Free Press: Media Reform Headlines

Clear Channel Eats My Childhood Commercial Station

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:05:35 -0400

I'm not normally one to tune into commercial radio, but I still find this morning's news to be sad: The Boston Phoenix is selling radio station WFNX to (yeah, you guessed it) Clear Channel. WFNX may not be perfect, but it's one of the only commercial radio stations that still has time dedicated to local music programming. It's a sad day for the commercial radio station I grew up on out in the Boston suburbs.

PBS Stations Need to 'Become YouTube of Local Community'

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:04:03 -0400

Jason Seiken, PBS Interactive chief, told a packed audience at the PBS Annual Meeting that a magical opportunity will slip through our fingers if we don't have the courage to change and fully embrace the potential that video presents to public TV.

The Astroturf Cassandra

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:01:03 -0400

Why hacks like Andrew Keen really fear the social Web.

Comcast's Non-Denial Denial on Traffic Prioritization and Net Neutrality

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:57:20 -0400

Ever since Comcast unveiled its VOD service on the Xbox, it's come under criticism from those who believe the service violates both the spirit of Net Neutrality and some of the FCC’s conditions on its big NBCUniversal deal. After weeks of staying out of the discussion, the top cable provider explained how the content was being delivered within a subscriber's home. In short, Comcast is provisioning whatever traffic it's using to deliver Xbox video separately from whatever traffic is being used by a customer's Internet connection.

He Said, She Said: Is Comcast Prioritizing Traffic or Not?

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:46:13 -0400

Comcast, once again, has some explaining to do. An engineer has conducted experiments that he says show the nation's largest broadband provider is prioritizing traffic -- something it's not supposed to do under the conditions the government imposed when the cable company bought NBC-Universal. At issue are the methods and arguments Comcast uses to exempt some of its Xfinity on-demand traffic from its broadband cap. Comcast categorically denies it's prioritizing traffic, but the issue is sure to dog the cable provider in the near term.

Verizon in $63 Billion Faceoff with AT&T Over Family Plans

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:47:53 -0400

Verizon and AT&T are both preparing to roll out shared-data pricing plans this year. Whoever makes the first move will transform the way the industry charges for wireless service.

Comcast Denies It's Prioritizing Xbox Video

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:46:23 -0400

Comcast Chief Technology Officer Tony Werner took to the company's blog to deny that the MSO is prioritizing video traffic that it's sending via IP to the Xbox 360 game console. He denied that Comcast is violating Network Neutrality rules in any way.

Judge Dismisses Piracy Suits, Says IP Address Doesn't Confirm State

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:42:39 -0400

A California judge has dismissed 15 lawsuits against John Does accused of sharing pirated adult movies on BitTorrent, saying the court lacks jurisdiction because the geolocation tools relied on don't always accurately identify the state in which the IP address is located.

Net Gain

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:38:28 -0400

In recent years, we have seen politicians accede to the interests of giant telecom companies rather than support Net Neutrality; propose anti-piracy bills that threaten Internet freedom; and block poor communities from receiving broadband access. So it was a pleasant surprise to see the Obama administration recently take some thoughtful and forward-looking positions on Internet policy. There are, of course, ways in which the administration has disappointed. Moreover, it has not always done the right thing. On the whole, however, the administration has acquitted itself well on Internet issues.

Coming to a Political Campaign Near You: Outside Money, and Lots of It

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:31:00 -0400

It's happening in several congressional races, in states like Nebraska, Montana and Ohio -- millions of dollars from out-of-state donors and outside groups are fueling candidates' war chests. When did so many Americans decide races outside their backyards were important enough to back financially?