Crossposted from the Daily Yonder Please don’t break the Internet before rural America gets it. The Wall Street Journal reported last week the Federal Communications Commission will consider “new rules on Internet traffic that would allow broadband providers to charge companies a premium for access to their fastest lanes.”
Below is an excerpt from a journal article written by Lyell Davis, from the Radical History Review. Building a National Media Justice Movement: An Interview with Betty Yu, Membership Organizer, Media Action Grassroots Network, the Center for Media Justice
The below is an exerpt from and article by Network Coordinator Betty Yu, featured on Fair.org. In February, Comcast announced its proposal to merge with Time Warner Cable in a $45 billion deal between the top two US cable companies. If approved, this unified media company would control a massive television and Internet market of more than 30 million subscribers across the US’s largest media markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. This merger would lead to a single company controlling roughly two-thirds of the cable market, and broadband access for more than one-third of US consumers.
On March 14th the Open Technology Initiative and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights hosted a discussion about the impact of Big Data on communities of color. Panelists presented a set of civil and human rights principles of which Center for Media Justice, representing MAG-Net as part of the Civil Rights Table was involved in crafting. Below you'll find additional information about the event as well as participants. Video streaming by Ustream Description: How will new, innovative technologies benefit all individuals and help alleviate social and economic inequalities? As the urge to collect and categorize vast quantities of data about our digital behavior becomes more widespread, big data presents new opportunities and profound challenges for individuals' civil liberties and civil rights, and especially for communities of color, women, and other historically disadvantaged groups.
Technological progress should bring greater safety, economic opportunity, and convenience to everyone. And the collection of new types of data is essential for documenting persistent inequality and discrimination. At the same time, as new technologies allow companies and government to gain greater insight into our lives, it is vitally important that these technologies be designed and used in ways that respect the values of equal opportunity and equal justice. We aim to:
1) Briefly introduce the work of the Peoples Press Project and describe the region you're located in, Fargo-Moorhead. The People’s Press Project (also known as PPP) was created as a new organization in April 2010 to address the lack of media access and equity in rural ND and MN. The PPP is located in Moorhead Read more
The San Francisco Bay Area is often seen across the country as a “blue” outpost and a place where liberal ideas predominate. This image is especially widespread in media reports which emphasize cultural and political innovations. But the local media system which indulges in the self-congratulatory blather is itself a retrograde example of corporate consolidation and dominance. More like Texas than Vermont, if you like.
Ren is the DJ hosted by CMJ's own DJ Ren (aka Steven Renderos) kicks off it's debut podcast with a two-part discussion with Minneapolis-based DJ/producer BK-One. In Part 1, BK-One aka Brendan Kelly talks about his involvement with Twin Cities Community Radio, how he came to be Brother Ali's DJ and the role of the Internet for independent artists.
For over ten years a coalition of organizations and individuals has been asking the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) to lower the cost of calling prison, jail or detention centers. Our network, the Media Action Grassroots Network was at the forefront of the fight through our work in the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice. Together along with our allies last August we finally won! The FCC set new lower rates which take effect February 2014.
On Tuesday, a federal court struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Open Internet Order. The ruling means that companies like AT&T and Verizon can censor, block and interfere with Internet traffic and content.