Net neutrality gets a surprise victory, YouTube rethinks its subscription service and eBay gets personalized (again). It's The Daily Crunch for May 17, 2018. 1. After Senate victory, House announces plans to force its own vote on net neutrality In a surprise move (given the Republican majority), the Senate voted 52-47 to reject the recent FCC order that replaces the net neutrality rules approved in 2015. To be clear, the FCC's "Restoring Internet Freedom" rule is still set to take effect in June — to stop it, a similar bill would have to pass in the House and be signed by President Trump. Representative Mike Doyle has announced plan to force a vote in the House, but the odds seem stacked against it. 2. YouTube revamps its Red subscription service to offer standalone music streaming YouTube Music will launch on May 22 and cost $9.99 per month. There will also be a free, ad-supported version, but it won't include premium features such as background listening, song downloads and music discovery features. 3. How ZTE became the focal point of US/China relations It's like a story ripped from the pages of some Cold War thriller — except instead of Jason Bourne, it's that one budget smartphone company that you've maybe heard of. 4. With its new 'Interests' feature, eBay again tries to personalize its marketplace You could argue that eBay has had a little bit of Pinterest envy. 5. Bannon and Cambridge Analytica planned suppression of black voters, whistleblower tells Senate "One of the things that provoked me to leave was discussions about 'voter disengagement' and the idea of targeting African Americans," said former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Wylie — though he also said he didn't participate in these programs and can't comment on specifics. 6. Apple reportedly looks to Virginia for another US campus According to a report in The Washington Post, Apple has been searching for places to put hubs as it contemplates how to spend the $30 billion it has committed for new facilities over the next five years — and it looks like Virginia is on the list. 7. Pluralsight prices its IPO at $15 per share, raising over $300M Pluralsight offers software development courses, specifically ones targeting employees that are looking to advance in their careers by acquiring new skills in order to transition to higher-level roles. |