President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order (EO) that directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program for states that the administration determines have artificial intelligence (AI) laws that are overly burdensome. The EO requires FCC Chairman Brendan
Communications, Media & Entertainment
Getting Ready for the 2026 Election – Steps Broadcasters Should Be Taking Now to Avoid Legal Issues with Political Broadcasting
The deadline for candidates in Texas to file for a place on the March 3 primary ballot was this week. Deadlines for filing to become a qualified candidate in other states will follow soon for other primaries that occur in March, and then throughout the first part of 2026. As a result, broadcast stations and…
California’s Updated Right of Publicity Statute Provides Increased Protection and Expedited Relief
Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 683, which makes a significant addition to Civil Code § 3344, California’s Right of Publicity statute. With the amendment, § 3344 now expressly authorizes injunctive relief, which strengthens individuals’ ability to protect their name, image, voice, and likeness from unauthorized use.
Previously, under the…
Travel’s Next Competitive Fault Lines
By Greg Duff
Good Sunday evening from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, December 5, 2025, is below. With last week’s Thanksgiving holiday break, our list of stories this week is longer than usual. Enjoy.
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- Otto Introduces AI Assistant for Business Travel. Seattle-based Otto’s release this past week of its
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The Unfinished Revolution: Why AI's Promise for Travel Remains Mired in Power Struggles
By Greg Duff
Good Saturday afternoon from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, November 21, 2025, is below. Google captured much of the industry’s attention and imagination early in the week with its announcement of new AI-enabled travel booking tools, but it then spent much of the remainder of the…
From a Thousand Flowers to Nipping It in the Bud: What J&J Teaches Us About Evaluating AI Use Cases
By Mia Rendar
“Let a thousand flowers bloom” used to be Johnson & Johnson’s strategy to generative AI innovation. In short order, nearly 900 projects sprouted across the company.
But subsequent internal review revealed that only 10–15% of those projects produced 80% of the value. In response, J&J pivoted. It narrowed its focus to high-impact use cases, and…
B2B and AI: The Twin Engines of Travel's Future?
By Greg Duff
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, November 7, 2025, is below. Expedia’s quarterly earnings report garnered most of the attention this week as Expedia reported relatively strong third quarter results. We’ll include a transcript from this week’s earning release call in next week’s…
AI and the Travel Value Chain: Who Wins in the New Search Economy?
By Greg Duff
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, October 31, 2025, is below. Booking Holdings garnered most of the attention this past week as it reported its third quarter earnings and updated investors on its ongoing artificial intelligence efforts. A copy of the earnings release…
The Growing Influence of ChatGPT on Travel's Future
By Greg Duff
Good Monday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, October 24, 2025, is below. This week’s Update introduces readers to ChatGPT’s new browser, ChatGPT Atlas (and its new Agent Mode), and offers varying views on ChatGPT’s (and similar AI powered platforms’) long term effect on travel, the…
Between the AI Waves: Online Travel Catches Its Breath
By Greg Duff
Good Saturday morning from Seattle . . . Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, October 17, 2025, is below. Compared to last week and its seemingly endless parade of announcements around AI and online travel, this week’s unexpected shortage of announcements provided many of us the opportunity to catch our breath…