IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

Free Press: Comcast-NBC Mega-Merger Must Be Stopped

Deal Would Pave Way to Unprecedented Consolidation Across Industry

WASHINGTON — On Monday, GE reportedly reached reached an agreement to buy out Vivendi's share of NBC Universal. The deal would clear the way for Comcast to take a controlling stake in NBCU and open the door to a new era of media consolidation that reaches across content creation and distribution, giving one company enormous power over TV and Internet content.

Comcast is the largest cable company and residential Internet service provider in the United States. NBC Universal has a huge stake in television, film, cable and TV programming, and in Hulu, one of the largest online video services.

Free Press has launched a campaign at www.freepress.net/comcast to oppose the planned merger. The group is rallying public opposition and pressuring the Obama administration, the Justice Department and federal regulators to block any deal that would harm consumers.

Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, made the following statement:

"Washington and Wall Street want the public to think this is a done deal. But it’s time for policymakers to stop putting the narrow interests of big corporations ahead of what’s best for the American people."

"The American public doesn’t want a media behemoth controlling the programming they watch and how they can access it. If Washington allows this deal to go through, Comcast will have unprecedented control of marquee content and three major distribution platforms: Internet, broadcast and cable. We’ve never seen this kind of consolidated control."

"Approval of such a merger would trigger a new wave of mega-mergers, as other giants like News Corp. and Disney bulk up to exert more control over new media. We don’t have to speculate about what this would mean for consumers. Decades of disastrous media consolidation have already given us higher prices, fewer independent and local voices, and the same cookie-cutter content wherever we go."

"The Obama administration must follow through on its pledge to fight media consolidation and stand up for media diversity. Regulators must uphold antitrust law, block any such deal, and put an end to the era of anything-goes government oversight that led to the financial meltdown and a crisis of confidence in our elected officials. Allowing the Comcast deal would mark yet another failure of government to protect the public interest."

"Free Press will be rallying people across the country who are tired of mega-mergers being rubber stamped. We will make sure that this time their voices can’t be ignored."

Internet prices are way too high, and speeds are way too slow. And the phone and cable industries are hell-bent on keeping it that way.

In the first three months of 2009, the industries spent at least $20 million to hire more than 400 lobbyists to convince Congress and the FCC that a sluggish status quo is just fine -- as long as it maintains their fat profits.

Don't Let the Lobbyists Win: Tell the FCC We Need a Fast, Affordable and Open Internet

Right now, the FCC is crafting a national broadband plan that could fix our national broadband problem. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps called this plan "the most formative — indeed, transformative — proceeding ever in the Commission’s history."

Without a national broadband plan, America has dropped to 22nd place in the world in broadband penetration, with approximately 40 percent of the country still not connected to high-speed Internet services.

We're also paying far more for broadband services that deliver much less than what's available in other countries. Consumers in France and Japan, for example, pay half as much for connection speeds that are often 10 times as fast.

Meanwhile, the phone and cable industries continue to spend millions of dollars to make sure this backwards system stays the way it is.

Tell the FCC: Listen to the Public, not the Lobbyists

If the lobbyists have their way, America will continue to fall further and further behind the rest of the world.

But if we get our way, we can:

1. Invigorate the U.S. economy with millions of new jobs and innovative industries;
2. Open up government and increase public participation in civic affairs;
3. Empower a new generation of journalists and media makers;
4. And give everyone the opportunity to prosper in the 21st century.

We need to tell the FCC to support media that’s participatory, open and democratic -- and not to hand the keys to the Internet to the old guard.

You can help defeat 400 industry lobbyists by simply raising your voice.

Do you want the new iPhone?

If so, you're in for a disappointment. If not, you should be worried anyway. Here's why:

Apple just released the new iPhone with a promise that it will be "the Internet in your pocket." If only. The iPhone's groundbreaking technology has been hijacked by AT&T. The telephone giant has struck an exclusive agreement that ties the hands of all iPhone users, restricts their Internet use and prohibits access to any other network.

That's why Free Press has launched a new campaign to free the iPhone and other "smart" phones like it from attempts to cripple their best features, block full access to the Internet and stick customers with astronomical bills. Please join:

Free My Phone and Open the Wireless Internet

FreeMyPhone is fighting for affordable new phones that have full access to the Internet. This is vital because handheld wireless devices are becoming the first point of Internet access for tens of millions of Americans.

These "exclusive deals" remind me of the days when AT&T held a monopoly over all phone communications. Consumers could only use one phone, on one network, at rates set by one company. No innovations could take place without AT&T's permission. When federal rules forced AT&T to open its network, an explosion of innovation occurred with new fax machines, Internet modems and answering machines.

Today, the FreeMyPhone campaign seeks to open up the wireless market in the same way:

Free My Phone: No More Gatekeepers

The future of the Internet is wireless and mobile. Eighty-seven percent of Americans have mobile phones. Increasingly, these phones are people's only gateway to the Internet.

