The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
"Earlier today, we were made aware of a new piece of intellectual property legislation, S. 4108. This bill is a tragedy wrapped in a travesty. It is also a travesty wrapped in a tragedy.
Background: BitTorrent and Comcast have announced they will work together to make their Internet technologies operate more smoothly. The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
The U.S. Department of Justice today approved the merger between XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.
The following is the comment of Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
"Public Knowledge has maintained that the merger, if it passed antitrust scrutiny, should be approved with a number of conditions. With the Justice Department decision sanctioning them merger, the next move is up to the Federal Communications Commission. We hope the Commission will act accordingly to impose conditions that serve the interests of consumers."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today ordered the separation of the D block of spectrum (for joint commercial/public safety use) from the rest of the auction of 700 MHz spectrum and revealed Verizon was the winner of the national "C" block.
The following is the comment of Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
Background: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved its first report in four years on the deployment of broadband, and said it would collect more detailed information on the deployment of broadband. The following is the statement of Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
"The Commission today presented a mixed message to the public. On one hand, the Commission issued another report finding that broadband deployment in the U.S. was proceeding in a "reasonable and timely" fashion. As Commissioners Copps and Adelstein pointed out, the report is based on faulty and incomplete information and so does not present a true picture of broadband deployment.
Background: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has closed its auction in the spectrum band now occupied by TV broadcasters. The following is the comment from Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
"The Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction produced some good results for consumers. While the open access provisions weren't all that we would have liked, consumers will have the benefit of some device and applications flexibility that they wouldn't have had otherwise.
"However, the lack of activity in the 'D' block that would have supported public safety activity raises some cause for concern. Following reports that Frontline dropped out of the auction as a result of alleged conditions put on the block by the public safety community, we urge the Commission to look into the auction results."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should realize that wireless carriers continue to discriminate against text messaging, and that the Commission needs to act to remedy the situation, according to comments filed with the FCC by Public Knowledge and several others.
Background: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property today approved HR 4279, the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007. The following is the comment of Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“We are pleased that the Subcommittee deleted from the bill the section (Section 104) that would have allowed multiplied damages for infringement of a compilation far beyond any reasonable levels. We are also pleased that the Subcommittee amended the bill to require that the Justice Department show a ‘substantial connection’ between the property it seeks to have forfeited and the infringing activity. This change would protect against a defendant having property taken by the government, such as a car or a home, which has only the most tangential relationship to infringing activity.
Annapolis, MD - Two committees in the Maryland legislature today held hearings on bills that would point the high-tech future of the state in opposite directions. Public Knowledge, the Washington, D.C.-based public interest group, testified in favor of one, and against another.
Background: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has concluded its hearing into Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent. The following is the statement of Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
"It is plainly obvious from the hearing that Comcast's actions in throttling consumer use of a legal application like BitTorrent are indefensible. A number of witnesses made the point that there are legitimate ways to manage networks according to accepted network standards, and ways not to manage networks. Comcast's clearly sidestepped normal network practice while violating the FCC's policy guidelines for a non-discriminatory Internet.
"We hope the Commission will act swiftly on the petition we, Free Press and others have filed to make clear that such behavior will not be tolerated, and that an open, non-discriminatory Internet must be preserved.
"The hearing was also valuable for pointing out the appalling lack of competition in the broadband market. Whether it was Professor Yochai Benkler talking about how the rest of the world is leaving us behind, or state Rep. David Bosley of Massachusetts talking about the dearth of services in western Massachusetts, it was evident that a new broadband policy is needed to spur real competition that will benefit consumers."
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