Tag Archives: Federal Communications Commission

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A really, really bad idea …Al Franken


 

If you’ve been keeping up with the fight to stop media consolidation, you know what we’re worried about: the prospect of just a few enormous corporations controlling the flow of information in America.

 That’s why the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is a really, really bad idea.

 It would create a wireless juggernaut so powerful that only Verizon could hope to compete (Sprint would likely wither away or get eaten up by one of the new Big Two). These two monoliths could raise prices or reduce the quality of service with no concern that their customers will go somewhere else — because there won’t be anywhere else for them to go. This is bad for consumers, obviously — but it’s also bad for an industry so critical to our economy.

 Meanwhile, the merger would be a bad blow for net neutrality, allowing the Big Two unprecedented control over what content we can access on wireless networks — and at what speed.

 And if that weren’t enough, AT&T estimates that it will save $3 billion a year in “operational savings” and “cost synergies,” which sounds to me like layoffs, and lots of them — maybe thousands or even tens of thousands of lost jobs.

Let’s see — higher prices, worse service, less innovation, reduced competition, AND lost jobs? Sounds like a really, really bad idea to me.

 I’m going to fight this merger, and I hope you’re ready to help. Stay tuned.

 Thanks,

 

 Al

 PS: Our efforts are not funded by corporations and massive unlimited contributions, we rely on small individual donations from supporters like you. Can you pitch in $5 or $10 to help us keep growing our grassroots team?

~ my 2cents ...

This week in the Senate … the Republican led House


This Week –

**Monday in the Senate: Confirmation of Executive Calendar, Jimmie V. Reyna, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge;

Confirmed: 86-0  … First Latino on Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

**S.493 small biz –High Tech Start Ups

**GOP submits FY2012 Budget

**H.R4, 1099 Repeal HC Law Tax Reporting Rule

**Negotiations on amendments resume

**Net Neutrality and EPA

This Week –

**Monday in the House: H.R. 1246  to reduce the amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for printing and reproduction

**HRes 200 Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 37) disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to regulating the Internet and broadband industry practices.

**Leaders are at the White House discussing the Budget – Boehner and his Freshman Tea Party members?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Republican​s vote to eliminate net neutrality


By now you may have heard the news: Republicans in the House of Representatives voted last week to block the FCC from enforcing its new net neutrality regulations.

As I’ve said before, these regulations weren’t nearly good enough to ensure that the Internet remains free and open. But they were a step in the right direction. And by voting to eliminate them, House Republicans declared their willingness to let big corporations control the Internet.

We know what this could mean for American consumers — less diversity of viewpoints, less access to independent content through services like Netflix, and higher prices for Internet service.

The good news is that the Senate still has a chance to stop this special interest power play. I’m working as hard as I can to build support for net neutrality in the Senate — but I’m not the only one talking to my colleagues. These corporations have lobbyists of their own, lots of them, and they’re descending upon Capitol Hill en masse.

The only way we’re going to save net neutrality is if ordinary Americans make their voices heard. I’ll update you soon — but for now, please forward this email to your friends and ask them to join our campaign by linking up with me on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks — and stay tuned.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Netflix under attack


Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Don't let Comcast block Netflix!
 

Tell the FCC: Protect the open Internet!

BREAKING: The New York Times just reported that Comcast is blocking Netflix unless a new fee is paid to Comcast — so Netflix’s price goes up and people use Comcast’s video service instead.

This outrageous abuse of power by Comcast comes on the very week that President Obama’s FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will announce whether he’ll fulfill Obama’s promise to protect the open Internet and Net Neutrality — which would prevent this type of corporate abuse.

The FCC needs to hear from us now, before the chairman’s big announcement this week.

Sign our message to the FCC: “Don’t let Comcast block Netflix or other online innovators for their own profit! Support the strongest Net Neutrality protections possible — and keep Obama’s promise.” Click here.

Then, please tell your friends. We’ll deliver thousands of messages to the FCC this week. Sign here.

What else could Comcast do if the FCC doesn’t protect Net Neutrality?

Internet providers like Comcast can drive their financial competitors (or political opponents) out of business by charging them more, for no good reason — exactly what’s happening right now.

For instance, Comcast could block or degrade iTunes, which competes with Comcast’s own online music store.

Worse, the FCC will soon decide whether to allow Comcast to buy NBC! Can you imagine what Comcast will do to block customers from getting video from ABC, CBS, and other media outlets? This is way more serious than just movies — the FCC’s decision impacts pretty much everything.

Tell the FCC to stop Comcast’s abuse of power and protect the open Internet. Click here — then pass it on.

Thanks for being a bold progressive,

Jason Rosenbaum, Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Forrest Brown, and the PCCC team

P.S. You can read excerpts from the New York Times story on the petition page.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Great article by OK Go lead singer


We wanted to pass along this great column about Net Neutrality written by the lead singer of the band OK Go.The article, printed in Sunday’s Washington Post, explains really well why a free and open Internet is so important, from the point of view of one of the most creative people anywhere online.

Give it a read. As Senator Al Franken recently said, Net Neutrality is the “First Amendment issue of our time,” so it’s crucial we spread the word about threats to it—after you check it out, please click here to easily share it on Facebook and Twitter:
Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Kat, Amy, Jeff, and the rest of the team

OK Go on net neutrality: A lesson from the music industry

By Damian Kulash
Sunday, August 29, 2010

On the Internet, when I send my ones and zeros somewhere, they shouldn’t have to wait in line behind the ones and zeros of wealthier people or corporations. That’s the way the Net was designed, and it’s central to a concept called “net neutrality,” which ensures that Internet service providers can’t pick favorites.

Recently, though, big telecommunications companies have argued that their investment in the Net’s infrastructure should allow them more control over how it’s used. The concerned nerds of the world are up in arms, and there’s been a long, loud public debate, during which the Federal Communications Commission appeared to develop a plan to preserve net neutrality.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

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