Blog

Welcome to the Free Press blog! We post several times a week on everything from Internet access to free speech to media mergers, so check back often to see what we’re up to.

Midnight Train to Dial-Up
Josh Levy
March 5, 2013
An awful bill in Georgia could prevent communities from building their own high-speed Internet networks. We may have less than a week to stop it.
Have You No Sense of Decency, AT&T?
Amy Kroin
February 28, 2013
AT&T — always looking out for the little guy, always thinking of ways to ensure we get great service for affordable prices. Um. Not.
Al Gore Digs Net Neutrality
Josh Levy
February 28, 2013
Here’s something you don’t see every day: A former U.S. vice president talking at length about Net Neutrality and Internet freedom.
The Crisis in Climate-Change Coverage
Josh Stearns
February 25, 2013
The forces that shape U.S. media have not been kind to environmental reporting. Years of media consolidation have led to dramatic layoffs in commercial newsrooms, and environment and science desks are often the first to go.
Meet the New CISPA. Same as the Old CISPA.
Josh Levy
February 15, 2013
Last year, thanks to a public outcry, the effort to pass overreaching cybersecurity legislation stalled in the Senate. Now supporters have reintroduced the House version of that legislation — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). The “new” version is in fact identical to the original CISPA — and poses the same threat to our digital civil liberties and our freedom to connect online.
Georgia Bill Aims to Limit Investment in Internet Networks
Christopher Mitchell
February 12, 2013
The Georgia General Assembly is considering another bill to limit investment in telecommunications networks in the state, an odd proposition when just about everyone agrees that states need as much investment in these networks as possible.
Event: The Crisis in Climate Coverage
Josh Stearns
February 11, 2013

For too long media outlets have treated climate change like a policy debate with two equal and opposing sides, even as the vast weight of science has stacked up on one side of the debate. This tendency to equate unequal arguments, to validate inaccuracies and spin, has undoubtedly slowed much-needed progress toward both broader awareness and better policies.
Bring Dark Money to Account
Timothy Karr
February 8, 2013

Think the election season ended on Nov. 6? Think again.

The shadowy Super PACs and front groups that polluted the airwaves with political ads are already raising millions from corporations and billionaires to batter television viewers with a new wave of ads.
Big Trouble in Little Rock
Josh Stearns
February 7, 2013
When I look at Little Rock, Ark., I see media consolidation. But that’s not what the Federal Communications Commission sees, and that’s a problem.
Is Free Public Wi-Fi Possible?
Timothy Karr
February 6, 2013

The noisy response to a front-page Washington Post story about an alleged government plan to create free public Wi-Fi networks indicates public enthusiasm for cheaper Internet access in America. If only it were so simple.