The MPAA has allied themselves with cable and phone companies in their multi-million dollar fight against Net Neutrality. And the increasing disappearance of editorial cartoons from newspapers correlates with the rise of media consolidation.

High hopes that the FCC spectrum auction would provide competition in the wireless market were dashed as Verizon and AT&T won their bids for large portions of the airwaves. And the Chauncey Bailey Project continues to honor the work of the slain reporter by uncovering more information about his murder and his Oakland, California community.

Public pressure may have forced Comcast to work with BitTorrent on finding ways to distribute large Internet files, but their collaboration is no substitute for actual policy that would keep the Internet open. And 25 rural Vermont towns have joined in a regional effort to bring high-speed fiber optic Internet access to their homes.

At an FCC hearing on the Future of the Internet in Boston, Comcast paid seat fillers to keep the public out of the debate.

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Do you want a say in what the future of the media looks like?

People from all walks of life and across the political spectrum are joining the movement for media reform. This June 6th – 8th, thousands will gather in Minneapolis for the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform

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Do your newspapers, TV and radio stations cover what’s really happening in your community? Are you getting the full story? Do you want to have access to all Web sites and all kinds of information from independent and non-commercial sources? Shouldn’t you have a say in what the future of the media looks like?

At BroadbandCensus.com, you can find out about broadband providers in your area, see what your broadband speed actually is, and help create a nationwide census on broadband information that big media companies don’t want you to know. And Community Television of Santa Cruz plugs public access TV with an entertaining new promotional video.

One big problem with the outcome of the 700 MHz auction: Giant telecom companies Verizon and AT&T were the big winners while women and minority businesses were squeezed out. And guest commentator Craig Aaron explains why Comcast should be voted America’s worst company.

The New York Times uncovers a Pentagon scheme to sell the occupation of Iraq to the American public. And Net Neutrality takes center stage at both Congress and the FCC.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced the agency will craft a new plan for a national public safety network. And the Senate Commerce Committee passed a legislative veto of the FCC’s new media ownership rules as Rupert Murdoch prepared to bid for a third New York newspaper.

The Media Giraffe Project will be sponsoring a conference in Minneapolis in June to give local online news and community Web entrepreneurs and activists a chance to share advice about legal, organizational and advertising issues. And a House subcommittee held a hearing this week on the Internet Freedom Preservation Act.

As editor-in-chief of a publication for African immigrants, Edwin Okong’o strives for journalistic excellence to build a bridge between cultures and dispel American stereotypes of Africa and African communities. And the FCC was in the news last week for a couple of ill-considered decisions that raised the hackles of public interest and media reform groups.

In an historic bipartisan vote, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed to turn back the FCC’s decision to relax longstanding media ownership rules. And the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination works within the media across all media platforms to promote fairness and equality for the GLBT community.

Native Public Media is committed to bringing Native American voices to media policymakers in Washington. And in a guest commentary, Free Press executive director Josh Silver discusses the House vote to ban Pentagon propaganda and the mainstream media’s failure to report the story.

A new book profiles 10 conservative talk radio “shock jocks” and provides ways to fight “hate radio.” And the National Conference for Media Reform arrives in Minneapolis this weekend during a critical juncture of politics, technology and social activism.

With more than 250 presenters and 3500 attendees, the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis was a chance to learn about the issues shaping our media and to strategize for the future.

With more than 250 presenters and 3500 attendees, the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis was a chance to learn about the issues shaping our media and to strategize for the future.

The FCC is beginning to take seriously its job to provide better information about broadband access, which will eventually affect Internet users’ ability to upload and download content faster. And Rev. Romal Tune say that “unity” is the key to success for the media reform movement.

The InternetforEveryone.org Initiative was launched this week to raise public awareness about America’s digital divide and renew the call for a fast, open and affordable Internet as a basic right. And Youth Rights Media premiered their latest documentary, No Haven, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Online advertising firm, NebuAd, may have stepped over the line with its ad-targeting scheme that monitors Web browsing and alters computer codes. And Philadelphia has announced a deal with local investors to keep its muni wi-fi project alive after Earthlink bowed out earlier this month.

