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FCC to end Biden-era rule that forces ISPs to list all their fees
16 days ago
- FCC to vote on removing rule requiring ISPs to list 'passthrough' fees on broadband labels.
- ISPs often advertise lower prices than actual monthly bills due to added hidden fees.
- FCC under Biden required itemization of discretionary fees; ISPs like Comcast protested.
- Trump-era FCC under Carr plans to allow ISPs to show fees as a single 'up to' amount.
- New rule could make broadband price labels harder for consumers to find.
FCC to repeal 39% TV ownership cap in boost for Trump-friendly news orgs
7 days ago
- FCC plans to repeal the National Television Ownership Rule that limits broadcast owners to reaching 39% of US TV households.
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr proposes replacing the limit with a case-by-case review for mergers, potentially allowing owners to exceed it more easily.
- Carr argues the change empowers local stations and criticizes legacy media, while critics claim it benefits Trump-friendly news companies.
- The FCC previously granted a waiver letting Nexstar acquire Tegna, reaching over 50% of TV households, citing authority to modify the rule.
- The repeal is likely to face legal challenges over the FCC's authority to overturn a congressional limit.
FCC Officials Took $$$ Gifts from Paramount as Company Needed Approval for Deals
6 days ago
- FCC commissioners have accepted expensive Kennedy Center gala tickets from CBS/Paramount, raising ethical concerns.
- Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Brendan Carr accepted tickets worth thousands of dollars after voting on or overseeing Paramount-related mergers.
- Ethics experts argue this creates a clear conflict of interest, compromising FCC impartiality in pending merger decisions.
- Federal rules generally prohibit gifts from regulated entities, but exemptions for 'widely attended gatherings' are controversially applied.
- The FCC's ongoing review of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger could be legally challenged due to these ethics issues.
- Some commissioners, including Carr, have a history of accepting such gifts, totaling over $260,000 from CBS/Paramount since 2016.
- Potential recusals could deadlock the FCC, as it currently has only three commissioners, affecting merger approval processes.
- Legal experts warn that ethics violations might undermine the legitimacy of FCC decisions in court.
ISPs' long nightmare of having to list all the fees they charge is finally over
4 hours ago
- FCC voted to eliminate a Biden-era rule requiring ISPs to list all passthrough fees on broadband price labels.
- ISPs can now display an aggregate 'up to' amount instead of individually listing fees, making price comparison harder for consumers.
- Chairman Carr proposed allowing ISPs to provide links to price labels instead of displaying them prominently on ordering pages.
- The vote was 3-0, with Democrat Anna Gomez joining Republicans; she preferred full itemization but accepted changes to describe fees.
- New labels will describe fees remitted to state/local governments and third parties instead of listing each fee individually.

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FCC to end Biden-era rule that forces ISPs to list all their fees

FCC to repeal 39% TV ownership cap in boost for Trump-friendly news orgs

FCC Officials Took $$$ Gifts from Paramount as Company Needed Approval for Deals

ISPs' long nightmare of having to list all the fees they charge is finally over