Broadband Advocates Decry Delays On Senate Spectrum Bill

By Christopher Cole

Broadband advocates who work on fixing the "digital divide" said they are dismayed the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee again delayed a markup Thursday to advance legislation renewing the soon-to-expire Affordable Connectivity Program.

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T-Mobile Must Face Sprint Merger Suit Before Appealing

By Jared Foretek

The Seventh Circuit summarily rejected T-Mobile's move for interlocutory appeal in a proposed consumer class action targeting the company's 2020 merger with Sprint, allowing the case to advance to discovery after the district court denied T-Mobile's motion to dismiss in the fall.

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Apple OK'd New App Fees Despite Antitrust Ruling

By Dorothy Atkins

An Apple Inc. executive conceded during a high-stakes antitrust hearing Friday over Apple's compliance with a court-ordered ban on App Store anti-steering rules that executives decided to implement a new 27% fee on out-of-app transactions despite knowing a jury had recently found that similar Google fees violated antitrust laws.

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TikTok, Feds Ask DC Circ. To Fast-Track Potential Ban Row

By Lauren Berg

TikTok, a group of its creators and the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday all asked the D.C. Circuit to fast-track challenges to a new federal law that would exclude the popular app from the U.S. market unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company.

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Meet The Attys Fighting Efforts To Ban TikTok

By Allison Grande

Facing a potential federal ban, TikTok and creators on the platform have tapped a bevy of BigLaw heavyweights, including attorneys who have successfully led challenges to prior moves to shut down the popular social media platform and limit children's online activities, as well as a pair of litigators who've argued dozens of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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FCC Asked To Clarify PEG Capital Costs Aren't Franchise Fees

By Christopher Cole

Cities want the Federal Communications Commission to make clear in a new rule requiring "all-in" cable pricing disclosures that capital costs involved in public and educational channels don't fall under the definition of franchise fees.

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Utilities Need More Airwaves To Drive Growth, FCC Hears

By Nadia Dreid

Utilities need more spectrum to keep their networks running smoothly as they move toward digitizing the electric grid, which is already under significant strain, a wireless service provider has told the Federal Communications Commission.

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Insurer Escapes Claim In SimulTV's Tower Work Deal Suit

By Nadia Dreid

Development & Managers Group can't go after the insurer of a company that accused it of taking a down payment on the purchase of three DMG-owned television stations and then looking for other potential buyers, a Louisiana federal court has ruled.

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Google Says Payment Means No Need For DOJ Ad Tech Jury

By Matthew Perlman

Google is arguing in Virginia federal court the government has no right to a jury trial in a case accusing the company of monopolizing key digital advertising technology, especially after Google issued a check for the money enforcers could be awarded if they won.

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Frontier Attacks Ex-CEO's $17M Life Insurance Tax Refund Bid

By Aaron Keller

Pointing to a 2004 arbitration agreement and criticizing its ex-CEO's compensation, Frontier Communications has asked a Connecticut state court judge to hang up on a call by Leonard Tow to litigate a $17 million demand for reimbursements on life insurance policies.

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Blackstone Leads $7.5B Financing For AI-Focused CoreWeave

By Al Barbarino

Artificial intelligence-focused infrastructure provider CoreWeave said Friday it had secured an agreement for a $7.5 billion debt financing facility provided by Blackstone with strategic participation from hedge fund Magnetar Capital, the co-lead investor, and tech investor Coatue.

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Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions

A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

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Pa. Federal District Judge Gene Pratter Dead At 75

By James Boyle

U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter, who joined the bench in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2004 and presided over several landmark cases, died Friday at the age of 75, according to a statement from the court.

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Menendez Texts With Wife A Legislative Promise, Judge Says

By Pete Brush

Emoji-laden texts between Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife about an arms sale constitute a legislative promise, a Manhattan federal judge reiterated Monday, as the government seeks to prove the power couple had a corrupt agreement with a New Jersey businessman.

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Girardi Wants To Probe Jurors' 'Real Housewives' Exposure

By Brandon Lowrey

Public defenders for Tom Girardi want to ask prospective jurors in his upcoming fraud trial whether they have seen his wife's reality television show and news reporting about his law firm's massive scandal, according to a recent motion in Los Angeles federal court.

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McElroy Deutsch Says Ex-Exec's Guilt Boosts Home Claim

By Emily Sawicki

McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP doubled down on its attempt to seize the home of two former firm executives following a guilty plea on criminal embezzlement charges earlier this month by one of them, the firm's former chief financial officer.

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