"....make no mistake, the sweep of changes we see has one main cause: the political effort to stifle robust national journalism."
www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/news...
06.03.2026 21:58
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"....make no mistake, the sweep of changes we see has one main cause: the political effort to stifle robust national journalism."
www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/news...
Today, @housecommerce.bsky.social marked up a series of kids’ online safety bills limiting young people’s autonomy and internet access — many of which shift responsibility for product safety from the platforms designing unsafe products onto families instead. Our statement from @mwils.bsky.social:
Who gets to shape technology policy? @publicknowledge.bsky.social announces the release of a new report, “Diversity in Early-Career Tech Policy Roles: Surveying Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Field.” Join us for our upcoming webinar! RSVP:
publicknowledge.org/diversityint...
Graphic with Public Knowledge and Howard University logo. Text that reads, "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 at 30: An Analysis of Policy, Power, and the Public Interest. Tuesday, February 24, 2026. 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET. Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library. 4th Floor Open Space Atrium. 501 W. Street, NW Washington, DC 20059"
On Tuesday Feb. 24 at 3:00 p.m., join @publicknowledge.bsky.social and the Cathy Hughes School of Communications Department of Communications Studies at @howard.edu for a landmark discussion celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996!
You are correct. It is NOT the law. You can get the actual version of the law here: publicknowledge.org/equal-time-u...
Which also predicts this will be used as an *excuse* by those who want to appease Trump, and this gives them political cover.
/1
CDT’s George Slover: "This important legislation helps ensure that in the Age of Technology, consumers still have the basic right they have enjoyed for centuries -- the right to choose where and how we fix what we own.” #FairRepairAct
Graphic of a cell phone receiving notifications from various apps, with text that reads: Public Knowledge. Section 230 30th anniversary
Keeping #Section230 as is would be politically untenable, but thoughtful reform can address real harms without incentivizing platforms to silence speech or creating barriers that only #BigTech can overcome.
Congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are gearing up for #Section230 repeal, but this could mean an end to social media as we know it.
Make no mistake: The arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social along with three other journalists for doing their jobs marks the next step in the Trump administration's attack on free speech and the free press. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Last week, FCC Chair Carr announced that broadcasters can't rely on 20+ years of precedent saying talk shows are bona fide newscasts exempt from the equal opportunity rule.
As @haroldfeld.bsky.social notes, "for my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law."
publicknowledge.org/equal-time-u...
"The Grok debacle reinforces how hollow 'censorship' is as an epithet... Lawmakers who usually clamor to protect children online did not speak up, afraid of being branded 'censorial.'" Insightful perspective from @berinszoka.bsky.social and @noupside.bsky.social
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/grok...
Graphic of a cell phone receiving notifications from various apps, with text that reads: Public Knowledge. Section 230 30th anniversary
Calls from congressional leaders to repeal #Section230 aren't new – and Public Knowledge's position isn't either. Back in 2024, @housecommerce.bsky.social introduced legislation to "sunset" the law by the end of 2025, which would have had serious consequences for our free expression online.
Graphic of a cell phone receiving notifications from various apps, with text that reads: Public Knowledge. Section 230 30th anniversary
This February, #Section230 of the Communications Decency Act turns 30 years old! 🎉 For three decades, these 26 words have protected free expression, enabled innovation, and made it possible for everyday people to speak, create, and organize online.
Let's keep the fight for our digital rights going in 2026! Make your contribution today: publicknowledge.org/end-of-year-...
#techpolicy #fightcensorship #technology #holidays
Great emoji game on this one
Got an eye for design, a multimedia or journalism background, or strategic communications experience? Apply for our Spring 2026 Communications Internship! Learn more: publicknowledge.org/commsintern
After years of hearings about kids’ safety online, Congress still has little to show for its efforts — and last week's hearing showed few signs of progress. Read the breakdown from Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social:
publicknowledge.org/the-kids-pac...
Last night,
@publicknowledge.bsky.social and @freepress.bsky.social
made sure FCC Chairman Brendan Carr got the message loud and clear: serve the public and hands off our #FirstAmendment rights! Learn more about how we're resisting censorship at publicknowledge.org
Tomorrow at 10:15 EST, @housecommerce.bsky.social is hosting a hearing titled "Legislative Solutions To Protect Children And Teens Online," in which lawmakers will discuss a package of 19 bills aimed at making kids safer online.
In March 2025, President Trump fired both Democrat Commissioners from FTC for the sole stated reason of disagreement with their policy views — an illegal act under existing statute governing the agency. Now, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to change the law.
Today, a D.C. District Court Judge ruled that Meta did not violate antitrust law when it acquired Instagram & WhatsApp in the case FTC v. Meta. The FTC had argued that Meta (parent company of Facebook) used those acquisitions to maintain its dominance by neutralizing emerging competitive threats.
Yesterday, an Executive Order designed to prevent states from regulating AI within their own borders was leaked. If signed, this Executive Order would establish an AI litigation “task force” at the Justice Department to threaten, harass, & sue states that pass any bill deemed “unlawful.”
Former regulators accused FCC Chair Brendan Carr of “obliterating” the agency's credibility as an independent regulatory body at the People’s Oversight Hearing hosted today by @publicknowledge.bsky.social. Experts and advocates also discussed the FTC, CFPB.
broadbandbreakfast.com/former-offic...
Graphic with text that reads, "The People's Oversight Hearing. Wednesday November 12 9 AM to 4 PM. True Reformer Building 1200 U St NW #3 Washington, DC 20009. Live-stream available. https://publicknowledge.org/oversight
Happening this week! Don't miss our upcoming in-person event "The People's Oversight Hearing." We are 10 months into the 119th Congress, and American has yet to see an oversight hearing for independent agencies such as the FCC, FTC and CFPB — so we've decided to host our own.
From the "saw this one coming" department: in a recent blog post @publicknowledge.bsky.social noted that "When compared to the actual rules and practices of the Motion Picture Association it purports to emulate, Instagram’s claim [of PG-13 content] falls apart."
publicknowledge.org/instagram-pg...
For more on what the hearing was SUPPOSED to be about - defending the First Amendment from the Trump administration - read @publicknowledge.bsky.social colleague and SVP @haroldfeld.bsky.social testimony here:
publicknowledge.org/policy/harol...
The claim is rooted in a years-long, escalating series of claims that digital platforms systematically censor conservative political speech. Now it's extended to AI chatbots. More about the history here:
www.techpolicy.press/the-conserva...
Despite a stated focus on jawboning, this Senate Commerce hearing keeps circling back to "conservative censorship" on digital platforms. We have the receipts on that: it's not a thing.
techpolicy.press/what-does-re...
Congress should 1) call it out; 2) restore the independence of agencies; 3) promote transparency; 4) address the concentration of ownership in media and digital platforms; 5) consider legislation to introduce competition to the digital platform space; 6) consider cross-ownership limits in media.
For example, FCC Chair Brendan Carr has sacrificed the independence of the agency and repeatedly used the very real power of the FCC over licensees to meddle in content decisions that past FCC Chairs of both parties have considered off limits. Congress must act to draw clear lines in the sand.
