42 Civil Rights Groups Support Telecoms against Open Internet

(graphic: Steve Straehley, AllGov)

ALLGOV | Jul 26, 2014 | Noel Brinkerhoff, Steve Straehley

Numerous civil rights groups have sided with the internet provider industry on the issue of net neutrality after getting lucrative partnerships and financial support from telecommunications companies.

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wrapped up its public discussion on a new net neutrality plan, 42 groups representing the interests of several ethnic minority groups had come down on the side of industry, which wants to create faster broadband services for companies willing to pay for them rather than treat the internet like a public utility and allow equal access to all.

The groups claimed “A common carrier approach to broadband regulation would slow down broadband adoption and stifle the growth and innovation of the Internet. Regulating broadband under Title II [giving it common carrier status] would also foster a climate of uncertainty, potentially choke innovation and diminish investment,” in comments to the FCC.

“Simply put, these groups, many of which claim to carry the mantle of Martin Luther King Jr., are saying that Comcast and Verizon should be able to create Internet slow lanes and fast lanes, and such a change would magically improve the lives of non-white Americans,” Lee Fang wrote at Republic Report.

Those organizations siding with the telecoms include the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Urban League, the National Council on Black Civil Participation and the National Action Network, the Council of Korean Americans and the Japanese American Citizens League.

LULAC “has been a dependable ally of the telecom industry while partnering with Comcast for a $5 million civic engagement campaign,” Fang reports, while another group, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, has received significant contributions from Comcast.

The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC), which acts as a law firm for civil rights organizations on telecom matters, has worked with many of the groups opposing common carrier status for the Internet.

MMTC raised more than $1 million from Verizon, AT&T and other telecom companies at fundraising luncheons from 2011 to 2013, according to The Center for Public Integrity.

To Learn More:

Leading Civil Rights Groups Just Sold Out on Net Neutrality (by Lee Fang, Republic Report)

In the Matter of Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet Framework for Broadband Internet Service (Federal Communications Commission)

Civil Rights Group’s FCC Positions Reflect Industry Funding, Critics Say (by Jason McLure, Center for Public Integrity)

Re: In the Matter of Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet, GN Docket No. 14-28 (Letter to FCC)

FCC Set to Say Goodbye to Net Neutrality (by Steve Straehley, AllGov)

Netflix-Comcast Deal May Mark the End of Net Neutrality (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Is Comcast Merger with Time Warner in the Public Interest?

Is Comcast Merger with Time Warner in the Public Interest?
Feb 18, 2014 | Ben Swann

Comcast is preparing to buy up Time Warner combining the nations largest and second largest cable providers spending about 45 million dollars to do so. So why is the Comcast attempt to merge with Time Warner a big deal? Two words: Public Interest. Watch the video to see why Ben says the Public Interest will not be served with this merger.

Do You Have Sucky Internet? This Map Shows It's About to Get Worse For Many Americans

© ValuePenguin.com: What The Combined
Comcast and Time Warner Would
Look Like For Broadband

Do You Have Sucky Internet? This Map Shows It's About to Get Worse For Many Americans
Feb 17, 2014 | Policy Mic

If you live in America, you pay more for worse Internet. Research on the United States' global performance for broadband speed, and the (high) costs at which customers pay for those (low) speeds points to one clear conclusion: Americans are getting screwed by Internet companies.

And it looks like things might get worse. If Comcast's proposed $45.2 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable actually goes through, then the newly formed gigantic company would have ~30 million customers and would dominate cable and Internet service throughout the U.S. This would be a disaster for consumers (as anyone who has had Comcast or Time Warner can attest), and would only make America's broadband cable situation more defunct.

That point is really hammered home when you visualize just how large the Comcast and Time Warner footprint will be. This interactive map shows which parts of the country will have LESS competition if the merger goes through. How does your town fare?
Less competition means a lesser likelihood of rate decreases. It also means that innovation for the service you're paying for will happen at a slower pace, as there is no need to outshine a rival.