Yet as more phones become Internet-enabled, more users are tied to carriers that don't actually deliver an open Internet. This is important...

* If you care about universal Internet access and closing the digital divide.
* If you care about Net Neutrality and protecting an open wireless Internet.
* If you care about innovation and fostering new online tools and economic opportunity.
* If you care about competition and offering more affordable choices for everyone.

Sign the petition to free your phone and demand the freedom to use new phones on wireless networks that offer true high-speed Internet and real consumer choice..

ONGOING

Like most people, you probably get a lot of requests from organizations you care about. After a while, you must wonder if it's worth it to sign another petition.

The answer is yes.

In 2003, nearly 3 million people signed an online petition demanding that Congress stop the Federal Communications Commission from gutting media ownership rules. Those millions of actions added up and helped turn the tables on the FCC.

Now the FCC is at it again. This spring more than 250,000 people clicked to send a message to the Senate saying that the we won’t stand for any more media consolidation. The Senate listened. This May, they voted overwhelmingly to overturn the FCC’s most recent giveaway to Big Media.

Now click here and send a message to the U.S. House asking them to do the same thing.

This isn’t just another petition. Soon we are going to hand-deliver these petitions to members of Congress in their home offices, so it is vital to add your name now.

Your click matters. It only takes a few seconds. Click here to make a difference today!

MEDIA REFORM

UPDATE ON MEDIA REFORM ISSUES
FCC Stops Comcast's Internet Blocking
In a landmark decision, a bipartisan majority of the Federal Communications Commission voted in August to punish Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, for secretly blocking Internet traffic.

Last fall, the Associated Press caught Comcast secretly blocking users’ legal peer-to-peer traffic. In response, Free Press and Public Knowledge filed a complaint. The FCC launched an official investigation, which included public hearings at Harvard and Stanford universities and more than 50,000 public comments. The result: the first time the FCC has taken action to protect Internet users' right to access the legal content of their choice. The victory against Comcast was a milestone in the fight for an open Internet. We defied every ounce of conventional wisdom in Washington by proving that activists, bloggers, consumer advocates and everyday people could join forces to defeat a major corporation.

This is a crucial victory for the future of the Internet. But the fight isn't over yet. Comcast has filed an appeal of the decision. We think their case is weak, but it shows why it's still crucial for Congress to pass legislation to keep the Internet free of gatekeepers. With your continued support, we can keep the Internet open for everyone.

Journalists Under Attack
Reporting by independent journalists is vital to a functioning democracy. Americans must have access to diverse sources of information to hold their leaders accountable. Yet journalists covering the Republican National Convention in Minnesota were arrested simply for doing their jobs.

Nearly two dozen reporters were arrested during the four-day event, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and two of her producers, Associated Press reporters, student journalists, and local TV photographers, among others. Other journalists were pepper-sprayed, and reporters from the iWitness Video Collective were held at gunpoint during a "pre-emptive" police raid aimed at disrupting protesters.

Free Press made a public call for citizens to stand up and support the Fourth Estate. The response was overwhelming. In just two days, 60,000 people called for St. Paul officials to drop charges against all journalists arrested while covering the RNC. Under pressure, local officials agreed to dismiss the charges but we continue to work with local allies to call for an official investigation and fully account for how and why journalists were targeted in the Twin Cities.

Media Ownership Update
Intense pressure from local citizens and public interest groups throughout 2007 forced the FCC to back down from their efforts to completely eliminate media ownership limits. But last December, the FCC voted to lift the longstanding newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule that prevents one company from owning a daily newspaper and broadcast station in the same market.

Although narrower than the rule change proposed by the FCC in 2003, the new rule includes massive loopholes that could let a few giant companies swallow up more local media and could put minority media owners out of business.

The public response to this controversial giveaway has been overwhelming. More than 250,000 people wrote the Senate, which voted almost unanimously in May to overturn the FCC rule. Free Press and its StopBigMedia.com coalition partners are keeping the pressure on the House to do the same and we have more than 50 co-sponsors of the House version of the “resolution of disapproval” that would veto the FCC action.

This is an important opportunity to get our policymakers on the record on this important issue and build a foundation of opposition against media consolidation in the next administration. We are also pushing forward with lawsuits that would nullify the FCC rule change.

TELL CONGRESS:
INVESTIGATE THE PROPOGANDA PUNDITS

The New York Times exposed a shady Pentagon program to embed up to 75 "propaganda pundits" on every major news network. These so-called experts went on the air to cover up bad news about Iraq with White House spin. This is a violation of every conceivable standard of journalism -- and possibly of federal law.

Send a letter to demand that Congress launch a full investigation into the "selling of the war."

HOLD BIG MEDIA ACCOUNTABLE
Your local television stations want to keep you in the dark. The FCC has voted to make TV stations more accountable to their viewers by disclosing basic information about the ways they serve the public.

Seems simple, right? But there are many things that Big Media don’t want us to know. And their powerful lobbyists and lawyers in Washington are now suing the FCC to stop the new disclosure rules from going into effect. Defend your right to know. Tell the commissioners that local media need to be more accountable to us.

