Digital rights group OpenMedia has urging Netflix to stop blocking users from accessing the service via virtual private networks. Netflix cracked down on VPNs as part of an effort to enforce licensing deals that restrict the company's ability to stream movies to certain countries. People who use VPNs often are able to circumvent geo-blockades, but that's not the only reason for connecting via a VPN: Some users do so to protect their privacy. “Watching quality content, and knowing that creators are being compensated in the process is great. But we also love our privacy," the Canada-based OpenMedia writes to Netflix. …

As of July 13, Google will no longer display ads for payday loans in the search results. Payday lenders will still appear in the organic results. "We’ll continue to review the effectiveness of this policy, but our hope is that fewer people will be exposed to misleading or harmful products," Google global product policy director David Graff wrote in a blog post.

ESPN and Verizon said Tuesday they settled a lawsuit stemming from Verizon's decision to offer consumers "skinny bundles." The initiative allowed customers to purchase a base package of cable channels for a reduced price. ESPN, which was excluded from the base package, alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that Verizon's move broke a contract between the companies. Settlement terms were not disclosed.

AT&T is expanding its Gigabit broadband service in four cities: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. The company also plans to launch Gigabit broadband in new cities later this year.

Opera has launched a new, unlimited VPN app for iOS. The software blocks ads and trackers, and enables people to access geo-blocked material by routing connections through other countries.

Sixty lawmakers say in a new letter to the Federal Communications Commission that a proposal to unlock set-top boxes will "jeopardize the incredible evolution of video distribution services enabled by generally reasonable regulation." The lawmakers contend that the proposal would "mandate compliance with technical standards that do not yet exist, injecting even greater uncertainty into the marketplace." But Techdirt points out that the FCC's proposal actually would allow cable providers to "use any technology they see fit, and any copy protection they'd like, to ensure their content can be delivered to third-party hardware."

Copyright enforcement outfit Rightscorp crashed Verizon's mail servers in November of 2013 by sending the company more than 2 million invalid takedown notices on the same day. Ten years ago, Verizon only received 6,000 invalid notices each month. Verizon discloses those figures in a recent filing with the U.S. Copyright Office, which is reviewing the current notice-and-takedown system provided for by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Netflix has rolled out a tool that allows Android and iOS users to control how much data they consume by streaming video. People who stick with the default settings will consume 1 GB of data by streaming 3 hours of video. The move comes more than one month after acknowledging that it slowed down speeds to AT&T and Verizon users, in order to curb their data use.  

The Missouri House of Representatives has passed a bill that would further restrict cities and towns from building broadband networks that compete with private cable companies and telecoms. The state already imposes restrictions on municipal broadband, but the new bill would increase them. The state Senate hasn't yet approved the measure.

Only one in three people with broadband service would recommend their provider to another person, according to an Incognito Software Systems study. Despite this lack of enthusiasm, only one in 10 customers have changed providers in the last year. That figure may reflect a lack of options, according to DSLReports. "Recent FCC data suggests that two third of American homes lack access to more than one ISP capable of delivering 25 Mbps broadband," DSLReports writes.