FCC

The #InternetSlowdown Was Epic

September 12, 2014 Candace Clement, www.freepress.net Organize! Direct Action, FCC, Net Neutrality

The Internet Slowdown surpassed all of our (already high) expectations. It drove more than 2 million emails and nearly 300,000 calls (averaging 1,000 per minute) to Congress. On top of that so many pro-Net Neutrality comments were filed (722,364 to be exact) that the FCC's site broke (again). Politicians in both the House and Senate got in on the action, major websites spread the word, and by midday it was impossible to keep up with the #NetNeutrality traffic on Twitter. As huge as the slowdown was, it was just the beginning. Here's a sneak peek at what's up next: ▪ Final deadline for comments to the FCC. It's coming up on Monday ... so submit your comment if you haven't already and tell all your friends to do the same. ▪ Save the Internet lunchtime rallies in New York City and Philly. Live nearby? Join us this Monday at 12:30 p.m. ▪ Net Neutrality Action at the FCC. Thousands across the country have called for public hearings on Net Neutrality. On Sept. 16, we'll bring that message right to the FCC's doorstep.

Largest Online Advocacy Groups To FCC: Get Out Of D.C.

September 10, 2014 Timothy Karr, www.freepress.net Organize! FCC, Net Neutrality, Protest

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, 27 of the nation’s largest online advocacy groups submitted a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler urging the agency to participate in at least four town hall-style public hearings outside the Beltway before ruling on Chairman Wheeler’s Internet proposal. Earlier this year the FCC put out its proposed rules for public comment. Since then, more than a million individual comments have been submitted. Analysis of the FCC docket has found near-unanimous support for Net Neutrality protections. “Commenters have also overwhelmingly rejected the agency’s proposal to base an Open Internet rule on Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act,” the advocacy organizations write. The groups, which represent more than 20 million people, note a “considerable divide” between Chairman Wheeler's proposal — which would allow Internet service providers to discriminate in favor of content from wealthy companies — and the Net Neutrality protections the public wants. “The millions of people commenting on this issue have been very clear: The open Internet must be protected. Your agency owes it to the public to convene hearings on Net Neutrality and hear their voices before the Commission makes a final decision.”

What Can We Learn From 800,000 Comments On Net Neutrality?

September 5, 2014 Bob Lannon and Andrew Pendleton, www.sunlightfoundation.com Educate! Data, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

On Aug. 5, the Federal Communications Commission announced the bulk release of the comments from its largest-ever public comment collection. We've spent the last three weeks cleaning and preparing the data and leveraging our experience in machine learning and natural language processing to try and make sense of the hundreds-of-thousands of comments in the docket. Here is a high-level overview, as well as our cleaned version of the full corpus which is available for download in the hopes of making further research easier. Our first exploration uses natural language processing techniques to identify topical keywords within comments and use those keywords to group comments together. We analyzed a corpus of 800,959 comments. Some key findings: We estimate that less than 1 percent of comments were clearly opposed to net neutrality1. At least 60 percent of comments submitted were form letters written by organized campaigns (484,692 comments); while these make up the majority of comments, this is actually a lower percentage than is common for high-volume regulatory dockets. At least 200 comments came from law firms, on behalf of themselves or their clients. Below is an interactive visualization that lets you explore these groupings and view individual comments within the groups.

With 2 Weeks To Go, Net Neutrality Battle Heats Up

September 4, 2014 Jason Abbruzzese, www.mashable.com Organize! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality, Regulation

With less than two weeks until the end of the comment period on proposed Internet regulations, both sides of the debate are pushing publicity campaigns aimed at swaying the net neutrality debate. The battle has coalesced around a particular issue: the reclassification of broadband Internet, a move that would either maintain an open and equal web or destroy it, depending on which side of the debate is lobbying. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has publicly stated that it could vote to reclassify broadband as a utility, bringing Internet providers under more stringent regulations. See also: FCC and Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know A new "don't break the Internet" campaign launched on Tuesday with a website that seeks to push back against calls for the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify. Drawing on the words of net neutrality advocates like Tim Wu, Lawrence Lessig and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the site makes plain its stance at the top.

Sept.10: Join Huge Online Action For Net Neutrality

September 4, 2014 Staff, www.popularresistance.org Resist! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

Imagine all your favorite websites taking forever to load, while you get annoying notifications from your ISP suggesting you switch to one of their approved “Fast Lane” sites. Think about what we would lose: all the weird, alternative, interesting, and enlightening stuff that makes the Internet so much cooler than mainstream Cable TV. What if the only news sites you could reliably connect to were the ones that had deals with companies like Comcast and Verizon? How would your worldview be different? Do you think you’d have found Fight for the Future, Popular Resistance or other causes you care about? On September 10th, just a few days before the FCC’s comment deadline, public interest organizations are issuing an open, international call for websites and internet users to unite for an “Internet Slowdown” to show the world what the web would be like if Team Cable gets their way and trashes net neutrality.

