california

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Attorney General Bonta Secures Deal Halting Warner Bros
2 months ago
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured an agreement with Warner Bros. and Paramount to delay their merger until June 1, 2027, or until a court decision on the states' claims.
- The merger, valued at $110 billion, would combine two of Hollywood's five major film distributors and cable channel owners, reducing competition.
- The lawsuit alleges the merger violates the Clayton Act by lessening competition in film distribution, blockbuster film distribution, and cable TV licensing.
- If the court rules in favor of the states, the merger will be blocked pending appeal; otherwise, states can seek a preliminary injunction after June 1, 2027.
- The merger is expected to lead to higher prices, lower content quality, and fewer movies and TV shows for audiences.
California legislature removes REAL-ID compliance from Governor's budget
2 months ago
- California Senate and Assembly removed funding and legislative changes for uploading driver's license data to the private SPEXS national ID database from Governor Newsom's proposed budget.
- The decision is not final; the legislature must pass a budget by June 15, but final enactment may not occur until August after negotiations.
- Some legislators seek guardrails for California license data, but studies show no state action can prevent federal or out-of-state law enforcement access once uploaded to AAMVA.
- The upload is not urgent; the DMV's target date was set by AAMVA for convenience, not by federal or state law.
- Critics urge the Governor to resist federal threats under the REAL-ID Act, call the bluff, and prepare to defend Californians' right to travel.
California's Privacy Obstacle Course
2 months ago
- Data brokers cause many societal harms (deepfake porn, phishing, discrimination, ICE roundups, election interference, identity theft) yet Congress has not passed a federal consumer privacy law since 1988.
- California's DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) allows consumers to request deletion of their data from brokers but requires a cumbersome, redundant process with multiple identity verifications (Login.gov, photo ID, text/email codes, VIN, mobile ad identifier).
- The system is based on the flawed assumption that people want to be spied on; evidence shows 96% of iPhone users opted out of Facebook tracking when given a simple one-click option.
- The author argues that data brokers should be banned outright and that the burden should be on brokers to obtain opt-in consent, not on individuals to opt out via a labyrinthine process.
- The text also includes links to other articles, historical notes, upcoming appearances, and lists of books by the author.
AT&T loses key ruling in bid to stop offering basic phone service in California
2 months ago
- Federal judge Linda Lopez denied AT&T's request for a preliminary injunction, allowing California to enforce Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) rules requiring AT&T to offer basic phone service to new customers.
- AT&T sued California to end COLR obligations, arguing the rules are preempted by FCC orders, but the court ruled against its immediate injunction request.
- AT&T plans to stop offering basic phone service to new customers and discontinue service for 184,000 residential and 15,000 business customers by June 1, 2027.
- California is the only state out of 21 where AT&T still faces COLR obligations, which AT&T claims costs $1 billion annually to maintain an outdated copper network.
- AT&T wants to shut off copper lines used for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) but may not replace them with fiber, leaving customers to rely on cellular networks.

california

Attorney General Bonta Secures Deal Halting Warner Bros

California legislature removes REAL-ID compliance from Governor's budget

California's Privacy Obstacle Course

AT&T loses key ruling in bid to stop offering basic phone service in California