Common Cause Blog

FCC rules against Comcast for violating net neutrality

Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled on a x to x vote that Comcast violated the FCC's weak net neutrality policy.

At the end of 2007, Comcast was exposed for secretly blocking the Web sites and services of its competitors, most notably Bittorrent. In response, Free Press and members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition (of which Common Cause is a member) filed a complaint urging the FCC to stop Comcast's harmful blocking and sought fines to deter future violations. Since the FCC launched its investigation in January, tens of thousands of people filed comments with the agency, and hundreds attended public hearings at Harvard and Stanford universities.

I was at the Harvard hearing and my report can be found on this blog. Comcast made no friends with the FCC that day when they were caught trying to block citizen access to the hearing by hiring dozens of seat fillers who prevented concerned citizens from accessing the hearing room.

But just because the FCC has taken action in this one particular case, it doesn't mean that there is sufficient power in the FCC's rules to properly protect net neutrality. We still need real legislation to do that. And there is legislation introduced for that.

Digital TV Transition in Serious Trouble

Yesterday, our allies at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (a coalition we are a member of) released a new report titled "Transition in Trouble: Action Needed to Ensure a Successful Digital Television Transition".

This report highlights the problems Americans will face on February 17th, 2009 when all TV transmissions will go to digital instead of analog.

What this means is that millions of Americans, if not prepared, will lose all access to their primary source of news and information. And according to this report, many of those people are NOT prepared for it.

As the report states:
"Broadcast television is the primary news source for most Americans. Especially reliant on free over-the-air television are low-income Americans, seniors, persons with disabilities, non-English speakers, and minorities - many of the communities served by members of the Leadership Conference. These communities also own a disproportionate number of older analog television sets that require a converter box to receive digital broadcasts.

For many members of these communities, free over-the-air broadcast television is a lifeline. It keeps them informed and engaged in their communities and warns them about potential life-threatening situations. Many Americans owe their lives to emergency weather or public safety warnings broadcast to their television sets. "

A key reason Common Cause cares about this is that broadcast TV is also the primary source of information many Americans use to make decisions in our democracy. While of course it should never be the sole source of information, our democracy functions best when information is received from diverse sources, and local news is one of those.

Common Cause supports the recommendations of LCCR's report. We also urge everyone to spread the word about the digital translator coupon program. Go to http://www.dtv2009.gov/ to get a coupon and to learn more about the transition.

Common Cause Weekly Update - June 11, 2008

Common Cause continues its efforts to hold power accountable.

Abuse of Power: Forging the Path to Recovery

Common Cause hosted a distinguished panel on June 10 to discuss the widespread abuse of power engaged in by the current Administration. The Administration has disregarded the rule of law through over-broad assertions of executive power, abuse of signing statements, and policies that arguably flout the Constitution regarding interrogation, detention, and intelligence gathering. The Congress has repeatedly failed to perform its constitutionally mandated oversight duties in each of these areas.

The panelists were charged with examining these disturbing trends and with considering how best to restore the constitutional constraints that have served our country well since its inception.

Media Reform Conference going strong

It's Saturday morning in Minneapolis at the National Conference for Media Reform. I am sitting in a large auditorium as our President, Bob Edgar moderates a panel about privacy in the digital age.

One of the key issues we are discussing is the domestic wiretapping program by the Bush administration. One of the things to know is that the government using private companies to spy on the public is nothing new. Lillie Coney of the Electronic Privacy Information Center pointed out that the government worked with Western Union to spy on telegraph communications as far back as the US Civil War.

Just because it has been done before, doesn't mean it's ok.

In today's world, so much more information is available to those who would keep tabs on us. Because of the internet, phones, credit cards, grocery store cards and other things we use every day, the government and corporations can amass information about our daily activities in ways they never before could.

This means it is all the more important today to fight for our right of privacy.

Common Cause will continue to fight against the abuse of power and violations of our rights as citizens.

Settling in at the Media Conference

It's Friday morning at the National Conference for Media Reform and I have just set up the info table we are sharing with LCCR. Free Press has done a wonderful job getting people to this event, and they expect over 3000 attendees over the weekend.

This has drawn the interest of Bill O'Reilly, who thinks everyone here is a kook, and has dispatched a film crew to try to find a few kooks and then air them on his show to say that everyone who cares about media reform is a kook. Cute.

There are a lot of Common Cause folks here at the conference. Staff, volunteers, state board members, and Bob Edgar.

Last night, Bob gave a rousing speech at the Claim Democracy event at the Hilton, reminding all the 400 or so people in attendance that we are now all part of a movement with different elements. It's no longer good enough to be just a member of an organization, but we all need to be part of a broader movement that organizations are one element of. After he was done, Democracy Now's Amy Goodman gave a fantastic and inspiring speech about the role of the media in our democracy (among other things).

Well, now I have to go network and learn a few things. more to come.

Focus on Media Reform in Minneapolis!

I am currently in the land of 10,000 lakes (Minnesota) for the National Conference for Media Reform.

I will be moderating a breakout session on regional organizing. Several other Common Cause staff and volunteers will be doing the same for other regions. Bob Edgar will be moderating a panel discussion on privacy in the digital age. This panel will enlighten audience members about numerous issues with technological infringements of our privacy, but in particular the issue of the Bush administration's domestic spying program and telecom immunity. This is just one more piece of why Common Cause is developing an "Abuse of Power" campaign.

The conference is going to cover scores of issues around media justice, and I will try to report back regularly with what I have learned and experienced here.

Today there is a pre-conference event we have helped organize called "Democracy Day". I will attend at least part of this event and possibly more of the pre-conference events.

So stay tuned! More to come. Film at 11. (not really, but there might be some photos).

Common Cause Weekly Update

Here's a recap of Common Cause's work over the past two weeks. We're celebrating hard-won victories regarding the FEC and FCC and highlighting other important work throughout the country.

Federal Election Commission (FEC): We Stopped The White House Again!
On May 16 controversial White House nominee Hans von Spakovsky withdrew his name from consideration for a position on the FEC. Common Cause, working with a coalition of voting rights and reform groups, had opposed von Spakovsky because of his work at the Justice Department rolling back voting rights laws.