Meet The Two Women Who Hold The Future Of The Internet In Their Hands

September 3, 2014 Ryan Grim and Sabrina Siddiqui, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

One of the most consequential decisions Washington is set to make in 2014 won't come out of the White House, Congress, or any of the nation's boardrooms, but rather from a nondescript federal building along the city's southwest waterfront. It's here, in the offices of the Federal Communications Commission, that the fate of the Internet will be decided. The FCC is currently revising rules on "net neutrality" -- or the idea that all web traffic should be treated equally -- after a federal court in January struck down a regulation that forced Internet service providers to abide by the principle. But the court allowed the FCC to go back to the drawing board and craft new net neutrality rules under a different statute that would pass muster. In April, agency Chairman Tom Wheeler introduced a draft proposal that would still effectively end net neutrality, though he puzzlingly claimed in public that it would not. Wheeler is looked to as the linchpin to the Internet's fate. But the FCC board is made up of five people: Wheeler, two other Democrats and two Republicans. This group will vote on the next version of the rules, and its members could enshrine net neutrality into law if they so choose. The two Republican appointees to the FCC are unlikely to back Wheeler. Republicans of all stripes oppose net neutrality on principle -- a business, the thinking goes, should more or less be able to charge for anything the market will pay for. Republican opposition means Wheeler will need the support of his Democratic colleagues on the panel if he does want to protect net neutrality.

The Defining Battle for Net Neutrality

August 30, 2014 Eva Prkachin, www.openmedia.org Resist! Civil Liberties, FCC, Net Neutrality, Petition

The world needs a hero, and that hero is you. Our worldwide web is currently dangling above an alligator-filled moat, tied to the train tracks, strapped to a live bomb (tick-tock), and rapidly headed towards gory destruction at the end of a Comcast/Bell/ [insert-your-country's-biggest-telco-name-here]-branded conveyor belt. Time of death: 12:00am. Cause of death: Big Telecom, aggressive lobbying, money and power imbalances, and a misguided FCC net neutrality decision that ignores over 1.1 million comments and counting from everyday Internet users like you. You know how Facebook asked Page owners to pay up if they wanted their content to actually show up on people's news feeds? Without Net Neutrality, the entire Internet would be like that, for all content ever. Cable company f***ery, indeed. But it doesn’t have to turn out that way. The battle for Net Neutrality is ours to win. Reinforcements pour in every day. We've gained reprieves in the form of not one, but two deadline extensions – a sign that the FCC recognizes how important Net Neutrality is, and how many people care about it. This battle may be located in the United States, but make no mistake—its outcome will affect the entire world.

FCC Names Network Neutrality Expert As CTO

August 29, 2014 Brian Santo, www.cedmagazine.com Educate! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality, Technology

Scott Jordan, a professor at University of California at Irvine with a strong history working on network neutrality issues, was named the new chief technology officer (CTO) of the FCC. For those who try to read tea leaves, Jordan’s appointment might be a signal that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler is serious about exploring the possibility of reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service, even as the Republican contingent among his fellow Commissioners have been vehemently dismissing the idea. Jordan succeeds Henning Schulzrinne, who will return to Columbia University and continue to serve the Commission in a part-time capacity as a technology advisor. Jordan is a professor of computer science at UC Irvine. His research interests include communications policy, pricing and differentiated services in the Internet, and resource allocation in wireless multimedia networks, the FCC said. Jordan has also developed specific expertise in network neutrality issues, developing what one bio calls “moderate” network neutrality policies. That includes proposals for policy founded on network architectures that encourage development of network management for multimedia applications while prohibiting anti-competitive behavior or, as one of his papers puts it, the extraction of oligopoly rents. In other words, he’s been attempting to help formulate policy that would have strong consumer protections but which would not interfere with network operations or management.

65 Groups Urge FCC To Reject Comcast-Time Warner Merger

August 26, 2014 Timothy Karr, www.freepress.net Organize! Comcast, FCC, Internet Freedom

Sixty-five organizations representing consumers, content producers, and social justice and democracy-reform advocates called on the Federal Communications Commission today to reject the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. The FCC is currently reviewing the deal to determine whether it serves the public interest. In a letter to the FCC, the groups warned that the merger would give Comcast “unprecedented gatekeeper control” over the nation’s telecommunications and media landscape and lead to higher prices and fewer choices for broadband and cable customers. The merger would give Comcast too much control over the future of the Internet and communications infrastructure and undermine the diversity of ownership and content in media, according to the groups. The letter highlights Comcast’s history of failing to meet commitments made to gain approval for its previous merger with NBCUniversal. “Given this history, no amount of promises or conditions would be good enough to assuage concerns about this merger….The deal needs to be rejected outright.”

The Biggest Lie About Net Neutrality

August 20, 2014 Timothy Karr, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! FCC, Law, Net Neutrality, Regulation

One of the most persistent lies told in Washington is the notion that common carriage is a heavy-handed regulation that transforms innovative businesses into antiquated, government-run utilities. Any mention of restoring this time-tested principle to the Internet causes fits among phone and cable industry lobbyists. It's a debate now raging throughout the record number of comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission, which has put the issue of common carriage back "on the table" as it weighs new rules to protect Net Neutrality. The conversation has also spilled into the media, where attacking common carriage has become fodder for industry-friendly editorial writers and pundits. Listening to their arguments is like eating tainted food. All seems well at first bite. But given time to digest, things don't feel so settled.

