The last time the FCC gathered public comment on Net Neutrality, Comcast paid people to fill seats so that people who care about an open and free internet couldn't get in the building. Next week, the FCC is coming to Stanford, Thursday from noon until 7 PM. Public comment is slated for 4:30 and with Comcast currently under official FCC investigation after the AP busted them for data discrimination, expect problems getting seats.
We are in a unique moment in history when we can help to decide whether we have a closed Internet controlled by a small handful of giant corporations, or an open Internet controlled by the people who use it. Now is the time to speak up for an open internet free from corporate gatekeepers.
It is rare for all five members of the Federal Communications Commission to leave Washington, D.C., and they want to hear from you. There will be a public comment period - come speak up to save the Internet!
In 1983, 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the U.S.
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in 2000, the number had fallen to six. Since then, there have been more mergers and the scope has expanded to include new media like the Internet market. More than 1 in 4 Internet users in the U.S. now log in with AOL Time-Warner, the world's largest media corporation.
In 2004, Bagdikian's revised and expanded book, The New Media Monopoly, shows that only 5 huge corporations -- Time Warner, Disney, Murdoch's News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany, and Viacom (formerly CBS) -- now control most of the media industry in the U.S. General Electric's NBC is a close sixth.
(While this is a national and not a state-focused story, I think everyone on this site will be interested to hear about ways to move toward the goal of universal access. Think about how this could impact local blogs if so many more people in this state could use the Internet, particularly in those underserved areas. It would open up the conversation to include everyone. There's more at my site.)
This is the "chicken in every pot" for the 21st century. And as you will see, it's extremely doable and completely worthwhile for American competition, entrepreneurship and technological advancement.
In short, the FCC is about to auction off a portion of the broadband spectrum. All the major telcos like Verizon and AT&T are expected to bid on the prime real estate. But John Edwards has a better idea. He wants to have the FCC use that spectrum to increase Internet access for all Americans, young or old, rich or poor. This is the text of his letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin:
