Policy Blog
As Broadcasters "Threaten" to Shut Down, They're Not Getting the Reaction They Were Looking For
Follow @bergmayerThe fantastically-mustachioed Chase Carey of News Corp. has gotten quite a bit of support in the broadcast community for his "threat" to shut down Fox's over-the-air signals. Fox, CBS, Univision and others have said if they're not able to make antenna-rental services like Aereo illegal, then they'll simply convert to some sort of vaguely-specified "subscription model" where, presumably, rooftop and remote antennas would not be able to pick up their programming.
But I'm not sure that the support and applause directed his way from some circles is quite as welcome. Mike Masnick's reaction was typical of the tech-literate crowds I run in. He writes,
Will Walden Wipe Out DMCA Just To Hack At Net Neutrality? Make My Day!
Follow @haroldfeldToday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will begin mark up of the so-called “Internet Freedom Bill.” As explained in the Majority Briefing Memo, we’re still on about that whole “the ITU will take control of the Internet and black helicopters will come for out name servers” thing.” Unfortunately, as keeps happening with this, it looks like some folks want to hijac
Rural Phone Calls and "Network Neuropathy"
Follow @haroldfeldI made a passing reference to the rural call completion problem in a post about 2 months ago. I've now written a much longer piece explaining the problem of rural call completion, and the nature of the problem, for the Daily Yonder. You can find the article, and the very nice illustrations they added, over here.
Unsolicited Advice for Broadcasters in the Wake of the Aereo Decision
Follow @bergmayerToday's win in the Aereo decision (where PK had filed an amicus brief) has been greeted by predictable moaning from the broadcast industry. "The court has ruled that it is ok to steal copyrighted material and retransmit it without compensation," the National Association of Broadcasters stated, ignoring that what the court said today was precisely that Aereo's service isn't "stealing" anything.
What Frustrates You About Video?
Follow @khtaskerEarlier this month, we asked you to share your cable stories, and an impressive number of you did. While many of your stories focused on a lack of competition among cable providers and rising bills, there are plenty of other factors that contribute to this frustrating state of affairs. Public Knowledge is working to solve these problems by proposing a vision of the future of video, with concrete recommendations for how to get there.
Your comments highlight the need for more competition and clearly show that change is vital. Here is a selection of what you had to say:
"I cut the cable last month. Went from $250/month for a UVerse service to $50/month for just Internet only. Now with a free-to-air antenna and my Apple TV together with a few monthly subscriptions I am saving a fortune and getting most of what I want to see.
We're Asking Congress to Fix the DMCA
Follow @sherwinpkToday, we sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, asking them to pass a strong, permanent fix to the cell phone unlocking problem, and to take a deeper look at the problems caused by the anticircumvention provisions of the DMCA. The letter, available here, is signed by over thirty consumer groups, companies, and online communities, and joined by a number of academics and activists.
We want to make sure that all of the people who were upset that the DMCA could prevent them from unlocking their phones get a solution that actually fixes the problem by changing the law, not just reversing the Library of Congress's decision and waiting for a do-over a few years from now.
preservesthe openness of the Internet and the public's access to knowledge, promotes creativity through balanced copyright, and upholds and protects the rights of consumers to use innovative technology lawfully.
| STAY CONNECTED, JOIN OUR MAILING LIST |