A Fascinating Look Inside Those 1.1 Million Open-Internet Comments

August 14, 2014 Elise Hu, www.npr.org Educate! Data, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

When the Federal Communications Commission asked for public comments about the issue of keeping the Internet free and open, . So huge, in fact, that the FCC's platform for receiving comments twice got knocked offline because of high traffic, and because of technical problems. So what's in those nearly 1.1 million public comments? A lot of mentions of , according to a TechCrunch analysis. But now, we have a fuller picture. The San Francisco data analysis firm Quid looked beyond keywords to find the sentiment and arguments in those public comments. Quid, as commissioned by the media and innovation funder Knight Foundation, parsed hundreds of thousands of comments, tweets and news coverage on the issue since January. The firm looked at where the comments came from and what common arguments emerged from them. You'll see here that every emergent theme was "pro" net neutrality, or supports the idea of a level playing field for content on the Internet. The comments did include "anti" net neutrality positions. They included statements opposing the "FCC's crippling new regulations," as commenters wrote. But they came from a form letter, or template, and all comment clusters that came from templates (five separate ones in all, four of five supporting net neutrality) were collapsed into a single node.

Redacted Tonight On Ending Internet Freedom

August 10, 2014 Lee Camp, www.popularresistance.org Organize! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

The FCC continues on their path to destroy internet freedom and no one is more disturbed about it than John F. O'Donnell. Host Lee Camp explores the threat to Net Neutrality with Senior Internet User John F. O'Donnell. John explains the impact on innovation like his idea for Zero-Click shopping on the Internet. This segment will make you laugh, make you cry and give you a new appreciation for Haiku. Check it out and share it with your friends. There is one month left in this round of public comments. The current demand is that the FCC Commissioners leave their corporate-lobbyist-infested building in Washington, DC and hold regional hearings around the country to hear from the people. Join us in calling for hearings by sending an email to the FCC.

Hey FCC – Break Out Of Your Washington Bubble

August 8, 2014 Mary Alice Crim, www.freepress.net Resist! FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

PhillyCAM Membership and Outreach Director Antoine Haywood (pictured with Commissioner Clyburn) said that the folks who visit PhillyCAM’s public access television facility need Internet access to use the full range of tools available and to come together as a community. He knows firsthand just how crucial Internet access is for people searching for jobs. He highlighted the need for the network to remain a level playing field for everyone. Commissioner Clyburn noted that she’s motivated by Haywood’s enthusiasm and work. Sanjay Jolly of the Prometheus Radio Project talked about how his organization, which is supporting more than 3,000 Low Power FM stations that will start broadcasting in the next three years, provides independent, locally based and culturally relevant alternatives to the mainstream media.

Obama Opposes FCC’s Proposal For Tiered Internet

August 7, 2014 Timothy Karr, www.freepress.net Organize! Barack Obama, FCC, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama voiced strong support for Net Neutrality and opposition to the type of pay-for-priority Internet rules now being proposed by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “One of the issues around Net Neutrality is whether you are creating different rates or charges for different content providers. That's the big controversy here," Obama said in response to a journalist’s question at the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in Washington. "You have big, wealthy media companies who might be willing to pay more and also charge more for spectrum, more bandwidth on the Internet so they can stream movies faster. I personally, the position of my administration, as well as a lot of the companies here, is that you don’t want to start getting a differentiation in how accessible the Internet is to different users. You want to leave it open so the next Google and the next Facebook can succeed.” Obama's position contradicts Chairman Wheeler's current proposal, which would allow Internet access providers to favor the content of a few wealthy companies over other websites and services. The president’s remarks were first reported by Bloomberg BNA.

Leading Civil Rights Groups Just Sold Out On Net Neutrality

July 25, 2014 Lee Fang, www.republicreport.org Educate! Civil Rights, FCC, i, Internet Freedom, Net Neutrality

Last Friday, just before the Federal Communication Commission closed its comment period for its upcoming rule on “network neutrality,” a massive coalition of Asian, Latino and Black civil rights group filed letters arguing that regulators should lay off of Internet Service Providers regarding Title II reclassification and accept FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s original plan. In other words, something close to half of the entire civil rights establishment just sold out the Internet. The civil rights group letters argue that Title II reclassification of broadband services as a public utility — the only path forward for real net neutrality after a federal court ruling in January — would somehow “harm communities of color.” The groups wrote to the FCC to tell them that “we do not believe that the door to Title II should be opened.” Simply put, these groups, many of which claim to carry the mantle of Martin Luther King Jr., are saying that Comcast and Verizon should be able to create Internet slow lanes and fast lanes, and such a change would magically improve the lives of non-white Americans. The filings reveal a who’s who of civil rights groups willing to shill on behalf of the telecom industry. One filing lists prominent civil rights groups NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Urban League, the National Council on Black Civil Participation and the National Action Network. The other features the Council of Korean Americans, the Japanese American Citizens League, the National Black Farmers Association, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Coalition, and many more.

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