Today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), introduced the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act. The Act would increase merger filing fees for large mergers reviewed by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, and use the additional funding to increase budgets for the two enforcers.

This week, Public Knowledge joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance in an amicus brief filing in a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission’s action to weaken local authority to manage streets and public property. The brief was filed in City of Portland v. FCC before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Public Knowledge is very disappointed to see the conversations about net neutrality led by ISOC being misrepresented in The Hill. Like many stakeholders, Public Knowledge attended ISOC’s meetings, but eventually withdrew due to fundamental disagreement with its direction. It is clear that the final product values the perception of consensus over the substance of consumer protection.

Today, 10 state attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, announced that they have filed a multi-state lawsuit to stop the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger. Plaintiffs include New York, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Today, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) requested the U.S. Senate hold a vote on the Save the Internet Act (S. 682). The Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year. The bill would restore the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Open Internet Order and the agency’s net neutrality consumer protections, preventing broadband providers from blocking websites, throttling web traffic, or creating “fast lanes” only for those able to pay for prioritization.