As citizens, we rely on multiple sources of information to form opinions and cast ballots. But letting this deal go through would make it even harder for independent and diverse voices to break through on the TV dial and get airtime.
This merger can’t happen without the FCC’s approval -- and they’re taking public comments. Submit a comment to the FCC today!
Verizon could do worse and I think that Verizon knows that. But damn, did they over pay for it.
This deal makes sense if there is no such thing as net neutrality: you simply create latency on any other source of content that isn't your own to herd subscribers to your outlets.
{sarcasm} excellent {/sarcasm}
The resolution of disapproval Rep. Doug Collins just introduced would destroy Net Neutrality and invalidate the new FCC rules.
Millions of people urged the FCC to pass these protections, which are based on decades of solid law and a bipartisan legal framework.
I urge you to stand with Team Internet and speak out in opposition to this resolution.
Regardless of the FCC ruling, the politics of the Net Neutrality fight boil down to any combination of court challenges or congressional attemptes to undermine the FCC ruling. $ 57k (the second industry on this list) might be a tidy amount for either of us to earn annually, but it is a drop in the bucket for most internet service providers. I'd be willing to bet that it would make for a very nice luncheon with the ladies for my ISP.
Bad news: we cannot give up the fight for net neutrality any time soon.
[TAKE ACTION] Tell your elected officials in Washington, D.C. that you want the Comcast/Time Warner Mega Merger stopped cold!
If you're sick and tired of skyrocketing cable TV and Internet rates, and lousy customer service, then take a minute and join me in opposing Comcast's takeover of Time Warner Cable.
If this mega-merger is allowed to go through, Comcast will dominate much of the nation's TV and Internet marketplace, and be in 19 of the 20 largest cities. When one company has that much control, you can bet we'll get hit with even higher prices and fewer program choices!
The Senate is holding its first hearing on this bad deal Wednesday. I just sent a message of opposition to my members of Congress you can do the same by going to Consumers Union's website. It only takes a minute, and it's important our elected officials know that we are fed up with giant conglomerates draining our wallets.
The proposed Comcast–Time Warner Cable deal would create a television and Internet colossus like no other.
Comcast is the country’s #1 cable and Internet company and Time Warner Cable is #2. Put them together and you get a single giant controlling a massive share of our nation’s TV and Internet-access markets.
Putting this much power in the hands of one company is dangerous. This deal would lead to less consumer choice, less diversity and higher cable bills.
Please take the necessary steps to block this merger.
Americans are deeply concerned about NSA surveillance.
But the NSA’s not the only problem. An outdated law says the IRS and hundreds of other agencies can read our communications without a warrant.
That law, known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), was written over 25 years ago, before the services we use today even existed.
Right now, several bills in Congress would fix this by updating ECPA to require a warrant, but regulatory bodies are blocking reform in order to gain new powers of warrantless access.
We call on the Obama Administration to support ECPA reform and to reject any special rules that would force online service providers to disclose our email without a warrant.
Congress now faces a stark choice on the NSA and civil liberties.
A bill sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein -- the FISA Improvements Act -- would make matters worse.
In sharp contrast, a bill sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative James Sensenbrenner -- the USA FREEDOM Act – would take major strides toward ending NSA abuses.
Rep. John Conyers quoted in Snowden’s Whistleblowing Creates Climate for Critical House Vote on NSA Surveillance | The Dissenter.
You can take action on that vote here.
Jeez, where do I start on tagging this image...
Two different versions of the PRISM scandal were emerging on Thursday with Silicon Valley executives denying all knowledge of the top secret program that gives the National Security Agency direct access to the internet giants' servers.
The eavesdropping program is detailed in the form of PowerPoint slides in a leaked NSA document, seen and authenticated by the Guardian, which states that it is based on "legally-compelled collection" but operates with the "assistance of communications providers in the US."
Each of the 41 slides in the document displays prominently the corporate logos of the tech companies claimed to be taking part in PRISM.
However, senior executives from the internet companies expressed surprise and shock and insisted that no direct access to servers had been offered to any government agency.
The top-secret NSA briefing presentation set out details of the PRISM program, which it said granted access to records such as emails, chat conversations, voice calls, documents and more. The presentation the listed dates when document collection began for each company, and said PRISM enabled "direct access from the servers of these US service providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Paltalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple".
Senior officials with knowledge of the situation within the tech giants admitted to being confused by the NSA revelations, and said if such data collection was taking place, it was without companies' knowledge.
AT&T’s plan to take over T-Mobile is about gouging consumers, destroying a competitor and firing an estimated 20,000 American workers.
We at Free Press have warned about this from day one. Now, in a letter that was inadvertently leaked, one of AT&T's own lawyers has confirmed it. The letter reveals the merger has nothing to do with expanding AT&T’s coverage to 97 percent of the country – the main argument the company has made to gain Washington’s support – and everything to do with eliminating the cheaper T-Mobile option from the marketplace (and laying off half of its workforce) to pad company profits.
Every AT&T argument about the supposed benefits of this merger has now been proven wrong. As AT&T’s case unravels, President Barack Obama must speak out against this dangerous deal.
Sign this letter to the president and let him know that we can’t afford to lose tens of thousands of American jobs just to keep AT&T happy.
Raiding 911 funds is an easy way for politicians to scoop up loose cash, far easier then taxing the rich. And the telecoms are happy to charge outrageous subscription fees.
“In a long-anticipated ruling last week, the FCC adopted a regulation that could dramatically improve our wireless devices. The rule offered a brand new and much-improved slice of the radio space for unlicensed use. The new frequencies are known as “white spaces”—the waves that were freed up when TV channels switched from analog to digital transmission last year—and unlike the garbage band, they’re considered prime real estate. Radio waves on white-space frequencies can travel for miles, they’re much better at penetrating walls and buildings, and they’re capable of carrying lots of data.”
—
Farhad Manjoo (via aatombomb)
Do you actually think that the likes of Sprint, Verizon and AT&T will actually let municipalities roll out publicly funded and supported internet service?
If you do, explain to me how they aren't greedy enough and loaded with enough money to buy this spectrum by means of lobbying, campaign donations and running endless radio and television ads to zombify citizens in to believing that Usama bin Laden will use Super Wi-Fi to bring the national power grid down.