So why is this important? In today's ultra-connected world, access to good Internet is critical for business, education, and communication. Companies relay on fast Internet to manage goods and services. Students scour webpages to further their knowledge. News travels lightening-quick across the net. Protests happen through cyber platforms. Hell, the United Nations has even declared Internet access a human right.

And yet ...

The World Economic Forum has ranked the U.S. (the inventor of the Internet) a pathetic 35th out of 148 countries worldwide in terms of broadband Internet bandwidth capacity. There are 34 countries — including Serbia, Mongolia, and Romania — that have better bandwidth capacity than the U.S. I mean, come on. Without competitive Internet speeds, the U.S. is missing out on countless technological and social benefits.

Another crushing report by Point Topic, a broadband market intelligence firm, ranks the United States 58th out of 90 countries for cost of broadband. Why so high? Because cable companies would rather squeeze as much juice as they can out of existing pipelines than upgrade their service. These companies are basically an oligopoly, with low competition and high fees.

If Comcast and Time Warner have their way, consumer satisfaction will only continue to plummet.

But there's still hope for the ultra-cheap, ultra-fast Google Fiber network, right? Well ... not really, don't get your hopes up.

Thousands of Radio Stations Up for Grabs—One Could Be Yours

Thousands of Radio Stations Up for Grabs—One Could Be Yours
June 19, 2013 | Yes Magazine | Jeff Rousset

This is the largest expansion of community radio in U.S. history. It’s also the biggest—and maybe the last—chance for grassroots groups to get on air. 



Nonprofits, labor unions, and community groups have a one-time-only chance this year to own the broadcast airwaves. The FCC has just released free applications for thousands of new noncommercial FM radio licenses. These community radio stations can reach listeners in a radius of 2 to 10 miles, and generate their broadcast signal on just 100 watts—the amount of power consumed by a light bulb.

In some cities—like Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia—a single low power FM station could reach more than 100,000 listeners. Across the country, millions of people will be tuning into these new stations as they go on air over the next few years. Integrating new technology like video and web streaming could give these local radio stations global multimedia reach.

This is the largest expansion of community radio in United States history. It’s also the biggest chance, and probably the final major opportunity, for grassroots groups to get on air.

FCC Applications Available Now!

Prometheus Radio Project, a Philly-based nonprofit where I serve as national organizer, has led a 15-year campaign to challenge corporate control of the media and open up this space on the dial. If you’re potentially interested in starting a station or supporting others to get on air, we want you to sign up for updates. We'll help you navigate the FCC process, and connect you with resources, training materials, and others in your area who you could collaborate with.

We are supporting hundreds of groups to build community radio stations across the country. We’re working with some big partners—like the NAACP, Greenpeace, the National Council of La Raza, and the Communications Workers of America—to get the word out to their constituencies. Prometheus has already helped hundreds of groups, including the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, to build stations as tools for social justice organizing and community expression. We're ready to help more groups get on air.

As the billionaire Koch brothers plan to buy up more of the nation’s media to push their right-wing agenda, now is the time to build progressive media. And with the Internet dominated by large corporations working with government spy agencies like the NSA, radio is a strategic tool for movements and advocates to add to their communications toolbox.

Jeff Roussette wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. He's the national organizer for Prometheus Radio Project.

Discovery News: NASA Reports Huge Coronal Hole - Solar Winds Impacting Now

Discovery News: NASA Reports Huge Coronal Hole - Solar Winds Impacting Now
May 30, 2013 | PEREXUSREX

Municipal Broadband Networks Bridge the Digital Divide As TeleComm Industry Tries To Block Them

Municipal Broadband Networks Bridge the Digital Divide As TeleComm Industry Tries To Block Them
Mar 4, 2013 | democracynow

http://www.democracynow.org - As many as one in 10 Americans cannot get internet connections fast enough for common online activities, such as watching video. Many communities have responded to this "digital divide" by creating their own municipal broadband networks as an alternative to the slow services offered by cable and telephone companies — in order to gain equal access to education, healthcare, and even jobs. more..