Thank you letter to Senator John Sununu, R-NH.
The genius of the Internet is its promise of unlimited accessibility. With very limited exceptions, any consumer with an Internet connection and a computer can visit any web site, attach any device, post any content, and provide any service.
While the openness of the Internet is universally praised, it is no longer guaranteed, at least for broadband services. Recent Supreme Court and FCC rulings define broadband networks as unregulated “information services,” which means that the operators of broadband networks are no longer under any legal obligation to keep their networks open to all Internet content, services and equipment.
As a result, Public Knowledge has joined with consumer electronic equipment providers, Internet content and application providers, VoIP providers, and consumer and public interest groups to ask Congress and the FCC to restore the rule that requires network operators to provide nondiscriminatory access to all lawful content, services and equipment. The call for legislation may be termed “net neutrality,” … Links to full paper, summary and attachments are here.
The U.S. Copyright Office late Tues. released its report analyzing the status of so-called “orphan works,” works whose author can’t be located. Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn today praised the U.S. Copyright Office for its report on orphan works, but said one of the key recommendations to Congress still falls short. For more information see:
Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn has submitted a Statement for the Record to the January 24th Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on the “Broadcast and Audio Flag”. PK’s statement focuses on the impact of these technological mandates on consumers.
Since 2002, Public Knowledge has worked hard to be your voice in policy debates over copyright and technological innovation here in Washington, DC, throughout the country and internationally. Later this spring, we'll seek to shape the debate over the next Telecommunications Act. The rewrite of our nation's communications laws will have an enormous impact on the rollout of affordable and open broadband technologies and their capability to empower each of us.
But to achieve our goals, we're asking for your help. Today we're launching a new membership drive where you can become a paid member of Public Knowledge and receive some cool gifts, including PK laptop stickers, PK baseball shirts and signed copies of Larry Lessig's book Free Culture and David Bollier's book Brand Name Bullies. Click the link below to see pictures of Gigi with our newest recruit.
Gigi B. Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, today endorsed allowing telephone companies to offer video programming under a “national franchise,” if Congress also enacts a policy requiring “net neutrality.” In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee, Sohn said that granting a national franchise to telephone companies will increase competition will “bring more competition to market faster, resulting in greater consumer choice and lower prices.” Without a national franchise, telephone companies would need to obtain permission to offer video services from each existing local franchising authority.
LOS ANGELES - Warner Music Group Corp.'s earnings surged in its first fiscal quarter, beating Wall Street's expectations despite a 4 percent drop in revenue at the record company whose artists include Green Day and Madonna.
Warner said Tuesday its earnings increased 92 percent to $69 million, or 46 cents per share, for the October-December period, from $36 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue edged down to $1.04 billion from $1.09 billion.
Posted by Art Brodsky 02/14/06 at 17:20 | Issues: Music Industry
(Audio File) Telephone companies and cable operators, which invest billions in the electronic hardware that brings the Internet to consumers, want to change the way customers pay for that access. Instead of the current flat fees, they want different users to pay different amounts, according to how much they go on line and how fast they get service. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and eBay are among the Internet providers who claim that means corporate censorship of the marketplace of ideas. Consumer groups too are forecasting limits on downloads and e-mail. Should government step in to guarantee access for all or should free-market innovation be left to evolve on its own? Would that mean limits on downloads and e-mails? Is it a threat to virtual democracy as Internet users have come to know it?
Posted by Art Brodsky 02/13/06 at 17:50 | Issues: Net Neutrality
