News

WASHINGTON — Confronted by overwhelmingly negative public response, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have gone on the defensive about legislation they plan to reintroduce this year.

WASHINGTON — At the upcoming February 8 meeting, the Federal Communications Commission plans to have a presentation on the “status of the comprehensive reform efforts to improve the agency’s fact-based data-drive decision making.” Now twenty-five organizations, including the National Organization for Women, Rainbow PUSH, National Hispanic Media Coalition, Office of Communication, Inc.

WASHINGTON - According to press reports, Comcast announced on Saturday that it had assumed control of NBC Universal from General Electric. The nation’s largest cable and broadband provider now has a 51 percent ownership stake in one of the nation’s top content producers. Last week, federal regulators paved the way for the final deal.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. company appears to have sold Egypt technology to monitor Internet and mobile phone traffic that is possibly being used by the ruling regime to crack down on communications as protests erupt throughout the country.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Internet Freedom, Broadband Promotion, and Consumer Protection Act of 2011, a bill that would protect the Internet’s level playing field and prohibit anti-consumer practices online.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, MetroPCS — the nation’s fifth-largest wireless carrier — filed a lawsuit, alongside the one filed by Verizon last week, to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s Net Neutrality order passed in December.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Verizon announced it would file a suit challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s December Net Neutrality order.

Responding to reports that Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) has been named ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:

WASHINGTON — According to press reports on Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission announced its decision, by a vote of 4–1, to approve the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, one of the largest media mergers in history.

WASHINGTON — On Monday, Free Press, along with the Center for Media Justice, Media Access Project, New America Foundation Open Technology Institute and Presente.org, filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to investigate claims that new service plans being offered by mobile provider MetroPCS block and discriminate against Internet content, applications and webs