The Switchboard: Democrats push to make the Internet a utility

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 22, 2014, to discuss immigration reform . (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from The Switch team.

In net-neutrality push, Democrats aim to make the Internet a utility. "Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, collected signatures for a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to regulate the Internet like the telephone system," reports National Journal. "Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Al Franken of Minnesota, as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, have signed on, aides confirmed."

Airbnb gears up to launch a complete brand redesign this week. "At least a portion of the announcement is for Airbnb’s new identity, which the company describes as being a 'multi-state moving identity,' a '3D modular symbol,' and 'adaptive to environments,'" according to Venturebeat.

"Hacking online polls and other ways British spies seek to control the Internet." "The secretive British spy agency GCHQ has developed covert tools to seed the internet with false information, including the ability to manipulate the results of online polls," according to The Intercept.

Seattle legalizes Uber, Lyft to operate without caps. GeekWire reports: "Transportation startups like UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar will finally be able to legally operate in Seattle."

America’s ‘freedom’ reputation is on the decline a year after NSA revelations. The Switch's Andrea Peterson reports: "In the wake of the revelations about U.S. surveillance programs from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden last year, the world is less convinced of the U.S.'s respect for personal freedoms, according to new survey results from Pew Research."