Keep The Net . . .

Watch the episode

Updates on Senate Telecom Bill and Live Blogging Congress

If you missed last Thursday's Senate markup on S. 2686, the Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006, you can listen to audio from the session here.

While I applaud the Commerce Commitee website for having a RSS newsfeed, it would also be helpful if they made a podcast available from their hearings and markup sessions at the Audio/Video page on their website.

Save Access writes, "The Senate Commerce Committee mark-up session for S.2686 will resume Tues. June 27th at 10:00. Continue to Email Your Senators!

Over 200 amendments are to be discussed for possible inclusion, including one on broadcast flag with onerous copy protection (see EFF)"

There's also a summary of last Thursday's hearing that was live blogged by Kathy Gill over at About.com, which is great. Jason and I did this (but nowhere near as detailed) over at the Media Policy Blog during a February hearing on Net Neutrality.

Senate Hearing Today on Telecom Bill in Congress

The Senate Commerce Committee held a mark-up session today on S.2686, the "Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006". Save Access writes that around 200 amendments were slated to be discussed at today's hearing for possible inclusion.

"Update: The mark-up session adjourned at 4:00pm. The Committee had just skimmed the surface of all the amendments. The mark-up will resume Tues. June 27th at 10:00 am (see article)."

Save Access also writes:

"The Alliance for Community Media is asking supporters to:

1) Call or fax your Senators again.
2) Copy Senators Inouye and Stevens.
3) The message is simple:
"We ask that you prevent any amendments to S2686 that attack PEG funding, franchise fees or municipal authority. Thank you."

These phone calls/faxes are especially important if your Senator is on the Commerce Committee (see the list below). And please continue to send your emails via our site too."

Telecom Bill in Congress: Update from Save Access

Save Access writes:

"Last Hope – The Senate"

"The Senate Commerce Committee is in hearings for S.2686, the Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006. The mark-up is now scheduled for June 22nd. This is where the wrongs of COPE can be righted. Once passed out of committee, the full Senate will vote on the Bill, it is then resolved with the House Bill in Conference Committee. See our S.2686 page for more info.

The Third Draft of S.2686 (download) was released June 18th. We need to keep the pressure on!"

Tell your Senators to fix this bill or stop it!
Send this letter to the Senate Now!

Rock The Vote for Net Neutrality!

I was talking with a friend of mine recently about how independent musicians and artists really need to start making some noise about the threats facing the Internet. This was mainly fueled by a recent article that I passed on written by Parul Desai from the Media Access Project. Looks like it's finally starting to happen!

Save The Internet writes today that "An alliance of singer-songwriters has come together to urge fans to take action before Congress scraps Net Neutrality and harms independent music."

The alliance has formed a band, The Broadband! Excellent.

The Broadband is Kay Hanley, Jill Sobule, and Michelle Lewis.

"Three singer/songwriters met at a Los Angeles recovery center for those suffering from internet-related anger issues. How could Congress vote to destroy one of the only good things left in America? This made no sense! How could so few people be enraged? What were people doing to keep network neutrality the law of the land?

They realized that they had found kindred spirits in one another and needed to work through their newfound political rage. Their counselor suggested that they could channel their frustration through song, interpretative dance, screaming or simply calling Congress over and over. When they discovered that Michelle was afraid of morons, they decided to just do the singing part. And thus The BroadBand was born.

God Save the Internet is their first outing. It will soon be sweeping the nation."

Download the song, Save The Internet, and don't forget about Access!

“Withering of the Net” with Lawrence Lessig

Just saw this event with Lawrence Lessig listed at Free Press, that's taking place in D.C. this Friday at 1pm. Wish he'd come to Boston and speak to folks here. If the Center for American Progress (the organization that's hosting the event) were smart they'd stream it live and make it available as a podcast afterwards, so more people could tune in. After all, this is about the Internet, what we have today, and what may not be here tomorrow. Here's the info:

The Withering of the Net: How D.C. pathologies are undermining the growth and wealth of the Net

Featured Speaker:
Lawrence Lessig, Professor, Stanford University

Introduction by:
Carl Malamud, Senior Fellow and Chief Technology Officer, Center for American Progress

"Contrary to urban myth, the Internet was not built by the U.S. government. Nor was it built by Google, Amazon, Microsoft, or Cisco. The Net was built by thousands of engineers from all over the world who cooperated across organizational, ideological, and national boundaries. Some were freelance consultants, some worked with the blessing of their employers, others simply did it and let their bosses know later."

Read on here.

Democracy Now! Speaks with ACM Executive Director, Anthony Riddle on Yesterday’s COPE Vote

Watch the video

"The House voted on legislation yesterday that could determine the future of the Internet and public access television in this country. We examine the implications of the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act – known as the COPE bill – with Anthony Riddle of the Alliance for Community Media." – Democracy Now!

Need a Good Network Neutrality Laugh?

In the wake of the House vote last evening, you may be asking,

"Who cares about network neutrality?"

The answer

….Moby and a Ninja.

More videos on SavetheInternet.org

The House Votes on The Future of Community Media and The Internet — Live!

Watch Live on C-SPAN (8:45 PM EST)

How will your Congressional Rep. Vote on COPE?

—

Follow the "COPE Countdown" on the Save Access Blog:

"We will be posting timely updates of tragedy unfolding in the House of Representatives as our elected officials vote on the COPE Bill (HR 5252).
last update 1:00pm" – Save Access Blog

Boston Day of Out(R)age Coverage on Rocketboom!

 

Thanks again to Steve Garfield and Andy Carvin for their great videos (Steve's & Andy's) from the May 24 Day of Out(R)age – Boston rally! Snippets from both ended up on an episode of Rocketboom last Thursday.

Between the comments about snakes and invisible jump ropes, the issue of net neutrality did manage to squeeze its way into the conversation.

Thanks to Boston videobloggers Steve and Andy for covering the rally while the Boston Mainstream Media took another snoozer (zzzzzz) failing to cover one of the most important issues of our time.