jstearns's blog
Debunking The White House's Media Ownership Myths
However, the administration got some of their facts wrong. Below is a copy of their statement, with a few notes and clarifications.
Read more »New Tools for Citizen Aciton
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Selling You on Big Media
Here at Free Press we work on three main areas of media policy. We focuses on issues of media ownership, the future of the Internet, and noncommercial or public media. We have always seen these three issues as intimately connected to the health of our democracy.
A recent story points out the overlap of these three issues and reminds us why each is so vitally important. Last week NBC Universal (owned by General Electric) announced that it was teaming up with an ad agency to create special shows around new products. Now ad writers and company shills will be writing your sitcoms.
Read more »ColorOfChange.org Speaks Out on Net Neutrality
ColorOfChange.org has done incredible work around issues like the Jena 6 and aftermath of Katrina (and many others). To do that, they rely heavily on the Internet to mobilize, and spread their message. In a brief statement, James Rucker of ColorOfChange.org explains the importance of net neutrality, and how it affects their organization.
See the video after the jump...
Read more »Tomorrow is the Day: FCC at Stanford
Tomorrow is the day. All five FCC commissioners will be attending a hearing in Stanford on the future of the Internet.
This is a rare and critical opportunity to send a message directly to policymakers that the public wants an open Internet for all.
WHAT: A Public Hearing on the Future of the
Internet
WHEN: Thursday, April 17, 12:00 p.m. to 7:00
p.m.
WHERE: Stanford University, Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471
Lagunita Drive, Palo Alto
What Broadcasters Don't Want You to Know
In the fall of 2007, the FCC began to address this problem when it approved new rules that would dramatically strengthen and improve reporting requirements for TV stations.
The FCC's old disclosure requirements asked little of TV stations, ensuring that most broadcasters were easily granted their license renewal every time stations reapplied.
A Vote on the Veto
Our best chance to stop media consolidation could clear a big hurdle this week.
On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee will vote on the “Resolution of Disapproval” that North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan introduced last month (Senate Joint Resolution 28). With 18 bipartisan co-sponsors, including Alaska’s Sen. Ted Stevens, the vice chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, the resolution has a good chance of passing.
Read more »Comcast’s About-Face on BitTorrent
Late last year, the Associated Press exposed Comcast for cutting off access to legal file-sharing programs like BitTorrent. Since then, in the face of incredible amounts of evidence to the contrary, Comcast has insisted that it “does not block any Web site, application or Web protocol including peer-to-peer services.”
However, today the Wall Street Journal reported that Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, and BitTorrent were announcing plans to collaborate to distribute large files over the cable company's broadband network. Read more »
Momentum Builds for FCC Veto on Capitol Hill
Last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a “resolution of disapproval” – a bill that would nullify the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to gut media ownership rules. The bill already has nearly 20 co-sponsors.
Yesterday, Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.), Joe Barton (R-Texas), Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) sent a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, stepping up their investigation of the agency’s ability to protect and manage the public’s airwaves.
The Clock is Ticking: 60 Days to Stop Media Consolidation
So the clock is ticking – we have to act now to protect our communities from a massive new wave of media consolidation.
Take action now or read on to find out more about this important new bill.
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