Historic Senate Vote Rejects FCC's Rules Resent-Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 12:16:40 -0500 (CDT) Media Reform Daily News of the movement for May 16, 2008 --STOP BIG MEDIA-- HISTORIC SENATE VOTE REJECTS FCC'S RULES In a near-unanimous voice vote, the Senate passed a "resolution of disapproval" that would nullify the FCC's latest attempt to dismantle longstanding media ownership limits. StopBigMedia.com http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=a5KX0OpF-expjSAFRIaqMA.. SENATE VOTES TO REVERSE FCC DECISION ALLOWING MEDIA CONSOLIDATION The Senate vote to turn back the FCC's relaxation of media ownership rules sends a clear message to media executives and the FCC that further media consolidation will not be tolerated. But the fight is far from over. Josh Silver, Huffington Post http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=4k2ymBgByHxJBbqResjFsQ.. FCC COMMISSIONER JONATHAN ADELSTEIN RESPONDS TO SENATE RESOLUTION ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelestein applauded the Senate decision to overturn the agency's ruling on media ownership, saying, "The FCC veered dangerously off-course from the American mainstream, so our elected representatives are trying to steer us back." Jonathan Adelstein, Federal Communications Commission http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=9kiOZKActne2rHODuq-S3g.. SENATE SLAMS FCC NEWSPAPER-TV CROSS-OWNERSHIP RULE Just two senators expressed opposition to the resolution of disapproval of the FCC's relaxation of media ownership rules. What a difference a presidential election makes. Matthew Lasar, Ars technica http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=aaPamU8sfFZC1agcluG2NQ.. SENATE VOTES TO BLOCK FCC'S CROSS-OWNERSHIP RULE CHANGE The Senate voted, without debate, to invalidate the FCC's decision to loosen the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule. Among the co-sponsors of the resolution are senators and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=XXxTLfPwOuAAdBIQP_sogg.. OBAMA, BUSH AT ODDS OVER MEDIA-OWNERSHIP VOTE Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) urged the House to follow the Senate's lead and pass a resolution of disapproval that would invalidate the FCC's decision to allow a single company to own TV and radio stations and newspapers in the top 20 markets. John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=L6ccAIr2hr6bR5eFwKmDfg.. ACT NOW! Tell the House to Follow the Senate's Lead http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=axgdPJzjkkNSs4Vl8P-OOw.. --SAVE THE INTERNET-- STUDY SAYS SOME FILE-SHARING UPLOADS HINDERED A new study reinforced allegations that Comcast is hindering some file-sharing services, such as BitTorrent, that distribute television shows, movies and other large files over its network. Peter Kaplan, Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Uw0guMx4-LQ4agfzg6192w.. COX ABOUT TO FEEL WRATH OF NET NEUTRALITY ACTIVISTS Activists concerned that Internet providers are secretly planning to muck about with the Internet and violate Net Neutrality principles got some good/bad news, when another report surfaced about cable companies who are blocking traffic. Amy Schatz, Wall Street Journal http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=3_Nxz74h8Up4Dy_XYC28hw.. COMCAST, COX SLOW BITTORRENT TRAFFIC AROUND THE CLOCK, STUDY FINDS U.S. cable broadband providers Comcast and Cox Communications are slowing BitTorrent traffic at all times of the day, not just during peak traffic, according to a new study by a German computer research group. Grant Gross, IDG News Service http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Lke22MmFBN8E3LvHQ96RSw.. COX, COMCAST ACCUSED OF MORE BITTORRENT BLOCKING A global study of Internet traffic found widespread blocking of BitTorrent transfers only in the United States and Singapore. And most of the U.S. hosts observed blocking are located in Comcast and Cox networks. Roy Mark, eWeek http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=MeYmbdO1YfTDabkTk40vUQ.. COX BLOCKS, TOO; WEB FIGHT GROWS Cox, the nation's fourth-largest cable company, has been interfering with Internet traffic in the same way as Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, according to a new study being called the most authoritative of its kind to date. Sam Gustin, Portfolio http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2eQQOS831VUweJKBGcMplw.. COX CAUGHT BLOCKING BITTORRENT Comcast has in the past defended its Internet traffic management, stating that it would only interfere with BitTorrent to minimize network congestion. But that's not true, according to German researchers. Janko Roettgers, NewTeeVee http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Sxm17EQ4TzUjX9XXTJluiA.. ACT NOW! Support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=aWySezk8w7dK5JSYngSsDQ.. --FEATURE-- MEDIA MINUTES This week: As editor-in-chief of a publication for African immigrants, Edwin Okong'o strives for journalistic excellence to build a bridge between cultures. And the FCC made a couple of ill-considered decisions that raised the hackles of public interest groups. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=XtQQGCvU-yhTyjTjXf6nPQ.. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=dE8aWABqNuLeAliil-5EYA.. FP ACTION NETWORK http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=I4FU7UKI9bRm8TmlCtneiA.. --IN OTHER NEWS-- FAMED WAR REPORTER CALLS PENTAGON/MEDIA 'PROPAGANDA' PROGRAM ILLEGAL There's little doubt that the Pentagon pundit program violated the laws against covert propaganda operations mounted against the American public by their own government. This is why alarm bells should be ringing all over Washington. Joseph L. Galloway, Editor & Publisher http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=-VFmAUi5zz0ggHS4VpeRhg.. ICAHN'S BID MAY FORCE YAHOO BACK INTO MICROSOFT'S ARMS Carl Icahn's audacious bid to overthrow Yahoo's board could bring Microsoft back to the bargaining table and revive the tech megamerger. Jon Swartz and Adam Shell, USA Today http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=XJRzbe9MW6uTZo8kBWFkGA.. WILL WIRELESS BROADBAND SUPPLANT FTTH? Even if Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are successful in building their nationwide WiMax network, they won't pose an immediate threat to wireline broadband service growth, according to some experts. Raymond McConville, Light Reading http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=3ctoGprRtmqAmxMIPE1dlQ.. NAB WANTS EYES ON WILMINGTON DTV SWITCH The National Association of Broadcasters wants to make sure that the government is paying sufficient attention to the potential problems with its Wilmington, N.C., test of the switch to digital TV. John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Pj4iOEsr88E8MWP_A9xstA.. BROADCAST TV PRODUCT PLACEMENTS UP ALMOST 40 PERCENT The Nielsen Company reported that product placements broadcast television placements rose 39 percent, while cable television was essentially flat. Jack Loechner, Media Post http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=BAgcVOCb94xbj8mtTBaR-g.. STRATEGIZING TO SAVE PUBLIC TV CHANNELS A strategy session was held to discuss ways citizens can rally and amend Florida's Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which threatens Florida's public access, education and government TV channels, known as PEG channels. Dawn Morgan , WMNF-FM http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=JRwJUVrXTbi2ezmR4Defnw.. IN GROVE HALL, RADIO REBELS DIG IN To local ears, the voices on Touch FM are familiar and authentic. But it's strange to hear them on the radio at first. There's no other place like it on Boston's dial. And if the FCC has its way, the station could be silenced. Bill Forry, Dorchester Reporter http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=hxcZRSQrLaS9LgiZA0QzBg.. ONE IN FIVE U.S. HOUSEHOLDS HAS NEVER USED E-MAIL A new survey found that a substantial number of households have not crossed the Digital Divide. Parks Associates http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=BeSXxkWYVhb0b0SqubE57A.. Many of these articles are copyrighted material. We make such material available to advance understanding of public issues, which we believe constitutes a "fair use" of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=iLhVXSa1A1b9BANrgtvUXg.. Free Press is a national organization working to increase informed public participation in crucial media policy debates. 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