Forget about collecting trading cards for sports figures. The hot items this year are Media Heroes trading cards. And the news for newspapers has been brutal, as a sagging economy and plummeting advertising sales take their toll on news staff and content.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has determined that Comcast violated the agency's principles of open access on the Internet. And the cost of text messaging is rising again, despite the fact there have been no further costs to necessitate a price hike.

In a House hearing about privacy and the Internet, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) indicated that Congress could take action to strengthen privacy protections. And a study disproves the notion that TV news audiences prefer superficial tabloid coverage to well-written quality journalism.

The FCC has approved the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies. And Hip Hop artist Nas joined protesters outside Fox News in New York, calling for the network to end its pattern of racist attacks against Black Americans.

In their coverage of the impending digital TV conversion, the media has been ignoring the fact that the corporate media has a lock on any new channels that will emerge from the changeover. And Massachusetts has a new broadband bill that will bring high-speed broadband to rural areas.

In nearly 50 cities and towns across the country, media reform activists visited their representatives in their home district offices to urge them to veto the FCC’s media ownership rules. And in Davis, Calif., KDRT-LP won its dispute with the FCC to remain on the air after a big commercial station encroached on their frequency.

Journalists covering the Republican National Convention were held at gunpoint during pre-emptive “security” raids, swept up in mass arrests with protesters, detained for several hours to several days, had their equipment confiscated, and were roughed up by police. Now journalists and citizens of St. Paul are demanding all charges be dropped.

A bill moving through Congress would allow the Department of Justice to bring civil suits against alleged copyright infringers at the expense of the taxpayers. And Jon Bartholomew discusses the Common Cause "Media Reform Plan."

Members of the Wireless Innovation Alliance were on Capitol Hill to show their support for open, unlicensed white spaces to bring high-speed broadband to millions of Americans. And Media Access Project and Free Press fight against further media consolidation in South Bend, Indiana.

Wireless microphones are used by theater groups, churches, amateur musicians, karaoke singers across the country use them because they’re convenient and versatile. There’s only one problem: Most of them are illegal. And Congress helps to protect Internet Radio.

American national political conventions have long been known for wacky party hats, a multitude of political buttons, showers of confetti, and long-winded speeches -- inside the convention centers.

New state laws and FCC regulations have been detrimental to PEG access centers and programming across the country. Congress held a hearing to assess the damage. And guest commentator Megan Tady wants our new president to address the digital divide and work to make high-speed broadband accessible to everyone.

The Open Debate Coalition wants to change the format of political debates to make them accountable and open to the people. And privacy policies are important to consumers – but they take too long to read. A new study from Carnegie Mellon breaks it down.

Public interest groups and tech innovators are cheering an FCC report that may clear the way for using empty TV channels to connect millions of people to the Internet. And dozens of small, independent magazines have been forced to shut down their operations.

A new study on media coverage of the presidential campaign shows that the media is biased – for whoever is perceived to be winning the “horse race.” And what are the scariest things about the media?

The FCC voted to open white spaces for public use and unlicensed devices. And the Supreme Court takes on the FCC v. Fox “fleeting expletives” case.

Verizon Wireless’ purchase of rural wireless carrier Alltel has been approved. And public interest groups are concerned about the consequences for consumers. And a new Nielsen study refutes one of the broadcasters’ main arguments for more media consolidation.

A new report documents how conservative talk show radio shock jocks are part of an echo chamber that reaches across the country through local and regional radio hosts. And talk of resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine never fails to rile up the conservative base. But there's no plan to bring it back. There are better roads to a more democratic media.

The government’s ability to use cell phones as tracking devices without the help of cell phone providers is being quietly debated in the court system. And the Grassroots Media Justice Tour barnstormed the South to show why the media are an important component of the fight for social justice.

National Public Radio plans to cut 7 percent of its workforce and cancel two shows that helped fill the gaps in diverse programming. And 2008 was a year of movement building for media reform and provided a number of actions that remind us why grass roots activism is so important.

From the best of Media Minutes: President and CEO of Clergy Strategic Alliances Rev. Romal Tune brought his message of collaboration and unity to the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis. And guest commentator Megan Tady wants our new president to address the digital divide and work to make high-speed broadband accessible to everyone.

