Day two of President-Elect Barack Obama’s transition to the White House, and already he came out strong for media reform.

Yesterday he laid out his science and technology agenda, prominently highlighting three core issues that Free Press and our activists work toward everyday. His very first two points marked a commitment to preserving Net Neutrality and promoting diversity in the media.

The plan says an Obama administration will:

• Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.
• Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership: Barack Obama believes that the nation’s rules ensuring diversity of media ownership are critical to the public interest. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the Federal Communications Commission has promoted the concept of consolidation over diversity. As president, Obama will encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation’s spectrum.

Obama’s agenda echoes the technology platform that he ran on as a candidate. While we’re encouraged to see that President-elect Obama is honoring pledges made during his candidacy, getting meaningful legal protections for Net Neutrality and against further consolidation is going to take real fighting commitment once he enters the White House.

Another uphill battle, but one Obama seems committed to fighting, is to close the digital divide and ensure that all Americans have access to high-speed Internet.

His administration will:

• Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama believes that America should lead the world in broadband penetration and Internet access. As a country, we have ensured that every American has access to telephone service and electricity, regardless of economic status, and Obama will do likewise for broadband Internet access. Obama and Biden believe we can get true broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.

Just as it isn’t too soon for Obama to make plans for the future of our country’s media, it’s not too soon for the public to inject their voice in the process. His administration is asking for ideas from you, so make sure he hears you loud and clear – we want an open Internet, diversity in media ownership, and widespread broadband access.

What else do we want? That’s up to you. Submit your ideas today.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 10:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized.-->