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God forbid that the FCC might sponsor a study demonstrating to what extent that access to news and information is increasingly controlled by a few corporate organizations and individuals. Just not ignore the fact that in certain markets the take over is virtually complete with little or no access to local content or coverage of local issues.
You think I'm the blind one?
40 years ago one person pretty much controlled the news and what we would see on a daily basis. Walter Cronkite. Today you can get on the internet and get news from all over the world.
If you are suspicious about what Brian Williams tells you, you can find other viewpoints in a matter of minutes. If a station decides to present the news that is only negative towards the administration it's none of their business. The "why" doesn't matter.
Equally threatening to journalists’ and others’ online future has been FCC reluctance to guarantee a truly open internet. The secret of a thriving internet is that users, not gatekeepers, control their online experiences. The core idea of the open internet is that consumers should be free to access the lawful content of their choice, run the applications they prefer, and enjoy the benefits of transparency and non-discrimination by preventing internet service providers from favoring their own businesses over others. This is not just to encourage competition; it is also to maintain a free flow of information so citizens are able to access a diversity of providers. Permitting Verizon, AT&T, or Comcast to control access to information is a direct and unacceptable threat to our democracy—and to you as journalists, since gatekeepers can separate you from your audience for any reason they choose.
Some claim that internet freedom is a solution in search of a problem. Yet there has been no lack of attempted gatekeeping in numerous cases such as AT&T’s restricting FaceTime, Madison River, and the well-known instance of Comcast throttling BitTorrent, which struck me as purposefully slowing certain applications on its networks and discriminating in a way that threatened the freedom end-users expect. Now AT&T is talking about a “sponsored data” plan wherein deep-pocketed content providers could pay for quicker carriage than small sites could afford
40 years ago one person pretty much controlled the news and what we would see on a daily basis. Walter Cronkite. Today you can get on the internet and get news from all over the world.
If you are suspicious about what Brian Williams tells you, you can find other viewpoints in a matter of minutes. If a station decides to present the news that is only negative towards the administration it's none of their business. The "why" doesn't matter.
40 years ago there was a robust newspaper industry providing lots of local coverage with reporters generating original content. Now we just of the illusion that are many sources of information.
During my 10 years at the FCC, I took part in literally scores of town hall meetings and community forums all across America to tell people what I saw happening and to learn more about their personal experiences with our communications ecosystem. Several of these sessions lasted over six hours and drew hundreds of citizens.
In some places these meetings would attract media attention; in others they would go uncovered. It didn’t take me long to figure out why the disparities. If a community’s media was under consolidated control—with a large and distant company owning the major broadcast and, often, newspaper outlets—the coverage would usually be somewhere between slim and none. But if I was visiting a town where independent media still existed and locally employed journalists were on the beat, there would be advance notice that a meeting was going to happen; there would often be live TV coverage; and the event would be reported in detail, often on the front page of the local paper.
But let us ignore the problem because Obama is the president.
Yeah, I'm going to jump on you too. Have you seen the WSJ story? The FCC actually wants to know- "One question for reporters is: "Have you ever suggested coverage of what you consider a story with critical information for your customers that was rejected by management?"
Imagine the consequences of such questioning of an underling about their bosses decision? Maybe they should just put a hotline in every newsroom for disgruntled reporters.
Also - "the agency selected eight categories of "critical information" such as the "environment" and "economic opportunities," that it believes local newscasters should cover. It plans to ask station managers, news directors, journalists, television anchors and on-air reporters to tell the government about their "news philosophy" and how the station ensures that the community gets critical information."
WTF is the FCC doing questioning local newscasters about what stories they cover? And the FCC is "suggesting" certain categories should be covered? Really? You're comfortable with the Obama administration "suggesting" news services should cover certain stories? How would you folks feel about a Republican administration suggesting to the MSM they should only cover the pro-life side of the abortion debate or run stories debunking global warming?
These are ugly waters the Obama administration and the FCC are wading into. This is an open door to media censorship, anyone defending this is out of their minds.
Who is your Internet provider? What stops them from cutting off your access.
What stops them? The fact that I have many to choose from that wants my money. I actually have two providers. The home one and the cell one. Both cable companies offer internet. If one doesn't want my money I'm sure the other does.
Heck I can go 1/4 from my house and access it free at the welcome center......or McD's or any of the many different places that offer it.
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