Media Minutes looks at five of the top stories of 2008: The FCC proceedings concerning Net Neutrality, the 700 MHz spectrum auction and white spaces; Pentagon propaganda; journalists’ arrests at the RNC; and grassroots media organizing for PEG and LPFM.

The FCC came under heavy fire at a hearing in Washington, D.C. on media consolidation and its effect on local programming. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to allow giant corporations to own even more of our local media outlets. But the public wants something very different.

This program aired on Nov. 7, 2008, on Pacifica Radio's Sprouts: Radio from the Grassroots

Media Minutes spoke with Kembrew McCleod who co-produced, along with Benjamin Franzen, the upcoming documentary Copyright Criminals: This Is a Sampling Sport.

At a moment when technology and media are rapidly changing, the Free Press Summit explored the future of the Internet and the fate of journalism in the 21st century. More than 500 people packed a room on the seventh floor of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., to discuss the state of journalism, public media and the Internet in America.

The Reconstruction of American Journalism, a new report from the Columbia School of Journalism, surveys a wide swath of the journalism landscape and suggests a path forward in this new era of digital news. Len Downie and Michael Schudson continue their conversation about public policy and new ideas for the future of journalism.

At a recent FCC media ownership workshop, big media broadcasters called for increased opportunities to gobble up more media properties, while minority broadcasters say consolidation is squeezing smaller stations out of business.

In this edition of Media Minutes Extra!, Free Press Policy Counsel Chris Riley discusses how prioritization of video and voice applications can undermine the overall health of the Internet.

The president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, Jean Prewitt, took issue with the proposed Comcast-NBC merger at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Feb. 25, 2010.

CWA President Larry Cohen took issue with the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Feb. 25, 2010.

The U.S. Postal Service’s recent proposal to hike postal rates has small print publications and news outlets worried for their future. And a deal between Google and Verizon could mark the beginning of the end of the Internet as we know it.

Public media is the most trusted source of news in both the United States and in Great Britain. Any yet,

public media institutions are fighting for their lives and to keep public spaces for encountering culture,

debate issues and share experiences. And the FCC is being urged to investigate local news stations that

are airing paid advertising disguised as fake news segments.

The Detroit Digital Justice Coalition, in partnership with Michigan State University, has been awared $2 million in federal stimulus funds to help create a media-based economy in the city. And a team of professors at Rice University is pioneering a project to use “white spaces” to bring high-speed Internet to their community.

NPR's decision to fire news analyst Juan Williams unleashed an attack on all federal funding for public media by a handful of politicians and commentators. But what the public really needs is to defend – not defund – public media. And members of the disability community in the Bay Area spoke out for Net Neutrality in a letter to the FCC.

A new book and webisodes uses humor and satire to show how reality TV is anything but real. And an annual holiday project that uses radio to connect family and friends to the incarcerated is keeping hope alive.

As extremists in Congress take steps to kill funding for public broadcasting, a new report suggests our nation's public media need more money to serve the public, not less. And the federal government is sending mixed messages about the importance of Internet Freedom.

Google’s announcement that Kansas City, Kansas, is the winner of its year-long search for a city worthy of a 1GB fiber network left hundreds of other cities disappointed. And some of the losers may have their state’s anti-municipal broadband laws to blame for their loss. And the problems with American media are no laughing matter. Yet somehow, comedians are making it funny.

A new initiative to spotlight women and girls as leaders across the world plans to promote 50 documentaries over a 3-year-span, showcasing women and girls fighting for social justice and equal rights. And the OpenCourt project hopes to make the wheels of justice more accessible to the public.

FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker’s announcement that she’s taking a lucrative job with Comcast-NBC has struck a chord of frustration nationwide. And Righthaven, a company notorious for shaking down small bloggers on questionable copyright claims, is now in the hotseat.

The FCC released its 450-page assessment on the future of media. Unfortunately, many the report’s recommendations around localism, media consolidation and transparency are contradictory to its analysis. And Sonic’s new 1 Gbps fiber broadband connection with two phone lines for $70 is sure to shake up the broadband market in Sonoma County.