The U.S. Senate voted 96-0 to hold Backpage.com in contempt for allegedly refusing to cooperate with an investigation over sex-trafficking ads. The resolution directs the Senate's legal counsel to sue the site in federal court. Backpage said in a statement that it “looks forward to a proper consideration of the important First Amendment constitutional issues by the judiciary -- the branch of government charged with protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans.”

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing today on lawsuits filed by the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, which are challenging an FCC decision to nix restrictions on muni-broadband. Judges reportedly had "tough questions" for each side.

AT&T and Comcast have successfully lobbied against a bill that would have enabled the expansion of high-speed municipal broadband in Tennessee. Twenty-seven broadband industry lobbyists opposed the proposal, which was defeated by a 5-3 vote. "It's a testament to the power of lobbying against this bill and not listening to our electorate," said Rep. Kevin Brooks, who proposed the bill, according to DSLReports. "The voice of the people today was not heard. And that's unfortunate."

Former counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke says the FBI "is not as interested in solving the problem as they are in getting a legal precedent." He adds: "Every expert I know believes the NSA could crack this phone. They want the precedent that government could compel a device manufacturer to let the government in."

Moody's says that the FCC's planned privacy rules will leave broadband providers "severely handicapped" in their battle with digital advertisers like Facebook and Google, Reuters reports. The rules, proposed last week by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, would require broadband providers to get consumers' opt-in consent before using their Web-surfing data for online behavioral advertising. Moody's says it believes that proposal poses "a long-term risk to the current TV advertising business model, as well as all broadband providers whom also have ad sales exposure."

Mediacom says it plans to bring Gigabit Web service to all 3 million homes and businesses within its 22-state footprint. "Unlike some other 1-Gig providers whose services are limited to selected neighborhoods and/or are relying on federal, state or local taxpayer subsidies, Mediacom will invest its own money to make gigabit speeds available to essentially all of the residences and businesses along its network," the company stated today, according to DSLReports. The initiative could launch later this year.

The Justice Department is in a standoff with Facebook's WhatsApp over encryption. The authorities have obtained a wiretap order for a WhatsApp account, but can't read the messages due to the company's encryption technology. Some investigators want the Justice Department to seek a court order demanding that WhatsApp help access the information, but others don't want to escalate the dispute, according to The New York Times.

Google Fiber has been striking deals for utility pole access with Portland General Electric and Pacific Power -- apparently in preparing to launch Gigabit broadband service in Portland, Oregon. Google also is trying to forge a deal with CenturyLink for access to poles.

If cable companies can no longer rake in $20 billion a year in rental fees for set-top boxes, they'll start charging more for TV, according to a new report by New Street Research analyst Jonathan Chaplin. “STB revenue is just video revenue in disguise,” he writes, according to Consumerist. The report comes as the FCC is considering a Google-backed proposal to "unlock" set-top boxes.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler wants to make broadband providers to get customers’ permission before making use of the data they collect. “It’s just a proposal at this point, but the rules would apply to both mobile and home broadband and require services to get explicit permission to use most types of information,” Re/code reports.