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.
In the fight for Net Neutrality, we can’t get lost in the nuance. Internet Service Providers would have us believe that certain types of network prioritization are innocuous. In truth, there’s a litany of hidden harms in any attempt to shape Internet traffic.
The largest Internet service providers have long paid lip service to connecting America’s rural areas to broadband, even as rural residents remain without service because these ISPs fail to connect them.
Last week, Free Press and SaveTheNews.org joined thousands of concerned citizens to file comments with the Federal Trade Commission on policy ideas to improve the future of journalism in America. The agency is collecting public comments in advance of its two-day workshop in December on the state of the news in our digital economy.
The high-profile workshop comes on the heels of a number of reports this year advocating for a central role for government in addressing the news and information needs of our communities.
It's good to see that Congress is waking up to Verizon's outrageous early-termination fees, which were recently doubled to $350 for "advanced devices" (read: smart phones).
Today, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) expressed her opposition to the fee, calling it "anti-competitive and anti-consumer."
Last week, we asked you to send your thoughts and ideas about the future of the news to the Federal Trade Commission as part of its inquiry into the state of journalism. The response was overwhelming: More than 2,000 citizens submitted comments to the agency through SavetheNews.org.
In December, the FTC will hold workshops on journalism and the news in our digital economy, and will consider what role policymakers should play in supporting journalism.
The public outpouring clearly shows that people are concerned about these issues, and that they favor a central role for the government in supporting healthy and vibrant journalism. What that role should be, however, was hotly debated.
Net Neutrality opponents would have us believe that an open Internet is bad for business. Funny then, that folks from the business and tech sectors have been penning editorials in recent weeks to make the case that Net Neutrality is actually pro-business and pro-job growth.
Late last week, the Federal Communications Commission announced it was seeking public input on draft rules that would codify and supplement existing Internet openness principles. This was another chapter in the ongoing "Net neutrality" debate.
The high tech industry will play a significant role in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as long as the Internet remains a level playing field.
