Today House Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) announced the introduction of the Global Free Internet Act.

This bill aims to promote internet commerce and protect the privacy and free expression of internet users. The proposed legislation also calls for an internet task force, who would be responsible for shaping the next generation of internet policy. Lofgren introduced a similar piece of legislation in September 2012 and promised to re-introduce it in the 113th Congress as part of her internet Freedom Legislative Agenda.  

The following can be attributed to Christopher Lewis, Vice President of Government Affairs: 

"It's important that the priorities of the United States as a whole, and not just some of its industry sectors, be reflected in our foreign policy, including our trade policy. The Global Free Internet Act can provide much-needed balance to US efforts to ensure an open internet that promotes free speech around the world. 

Public Knowledge announces a new addition to its staff today. Charles Duan will join the organization this summer as the Director of Public Knowledge's Patent Reform Project. The Patent Reform Project will, among other things, increase public and policymaker awareness about the need for significant reform of the US patent system and develop legislative and policy changes that will improve patent quality. 

Duan comes to Public Knowledge after four years at a top national patent law firm, where he specialized in intellectual property litigation and computer patent prosecution. Duan also worked as the Lead Software Developer for the Silicon Valley startup Labmeeting.com and as a Quantitative Finance Analyst at Geode Capital Management, where he developed software models for analyzing corporate finance data. Duan graduated from Harvard Law School with a focus on intellectual property, Internet, and privacy law.

Today, Cablevision filed an antitrust lawsuit against Viacom, alleging that Viacom breaks antitrust laws when it forces Cablevision, and its' subscribers, to pay for unpopular channels to gain access to popular content like MTV and Comedy Central.

The following can be attributed to John Bergmayer, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge:

"Cable subscribers are often dismayed that they have to subscribe to an expensive bundle of hundreds of channels just to get access to the few they want. Many subscribers may not realize that large media conglomerates such as Viacom often force cable companies to include unpopular channels in subscriber bundles and to pay for them.

"To be sure, there's a lot of blame to go around when it comes to high cable prices, Cable companies themselves benefit from an uncompetitive market that allows them to pass along costs to consumers and keep prices high. Broadcasters also have rules that force cable subscribers to subsidize them.

Today the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) begins its multi-stage rollout of the Copyright Alert System (CAS). The CAS is the result of a voluntary agreement between the largest Internet service providers and content companies that will send notices to alleged infringers using peer-to-peer networks in order to educate them about copyright and legal alternatives. The system also provides for a process by which consumers can fight these allegations. 

The following can be attributed to CCI Advisory Board member and President of Public Knowledge, Gigi Sohn:

"The Copyright Alert System will be a significant test of whether a voluntary copyright enforcement system can work while at the same time protecting the rights of Internet users. The creators of the system have taken steps to build in consumer protections and fair process to the system, and it is my hope that it will succeed.