The FCC is Keeping Hope- and Internet Freedom- Alive
by Malkia A.
Cyril
Center for Media Justice
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 510
Oakland, CA 94612
Malkia@centerformediajustice. org
Oakland,
CA - The Federal Communication Commission deserves a standing ovation for Friday's decision to sanction Comcast for blocking
access to the Internet. This decision to order Comcast to stop interfering with legal internet traffic is important to the Bay Area, where Comcast is the
primary Internet provider, and brings us one step closer to an Internet where non-discrimination and open access are the rule, instead of the exception.
The kind of internet censorship that Comcast practices limits opportunity for the nation's poorest communities, independent artists, and the public at large. The FCC's decision will help to shed some light on Comcast's discriminatory network practices and begin to put music back into the hands of everyday people.
We should all be encouraged that Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have listened to the public outcry to demand an end to Comcast blocking and create an open internet that everyone can use.
As reported by the Associated Press - tests of Comcast's broadband service found that the network operator blocked access to lawful content legally distributed on peer-to-peer networks by interrupting connections between users' computers. Other individuals and organizations independently confirmed these conclusions through network testing. Today's decision would end such discriminatory practices.
With its vibrant music scene, the SF Bay Area has long been a haven for independent artists, many who rely on an open Internet to share their music with fans near and far. But this is about more than musicians and fans. From the music that moved the student and Black Power movements of the 60's to the regional Hiphy music movement of recent years that speaks volumes to the currency of today's forms of urban cultural resistance- the Bay Area is not only musically significant but it's music has political importance beyond the region.
An open Internet means music is accessible and the independent muic scene for which the Bay Are is so famous can survive Content blocking by Comcast poses a threat to our vibrant music scene, but it's only one of the threats.
The recent increase in royalty fees by SoundExchange, a company representing the RIAA and big music companies that collects internet royalites, is another. When SoundExchange convinced the copyright royalty board to increase the fees paid by internet music distributors by up to 12 times previous amounts, the result was very similar to what happens when internet companies like Comcast block content- the bigger music distributors thrive and the smaller, independent ones are dying. Whether through the exorbitant fees of SoundExchange or direct content blocking from Comcast- independent artists and their fans here and across the country lose. That's why those who love music and the power of culture to move people to action should encourage policymakers to follow the FCC's lead and oppose discriminatory internet practices in all their forms.
"The fight for non-discrimination on the Web is part of the larger fight for fast, affordable, ubiquitous Internet for everyone, said Timothy Karr, Free Press campaign director . "Since a broadband connection will soon deliver nearly all media to the home, an open Internet is instrumental to break the commercial bottleneck that we now see in over broadcast television and radio airwaves and cable TV.
"
The Bay Area and all communities deserve providers that deliver an open and accessible internet. The FCC ruling on Comcast is a step in the right direction.
Congratulations
Return to Davey D's Hip Hop Corner
by Malkia A.
Cyril
Center for Media Justice
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 510
Oakland, CA 94612
Malkia@centerformediajustice. org
Oakland,
CA - The Federal Communication Commission deserves a standing ovation for Friday's decision to sanction Comcast for blocking
access to the Internet. This decision to order Comcast to stop interfering with legal internet traffic is important to the Bay Area, where Comcast is the
primary Internet provider, and brings us one step closer to an Internet where non-discrimination and open access are the rule, instead of the exception.
The kind of internet censorship that Comcast practices limits opportunity for the nation's poorest communities, independent artists, and the public at large. The FCC's decision will help to shed some light on Comcast's discriminatory network practices and begin to put music back into the hands of everyday people.
We should all be encouraged that Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have listened to the public outcry to demand an end to Comcast blocking and create an open internet that everyone can use.
As reported by the Associated Press - tests of Comcast's broadband service found that the network operator blocked access to lawful content legally distributed on peer-to-peer networks by interrupting connections between users' computers. Other individuals and organizations independently confirmed these conclusions through network testing. Today's decision would end such discriminatory practices.
With its vibrant music scene, the SF Bay Area has long been a haven for independent artists, many who rely on an open Internet to share their music with fans near and far. But this is about more than musicians and fans. From the music that moved the student and Black Power movements of the 60's to the regional Hiphy music movement of recent years that speaks volumes to the currency of today's forms of urban cultural resistance- the Bay Area is not only musically significant but it's music has political importance beyond the region.
An open Internet means music is accessible and the independent muic scene for which the Bay Are is so famous can survive Content blocking by Comcast poses a threat to our vibrant music scene, but it's only one of the threats.
The recent increase in royalty fees by SoundExchange, a company representing the RIAA and big music companies that collects internet royalites, is another. When SoundExchange convinced the copyright royalty board to increase the fees paid by internet music distributors by up to 12 times previous amounts, the result was very similar to what happens when internet companies like Comcast block content- the bigger music distributors thrive and the smaller, independent ones are dying. Whether through the exorbitant fees of SoundExchange or direct content blocking from Comcast- independent artists and their fans here and across the country lose. That's why those who love music and the power of culture to move people to action should encourage policymakers to follow the FCC's lead and oppose discriminatory internet practices in all their forms.
"The fight for non-discrimination on the Web is part of the larger fight for fast, affordable, ubiquitous Internet for everyone, said Timothy Karr, Free Press campaign director . "Since a broadband connection will soon deliver nearly all media to the home, an open Internet is instrumental to break the commercial bottleneck that we now see in over broadcast television and radio airwaves and cable TV.
"
The Bay Area and all communities deserve providers that deliver an open and accessible internet. The FCC ruling on Comcast is a step in the right direction.
Congratulations
Return to Davey D's Hip Hop Corner
