is that you can't stream live video through the app — so if you want to watch the news or catch up with the day's Wimbledon action, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Nick Summers07.12.2017
AT&T supports net neutrality but denounces 'outdated' rules
It's definitely odd to have a company like AT&T, who came out against the previous administration's FCC rules for net neutrality, decide to join the day of action in support of net neutrality, set for July 12th. AT&T's Senior Executive Vice President Bob Quinn argues that even while his company may see the earlier rules as burdensome, it is all for an open internet, something he calls "critical for ensuring freedom of expression and a free flow of ideas and commerce in the United States and around the world."
Rob LeFebvre07.11.2017
Senators warn the FCC to be ready for net neutrality comments
Two pro-net neutrality Democrat Senators have told the FCC that it had damn well better be ready for public comments on tomorrow's net neutrality Day of Action. "It is critical to the rulemaking and regulatory process that the public be able to take part without unnecessary technical or administrative burden," they stated in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
Steve Dent07.11.2017
Facebook and Google join net neutrality 'day of action'
July 12th has been declared a "day of action" on the topic of net neutrality. The non-profit group Battle for the Net's event has been backed by a range of tech companies and advocates, including Amazon, the ACLU, Etsy, Kickstarter, the Electric Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, Vimeo, Greenpeace and Reddit. The protest comes as the FCC seems to want to destroy net neutrality, and will now be supported by two previously silent technology giants, Facebook and Google, according to a report in Forbes.
Rob LeFebvre07.07.2017
YouTube creators pen open letter to support net neutrality
The FCC is moving forward with its plans to undo the Obama-era rules put in place to protect net neutrality, and the parties that will be negatively affected have been scrambling to be heard. Take for instance, the 134 YouTube stars who've just penned an open letter to the FCC and the Congress to defend net neutrality. The creators argue that the current rules are "crucial to maintaining a level playing field for all creators" since they ensure "equal opportunity for success to anyone wishing to enter the market."
Mariella Moon07.07.2017
Three’s ‘Go Binge’ plans offer ‘free’ data for Netflix streaming
To better compete with EE, Vodafone and O2, Three is introducing a zero-rating scheme in the UK. The network operator has teamed up with Netflix, TVPlayer, Deezer and SoundCloud to offer inclusive streaming with select mobile contracts. So when you watch or listen to these services on the go, they won't count towards your monthly data cap. The move, while contentious for net neutrality advocates, will no doubt be welcomed by consumers. There is, however, a pretty big catch: to take advantage of the new perk, you'll need to upgrade to a "Go Binge" plan, which Three admits will be slightly more expensive than your current, equivalent contract.
Nick Summers07.05.2017
Netflix will join net neutrality 'Day of Action' after all
After being on the front lines of net neutrality action for years, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently declared that it is no longer its "primary battle ... because we're big enough to get the deals we want." That caused a lot of consternation among foes of the FCC's plan to roll back consumer internet protections, but apparently the streaming giant has changed its mind. Organizers say Netflix will participate in the July 12 "Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality," and the company tweeted that it "will never outgrow the fight for #NetNeutrality."
Steve Dent06.16.2017
Amazon, ACLU back net neutrality 'day of action' on July 12th
Many tech advocates and companies aren't happy that the FCC is planning to gut net neutrality, and they're determined to make their voices heard. The non-profit group has declared July 12th a "day of action" where companies and organizations will show support for a fair and competitive internet. It's not certain just what those protests will entail, but there are plenty of recognizable names involved. Amazon, Etsy, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Reddit and Vimeo are among the companies throwing their weight around, while groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Greenpeace are also showing solidarity.
Jon Fingas06.06.2017
Senators ask FBI to investigate FCC's alleged cyberattack
The FCC isn't exactly forthcoming with evidence of the alleged denial of service attack on its servers, and that's leaving some worried. Is it protecting privacy (as it claims), or stifling attempts to post comments supporting net neutrality? A slew of Senators want to find out -- and they're going above the FCC's head to make sure they get answers. Senators Al Franken, Patrick Leahy, Edward Markey, Brian Schatz and Ron Wyden have sent a letter to FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe asking his bureau to conduct a high-priority investigation of the FCC's cyberattack claims. While they don't directly accuse the FCC of dishonesty, it's clear from the wording that they aren't just taking the Commission's word at face value.
Jon Fingas05.31.2017
FCC stonewalls demands for evidence of cyberattack
The FCC swears that a denial of service attack hit its servers hours after Last Week Tonight's John Oliver rallied support for net neutrality, but where's the evidence? Well, don't expect it any time soon. In an interview with ZDNet, the regulator's David Bray says the FCC won't release the logs that might show who was responsible for the incident. The logs contain private info like IP addresses, he says. Bray does note that there wasn't a botnet involved, though -- instead, the traffic came from commercial cloud services using the FCC's public programming interface. But if it wasn't a botnet, then who was involved? Some critics are concerned that the FCC isn't exactly being forthright.
Jon Fingas05.24.2017
Comcast tries to shut down pro-net neutrality site
Internet advocacy group, Fight for the Future, says Comcast sent it a cease-and-desist order demanding the group take down Comcastroturf.com on the grounds that it violates the company's "valuable intellectual property." The site appeals for help identifying what it claims are fraudulent comments posted on the FCC's own site, supporting FCC chairman Ajit Pai's plans to rollback net neutrality rules. Many comments have already been flagged as spam, or posted under people's names without their permission. (It's not the first time something like this has happened.)
Mat Smith05.24.2017
The FCC chairman thinks it's still 1996
FCC chairman Ajit Pai sounds like a broken record. "Light-touch framework." "Light-touch approach." "Light-touch regulation." As an ideological concept, it seems reasonable. Especially to a conservative such as Pai, who believes that the government shouldn't "pick winners and losers," to use a favorite phrase of Republicans. Except, when you actually look closely at the chairman's argument about how to regulate internet service providers, it collapses under its own misguided logic.
Terrence O'Brien05.18.2017