The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday in South Dakota v. Wayfair that states can collect sales tax from out-of-state retailers, effectively reversing its earlier 1992 precedent in Quill v. North Dakota. Justice Anthony Kennedy led the opinion in favor of South Dakota, joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented along with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Several tech sector stakeholders told us they now believe it's critical for Congress to pass legislation to mitigate the effects. Oral argument was in April (see 1804170062).

Many media and telecom interests concerned about consolidation tell us Disney and Comcast's duel for Fox's non-broadcast assets (see 1806130036) presents equally unappealing options. Programmers, especially small ones, have concerns about either deal, Public Knowledge Senior Counsel John Bergmayer said. Disney/Fox would be "absolutely horrible," Comcast/Fox even worse, said American Cable Association President Matt Polka. Comcast rejected such assertions. Wednesday, Disney upped its bid, topping a competing one from Comcast (see 1806200015).

Many media and telecom interests concerned about consolidation tell us Disney and Comcast's duel for Fox's non-broadcast assets (see 1806130036) presents equally unappealing options. Programmers, especially small ones, have concerns about either deal, Public Knowledge Senior Counsel John Bergmayer said. Disney/Fox would be "absolutely horrible," Comcast/Fox even worse, said American Cable Association President Matt Polka. Comcast rejected such assertions. Wednesday, Disney upped its bid, topping a competing one from Comcast (see 1806200015).

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday in South Dakota v. Wayfair that states can collect sales tax from out-of-state retailers, effectively reversing its earlier 1992 precedent in Quill v. North Dakota. Justice Anthony Kennedy led the opinion in favor of South Dakota, joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented along with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Several tech sector stakeholders told us they now believe it's critical for Congress to pass legislation to mitigate the effects. Oral argument was in April (see 1804170062).

Many media and telecom interests concerned about consolidation tell us Disney and Comcast's duel for Fox's non-broadcast assets (see 1806130036) presents equally unappealing options. Programmers, especially small ones, have concerns about either deal, Public Knowledge Senior Counsel John Bergmayer said. Disney/Fox would be "absolutely horrible," Comcast/Fox even worse, said American Cable Association President Matt Polka. Comcast rejected such assertions. Wednesday, Disney upped its bid, topping a competing one from Comcast (see 1806200015).

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday in South Dakota v. Wayfair that states can collect sales tax from out-of-state retailers, effectively reversing its earlier 1992 precedent in Quill v. North Dakota. Justice Anthony Kennedy led the opinion in favor of South Dakota, joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented along with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Several tech sector stakeholders told us they now believe it's critical for Congress to pass legislation to mitigate the effects. Oral argument was in April (see 1804170062).

FTC Chairman Joseph Simons plans to scrutinize ISPs and internet "platforms" as part of a broader agenda to update consumer protection and antitrust enforcement. "We're going to vigorously enforce our authority in this space," he told reporters Wednesday, when asked about reinstatement of FTC jurisdiction over telco and cable ISPs under FCC reclassification of broadband providers as not common carriers. Internet platforms, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, also will draw attention due to their size, reach and potential for anticompetitive behavior, he said.

FTC Chairman Joseph Simons plans to scrutinize ISPs and internet "platforms" as part of a broader agenda to update consumer protection and antitrust enforcement. "We're going to vigorously enforce our authority in this space," he told reporters Wednesday, when asked about reinstatement of FTC jurisdiction over telco and cable ISPs under FCC reclassification of broadband providers as not common carriers. Internet platforms, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, also will draw attention due to their size, reach and potential for anticompetitive behavior, he said.

FTC Chairman Joseph Simons plans to scrutinize ISPs and internet "platforms" as part of a broader agenda to update consumer protection and antitrust enforcement. "We're going to vigorously enforce our authority in this space," he told reporters Wednesday, when asked about reinstatement of FTC jurisdiction over telco and cable ISPs under FCC reclassification of broadband providers as not common carriers. Internet platforms, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, also will draw attention due to their size, reach and potential for anticompetitive behavior, he said.

Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee ranking member Richard Blumenthal, Conn., and other subcommittee Democrats used a Tuesday hearing on privacy implications of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica breach to expand what they perceive to be Facebook's violations of its 2011 consent decree with the FTC to include other recently-disclosed actions. Former FTC Chief Technologist Ashkan Soltani confirmed the Democrats' view, saying he believed Facebook violated the agreement. Blumenthal, Senate Consumer Protection Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and others drilled down on potential legislative solutions to address Facebook-Cambridge Analytica's privacy implications.