Tali Arbel

The telecom industry’s lobbying muscle pushed a consumer privacy measure to a swift death in Congress. Republicans struck down Obama-era rules that would have imposed tight restrictions on what broadband companies such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast could do with their customers’ personal data. Digital-rights and consumer-advocacy groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation supported keeping the rules. But they were outmatched by telecom trade groups and lobbyists. “These guys spend a fortune in D.C., they’re very plugged in on the Hill and this was clearly their priority,” said Craig Aaron, the president of consumer-advocacy group Free Press. Former...

Consumers could see more competition and better mobile service after the end of a big U.S. government auction transferring airwave rights from TV broadcasters to companies interested in wireless networks. The biggest spenders in the Federal Communications Commission’s $19.8 billion auction were T-Mobile with $8 billion, satellite TV company Dish at $6.2 billion and Comcast with $1.7 billion. The nation’s airwaves regulator ran the auction to help wireless networks keep up as people spend more time on smartphones. The biggest bidders in the last auction, in 2015, were AT&T ($18.2 billion) and Verizon ($10.4 billion). T-Mobile says its winnings...

U.S. regulators are calling out AT&T and Verizon for exempting their own video apps from data caps on customers’ cellphones. This may not result in any changes in how the wireless carriers operate, however, as agency leaders appointed by Donald Trump, the incoming president, are expected to look more favorably on such practices. The Federal Communications Commission sent letters to the country’s biggest wireless carriers Thursday saying the way they handle the practice, known as “zero rating,” can hurt competition and consumers. The agency had warned AT&T in November and said in its Thursday letter that AT&T’s response did...

DirecTV Now is the latest online TV service to offer an alternative to cable or satellite packages that can easily cost about $100 a month. Typical cable deals get you hundreds of channels, including the major networks, sports channels, niche options like the horror-focused Chiller and premium channels like HBO. Online services, individually, are cheaper, but you may need several to get everything you like to watch. A sampling of some of the biggest internet TV options: DirecTV Now joins Sling and PlayStation Vue as an online cable replacement. These can be cheaper than traditional cable, but not always by much. They’re not as complete, as they...

Charter is trying to convince the government that consumers will benefit if it is allowed to create a cable giant through its proposed $67.1 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House. The company says it will roll out faster Internet with no data caps for Time Warner Cable and Bright House customers for less money than a comparable service could. It is also pledging to continue its policy of not blocking or slowing traffic, or establishing paid fast lanes for some content. The government’s new “net neutrality” rules prohibit those practices, though Internet providers have sued to...

In the aftermath of Comcast’s decision to walk away from buying Time Warner Cable, some winners and losers are emerging. The combined company would have created an Internet and TV behemoth with unprecedented power over what Americans download and watch. It would have served nearly 30 percent of video subscribers and 55 percent of the country’s broadband homes. It also would have controlled NBCUniversal, home to NBC, cable networks including Bravo and film studio Universal Pictures. But consumer advocates and Internet activists had railed against the deal from the start, saying it would limit consumer choices and lead to higher prices. And ultimately...