Tell the FCC: Stand Up for the Public

In exchange for a promise to serve the public, Big Media giants get a free license to use our public airwaves and make billions. The new rules will help you monitor the media and make your voice heard. They require stations to form community advisory boards and have someone in the studio at all times for public safety alerts.

In addition, stations would have to post information on station ownership, educational and community programming, and public complaints on their Web sites. This information helps communities pressure stations to improve their programming -- and even challenge their licenses at the FCC if they’re not meeting local needs.

Big Media’s lawyers and lobbyists are fighting rules like these. They are telling the FCC that no one cares about how their stations do business. Prove the Lobbyists Wrong: Tell the FCC You Care about Local Media

THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET = INTERNET FOR EVERYONE
Big phone and cable companies continue their lobbying to kill Net Neutrality — the longstanding principle that prevents them from discriminating against Web sites or services based on their source, ownership or destination. But episodes of telco censorship (AT&T’s censoring of Pearl Jam lyrics, Verizon wireless blocking NARAL’s text messages to its members, and Comcast blockinguse of legal peer-to-peer file sharing networks) have sparked ever more fervent outrage from internet and cell phone users.

In an encouraging response to a complaint filed by Free Press and members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, the FCC quickly moved to seek public feedback and expert counsel about the future of the Internet through a public hearing last week. So many people turned out that many had to be turned away at the door. This is one small indication of the passion many Americans have for the issue of Internet freedom. Submit your comments to the FCC today.

And in Congress, the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act” (HR 5353) would make Net Neutrality the law of the land and mandate public meetings across the country to open the discussion to all Americans who use the Internet instead of just those inside the Beltway. Join us in working to get "100 co-sponsors in 100 days" for the bill.

PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY MEDIA
Last year was a busy one for independent media makers. Hundreds of non-profit community groups from across the country applied for full-power, non-commercial radio licenses. The Local Community Radio Act of 2007 was introduced to create hundreds of new low-power FM radio stations. Public access community television continued the fight against state-wide franchising agreements. And small publications that were heavy hit last year by sharp increases in postal rates are still working to overturn the unfair legislation.

Forward thinking is not lacking in 2008. Led by the Prometheus Radio Project, LPFM activists from 20 states - including programmers from Radio Free Nashville - lobbied Washington to garner Congressional support for community radio. Public access television activists have successfully fought off attempts to push community television out of view. The time has come to end our appalling lack of commitment to fund public media (less than a paltry $1.50 per person). We need a dynamic public media system in this country that provides the access to the airwaves, returns local culture to communities, and provides a viable outlet for those who are overlooked in the mainstream media. Find out how you can support LPFM, public access TV, independent publishers battling postal rates, and increase funding for public media by visiting http://www.freepress.net/.

KEEP INFORMED
Here are some major happenings in media reform. The past few weeks have seen some of the most crucial media policy developments in recent memory. It's not always easy to keep up with the ins-and-outs of media policy issues alongside your other important work. But these debates will determine what information will -- and will not -- reach the American public. Our ability to communicate our messages is at stake.

People from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum understand that media reform is crucial not just in creating better media, but advancing every issue we care about. Let's keep working together to expand this movement. Learn about these issues and get involved.

TELECOMS CAUGHT CENSORING ON CELL PHONES AND INTERNET
The verdict is in. Leave the telephone and cable companies to their own devices and they will discriminate, block and play gatekeeper whenever it suits them. The past few months have provided plenty of examples. In the wired world, Comcast was caught red-handed blocking the legal file-sharing service BitTorrent.

This came just weeks after Verizon blocked text messages from NARAL Pro-Choice America to its own members. And late August found AT&T blocking statements critical of President Bush from a webcast of a Pearl Jam concert.

These are examples of exactly the type of censorship that Americans have warned would occur without Net Neutrality protections. Tired of the constant apologies, the SavetheInternet.com Coalition is urging people to contact the FCC and their members of Congress to demand laws that would protect the free flow of information on any platform.

BILLS IN CONGRESS
On Capitol Hill and across the country, support continues to grow for Low Power FM (LPFM) radio. The Local Community Radio Act is currently pending in the House.

The Senate Commerce Committee has passed the bipartisan Community Broadband Act (S.1853). This legislation promotes universal, affordable Internet access by empowering local communities to deliver essential high-speed Internet access to all their citizens. It would overturn statewide bans on cities building their own municipal Internet networks.

The next step for each of these bills would be a floor vote by the full Senate. Organizations and individuals interested in these issues should make calls to their senators, asking them to co-sponsor the bills and help ensure that they advance.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
The Free Press Action Network is a new community exploring the latest topics in media reform. Hundreds of users are signing up, creating their own blogs, and participating in online discussions with guests like FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, Sen. John Kerry, Rep. Hilda Solis, and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Start your own blog today and join the conversation.