| NET NEUTRALITY FIGHT WILL CONTINUE: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote last week to repeal net neutrality won't end the fight over the regulation. Opponents are already lining up to sue the agency, which voted 3-2 to scrap the rules on Thursday, while Democrats are pushing legislation that would prevent the repeal from going into effect. The FCC said that the net neutrality repeal has to be approved by the Office of Management and Budget before it can go into effect -- a process that could take months. As a result of Thursday's vote, internet service providers will no longer be prohibited from blocking or throttling websites, or charging sites for faster speeds. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's plan will also preempt states from passing their own net neutrality regulations. Pai argues that he's not leaving the industry without oversight, saying that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will be able to take the FCC's place as the internet's watchdog and prevent broadband providers from abusing their powers. But critics say that the FTC is unequipped to ensure that the companies play fairly. It's still unclear what changes internet users will see under the new system. The broadband industry, which was the driving force behind the rollback, is trying to assure consumers that their internet experience will not change. Michael Powell, a former FCC chairman who heads the cable and internet provider trade group NCTA, said the industry is not interested in discriminating against certain websites. "Your internet Thursday afternoon will not change in any significant or substantial way from the internet you're experiencing today, nor will it be different next week, nor will it be different on a Thursday a year from now," Powell told reporters on Wednesday. But net neutrality's supporters warn that deregulating the internet gatekeepers is going to upend the way startups can harness the internet to grow their businesses. Broadband companies like Verizon and Comcast, critics warn, will be able to charge users more for certain content, or prioritize their own content with better speeds. Read more here. Please send your tips, comments and holiday wish lists to Ali Breland (abreland@thehill.com) and Harper Neidig (hneidig@thehill.com) and follow us on Twitter: @alibreland and @hneidig. We're also on Signal and WhatsApp. Email or DM us for our numbers. SCHUMER: SENATE WILL VOTE ON BLOCKING NET NEUTRALITY REPEAL: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday that he intends to force a vote on a bill that would preserve Obama-era net neutrality rules, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to repeal this week. Democrats want to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC's decision. The CRA gives Congress the ability, with a majority in the House and Senate, to repeal agency rules. Republicans employed the tactic frequently during the first half of the year to roll back rules passed during the last days of the Obama administration. "One, this CRA doesn't need the support of the majority leader," Schumer said during a press conference at WeWork's headquarters in New York. "We can bring it to the floor and force a vote. So, there will be a vote to repeal the rule that the FCC passed." But with Republicans in control of both chambers, the bill will have long odds. Read more here. MAJOR TECH TRADE GROUP BACKS GOP TAX BILL: A major trade association representing the technology industry on Monday announced its formal support for the final version of the GOP tax bill. The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) said in a letter to members of Congress that it believes the bill will benefit the technology industry. "We are pleased to see that this critical legislation includes a permanent, competitive corporate rate, moves to a territorial system and creates powerful incentives for innovation including a permanent Research and Development Credit, and a tax incentive for income made abroad on intellectual property held in the United States," ITI President Dean Garfield wrote in the letter to leaders in both chambers. The Washington-based ITI lobbies on behalf of major technology firms like Google, Amazon, Oracle and IBM. The tech industry had lobbied in favor of a research and development credit, decreased corporate tax rates and incentives to bring intellectual property stored overseas back to the U.S. Read more here. TWITTER'S NEW CRACKDOWN ON HATE SPEECH: Twitter began enforcing new policies to combat hate speech and abusive behavior on the platform Monday, leading to the suspension of several accounts associated with white nationalism. As part of its new approach, Twitter says it will now start banning accounts that affiliate with groups "that use or promote violence against civilians to further their causes." The company says that government entities are exempt from this policy. Twitter began to act on the new policy Monday morning, suspending several prominent accounts involved in white nationalism or the August white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va. The site also cracked down on a far-right British activist who had been retweeted by President Trump, as well as several other accounts associated with her ultranationalist group. Twitter will also expand their ban on violent threats to include content that glorifies violence. Read more here. REGULATORS EYE BITCOIN: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rallied to all time highs this past week, attracting new attention from U.S. regulators. Professional and amateur investors are flocking to the digital currencies as they explode in value. That's left lawmakers and regulators scrambling to understand the technology behind digital currencies and their implications on financial markets. "It's something that they're just trying to get their arms around," said a lobbyist representing financial services companies. "The reality is the speed at which the technology is evolving is much more than what regulators are able to keep up with at this point in time." Traders have looked to cash in on the skyrocketing value of digital currencies as commodity prices and bond yields falter. Several regulated exchanges have begun listing or preparing to trade bitcoin derivatives, bets on the future performance of the currency, this week. The surge in digital currencies has put the traditional financial sector and policymakers on edge. Read more here. FACEBOOK CONTENT RESTRICTIONS SOARED IN FIRST HALF OF 2017: Facebook says that the number of times it removed content from its platform at the request of local law enforcement skyrocketed in the first half of the year after it cracked down on a viral video of a Mexican school shooting. According to Facebook's midyear transparency report, the company restricted content that violated local law 28,036 times in the first half of 2017 -- a 304 percent increase from the second half of 2016. More than 20,000 of those restrictions were of a gruesome video showing a January school shooting in Monterrey, Mexico, in which a 15-year-old student wounded three students and a teacher before killing himself. Read more here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Wired: Koch Brothers go after municipal internet The Intercept: The call for public broadband after the net neutrality repeal Facebook to crackdown on engagement bait The Wall Street Journal: Social-media stars are turning heads--of regulators The Ringer: Facebook admits it has a bad side | 
