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Links : More on Net Neutrality

The Benton Foundation: Network Neutrality: Innovation Competiton and Nondiscriminatory Access highlights topics to be discussed at today's Telecom and Antitrust Task Force Hearing on Network Neutrality.

CNet on SavetheInternte.com: New group aims to 'save the Internet'   

"The fight for Internet freedom is now being waged in earnest," said Tim Karr, campaign director for Free Press, a media reform organization that opposes large media companies and organized the coalition. "On one side you have the public...on the other side you have the nation's largest telephone and cable companies, who have aligned with some in Congress to strip the Internet of the First Amendment."

At issue is a concept known as Net neutrality, also called network neutrality. It's a philosophy supported by Internet content providers such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon.com that would prohibit broadband providers from prioritizing certain types of Web traffic--such as streaming video or their own preferred content.

Large telephone and cable companies have argued against the need to put such principles into law, saying they're not interested in blocking sites or services but deserve the right to charge extra for such a "fast lane" to make their investments in bandwidth-hogging services and new technologies economically viable. Broadband providers have been spending billions to run fiber or faster links to American homes and businesses.

Save the Internet.com Seeks to Preserve Net Neutrality

Launched today, Save the Internet.com is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition  formed to educate the public about Net Neutrality and to lobby Congress to stop legislation that will essentailly give control over Internet access to telcom giants such as  AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner, and Comcast. 

Among the Coaltion's core beliefs is that the Internet is "a crucial engine for economic growth and democratic discourse."  Its supporters include Stanford Professor  Lawrence Lessig,  Craig Newmark (craigslist), Univeristy of Tennessee Professor Glenn Reynolds, the American Library Association, and  MoveOn.org.

From the coalition's Statement of Principles:

Network neutrality is the Internet's First Amendment. Without it, the Internet is at risk of losing the openness and accessibility that has revolutionized democratic participation, economic innovation and free speech.

From its beginnings, the Internet was built on a cooperative, democratic ideal. It has leveled the playing field for all comers. Everyday people can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions of people. Network neutrality has prevented gatekeepers from blocking or discriminating against new economic, political and social ideas.

read more at Save the Internet.com

Brancaccio Shares Insights on Democracy, Media and Blogosphere

David Brancaccio, host and senior editor of the weekly PBS series "Now," recently spoke with Seattle Post-Intelligencer correspondent Chris McGann before giving a talk on democracy and media. On blogging, Bracaccio says: 

"The idea of citizen voices expressing themselves through blogs is fabulous," he said. "There's people reading them and there's people with cool opinions.

"I read blogs quite a bit because they are other smart people with more time on their hands than me (and they) have aggregated stories that I need to see. I'm just worried that underlying the blogs -- there needs to be some news coverage and we have a challenge -- who is doing the news coverage? Well, I'm doing some, you're doing some, but it's endangered.

"It's all great stuff but it is not a replacement for professional reporting ... just people kind of commenting from the side is not all you need. You need somebody inside these big institutions talking to people or getting sources, he said."

AUDIO: Progressive political bloggers Armstrong, Zuniga trash Democratic consultants in "Crashing the Gate" book

Two of the most prominent so-called progressive political bloggers -- Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitas Zuniga -- have authored a 177-page manifesto for how the U.S. Democratic Party can help its candidates win more races. They argue that even before Democrats can work in their message, they need to start by getting better mechanics in place. And the first thing to do, say Zuniga and Armstrong -- in the just-published (March 27, 2006) book: "Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots and the rise of People-Power Politics" -- is dump failure-prone Democratic media consultants and strategists. Media Giraffe Project editor/director Bill Densmore interviewed the blogger pair on March 31 and filed a 40-minute downloadable MP3 audio interview (18MB).   

REVIEWS: Link to reviews of "Crashing the Gates."
AUDIO: Download zuniga-armstrong-04-01-06.mp3