

Bitcoin trader Kolin Burges, right, of London and American Aaron (only his first name was given) hold protest signs as they conduct a sit-in in front of the office tower housing Mt. Gox in Tokyo Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Kaori Hitomi)

Published every weekday, the Switchboard highlights five tech policy stories you need to read.

Bitcoin exchanges probed over shuttered drug market. "U.S. authorities have opened a new front in their investigation into bitcoin exchanges and other businesses that deal in the online currency," the Wall Street Journal reports, "examining possible ties between the firms and the online drug bazaar Silk Road, according to people familiar with the matter."

For Do Not Call violations, Sprint will pay FCC $7.5M in largest ever settlement. "On Monday, Sprint agreed to pay the Federal Communications Commission $7.5 million to resolve violations of the Do Not Call registry — the largest settlement payout ever," reports Ars Technica. "The program first began in 2003 as a way to allow Americans to opt out of unsolicited sales calls."

AT&T’s lobby force seeks redemption. "AT&T’s expansive lobbying operation is seeking redemption as it tries to win approval of a $49 billion merger with DirecTV," reports The Hill. "The company tried and failed to purchase competitor T-Mobile in 2011, when federal regulators dashed the company’s hopes of further expanding into the booming cellphone market."

Weather forecast: WiFi storms make meteorologists look mad. "A problem in a world of global WiFi equipment is that global spectrum allocations aren't consistent, and in some places, kit clashes with applications like weather radar," according to The Register. "A group of Austrian researchers is looking at how to clean up radar images spoiled by nearby WiFi kit."

Why you shouldn't freak out about AT&T buying DirecTV. "DirecTV is not a significant broadband provider, so combining the two firms won't increase AT&T's leverage in negotiations with the rest of the Internet," explains Vox.