Hope is fading for Network Neutrality. That is unfortunate because sensible rules governing the Internet could be adopted but are falling victim to the politics of timidity. The FCC must reclassify broadband as a telecom service. If the Commission does not, Net Neutrality is dead.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski let the world hear about his long-awaited Net Neutrality plan. The proposal is an attempt to formalize Net Neutrality. While big telecom companies applaud Genachowski's plan, longtime advocates of Net Neutrality aren't nearly as satisfied. So what are they so upset about?
The future of the Internet could be determined by a small group of federal officials this month. That may sound overblown, but some consumer and industry groups insist the stakes are that high in a vote the FCC will take Dec. 21 to decide what rules it should enact to govern "openness" on the Internet and to ensure Net Neutrality.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, one of two critical Democratic votes that agency's Chairman Julius Genachowski will need to adopt new rules of the road for the Internet, signaled that his support won't come easy.
AT&T has spoken more frequently than any other company with federal officials as they near a decision on rules that may restrict how carriers offer mobile Internet service, according to regulatory filings.
If the merger between Comcast and NBC is to be approved, the merged company must be made to provide content not only to rival cable systems but also to Internet-only rivals, on reasonable terms. And it should also commit, in a legally binding way, to offer reasonably priced broadband subscriptions independent of its TV bundles.
At a time when a small number of giant media corporations already control what the American people see, hear and read, we don't need another conglomerate with more control over the production and distribution of news and other programming. What we need is less concentration of ownership, more diversity, more local ownership -- and more viewpoints.
A minority media group is taking its opposition to the Comcast-NBC Universal merger directly to President Barack Obama, citing his promises to foster diversity and fight corruption.
Web-based cable operator ivi TV says it's joining the opposition, albeit belatedly, lined up against the Comcast acquisition of NBC Universal, saying the deal as it presently stands is anti-competitive.
There are many different yard sticks to measure the health and quality of a local news ecosystem. We track ad revenue and audience numbers. We count the number of news outlets and look at the number of newsroom job losses. We watch out for journalism innovators and interesting partnerships. But occasionally in all of these examinations we lose sight of the forest for the trees.
The past week has seen plenty of ink spilled -- virtual and otherwise -- about WikiLeaks. Why should we care about any of this? Because more than anything else, WikiLeaks is a publisher -- a new kind of publisher, but a publisher nonetheless -- and that makes this a freedom of the press issue. Like it or not, WikiLeaks is fundamentally a journalistic entity, and as such it deserves our protection.
Suddenly there are a lot of moving parts on the media landscape. And what's really interesting is that they all seem to be moving in the same direction.
According to new research, more than 32 million people flock to the Daily Mail's site every month. Its growth curve has been remarkable: Created only two years ago, Mail Online now has the second-largest Web audience of any paper in the world, behind only Nytimes.com, the combined site of the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune.
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