News

IOWA CITY- Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps will headline a “Town Meeting on the Future of the Media” on Wednesday night at the University of Iowa. This forum will give local citizens a rare opportunity to testify before Washington decision-makers about how the media are serving their local communities.

Federal Communications Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps will visit Iowa City next Wednesday to listen to local citizens’ concerns about media consolidation. This “Town Meeting on the Future of the Media” is a rare opportunity for the public to participate directly in crafting media policies that serve the public interest.

WHAT: Town Meeting on the Future of Media

WASHINGTON - On Monday, Cheryl Halpern was named chairwoman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, replacing embattled Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson. Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, made the following statement:

WASHINGTON — Consumers Union and Free Press today unveiled extensive new online resources designed to educate the public and foster development of “Community Internet” projects around the country.

WASHINGTON — Twelve media reform groups on Wednesday called on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to increase transparency of its decision-making and open its meetings to more public participation.

WASHINGTON — A new report released today by the Center for Creative Voices in Media and Fordham University’s Donald McGannon Communication Research Center offers compelling evidence of a link between media consolidation and broadcast indecency.

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 8, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Room, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Press conference and release of new report, “Ownership Concentration and Indecency in Broadcasting: Is There a Link?”

WHO:

WASHINGTON — Consumer groups today urged Congress to reject any proposals that would require automatic cable distribution of every channel local broadcasters choose to provide following the digital television transition, known as “multicast must carry.” When broadcasters are forced to switch from analog signals to digital signals, they will be able to produce up to six channels of programming for

NEW YORK — Free Press Campaign Director Timothy Karr made the following remarks today at a rally outside Verizon headquarters in Manhattan:

High-speed Internet service is no longer a luxury. As it becomes a necessity for all Americans, control of this vital service has fallen into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations.

WASHINGTON – Despite a rosy picture painted by the Federal Communications Commission, America’s access to affordable, high-speed Internet lags far behind the rest of the digital world.