congress

Media Minutes: February 10, 2012

Candace Clement — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:12:12 -0500

Political wrangling is holding Super Wi-Fi spectrum hostage. The House has tacked on amendments to its payroll tax bill that spell big trouble for the FCC and spectrum use. And a new bill in the Illinois legislature would allow people to record on-duty police in public without permission.

PIPA/SOPA and the Online Tsunami: A First Draft of the Future

Stevie Converse — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:27:11 -0500

Full article: ABC News
Leslie Harris
Washington insiders are rushing to shape the story about the online revolt against the SOPA/PIPA legislation, and their lack of understanding of the Internet "world" is on full display. It may be too early to say for sure what this dramatic turn means for the political landscape or for Washington's future forays into Internet policy, but it is not too soon to debunk the spin and suggest a few lessons learned.

Media Minutes: January 20, 2012

Candace Clement — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:31:07 -0500

Thanks to the participation of thousands of websites in a well-publicized protest against SOPA and PIPA, the bills finally began making headlines on TV news programs — and changing minds in Congress. And many traditional and new media outlets are sending predominantly male staff on the campaign trail, despite the fact that 53 percent of voters are women.

Media Minutes: January 13, 2012

Candace Clement — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:34:09 -0500

TV news programs are ignoring controversial legislation that could end the Internet as we know it. And residents of California’s eastern Coachella Valley finally have reporters they can rely on to produce hard-hitting investigative media: youth journalists.

Al Gore Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA

Stevie Converse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:23:34 -0500

Full article: TechDirt
Mike Masnick
Al Gore has come out strongly against SOPA and PIPA, angrily denouncing the bill and its supporters. In a video, Gore doesn't focus only on "foreign" sites as supporters of these bills would like everyone to do; he points out that these bills put new requirements on many domestic Internet companies.

Is Grover Norquist Breaking Up With SOPA?

Stevie Converse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:45:59 -0500

Full article: CNet
Declan McCullagh
Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary committee, proudly announced last month that Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform had endorsed his controversial Stop Online Piracy Act. In the last few weeks, though, the famously combative conservative group, a longtime ally of copyright holders, has become noticeably less enthusiastic about the Hollywood-backed copyright bill.

News Networks Ignore Controversial SOPA Legislation

Stevie Converse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:18:24 -0500

Full article: Media Matters for America
Ben Dimiero
Controversial legislation that the co-founder of Google has warned "would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world" has received virtually no coverage from major American television news outlets during their evening newscasts and opinion programming.

Manager's Amendment of SOPA Doesn't Fix What's Ailing This Bill

Stevie Converse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:16:02 -0500

Full article: Public Knowledge
Sherwin Siy
Monday afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee released its planned manager's amendment to SOPA, claiming that it eliminated significant concerns with the bill. While it does fix some of the current version's outrageous proposals, it leaves some of the most dangerous provisions largely intact.

Cato Institute Digs Into MPAA's Own Research to Show SOPA Wouldn't Save a Single Net Job

Stevie Converse — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:19:58 -0500

Full article: TechDirt
Mike Masnick
A study by the Cato Institute shows that statistics used by Rep. Lamar Smith to support SOPA don't hold up to scrutiny. Figures using MPAA numbers actually show that SOPA won't save a single net job for the U.S. economy.

Recording Industry Dismisses Alternate Online Piracy Bill

Stevie Converse — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:09:37 -0500

Full article: The Hill
Gautham Nagesh
The Recording Industry Association of America dismissed an alternate online piracy bill from Rep. Darrell Issa and Sen. Ron Wyden, arguing it is not a "meaningful solution" to the problem of online piracy.