NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Sen. Franken to the Netroots: Only You Can Stop the Corporate Takeover of Free Speech
|
I know the carriers and their paid
proxies get their briefs in a bind whenever we posit this as a free speech
issue [which is pretty telling in and of itself] Sen.
Franken to the Netroots: Only You Can Stop the Corporate Takeover of Free
Speech
By Timothy Karr Franken
told more than 2,000 bloggers and organizers attending the Netroots Nation conference
in Las Vegas that our media system is at risk everywhere we turn -- from our
free speech online to the growing power of companies who own a massive number
of media outlets. "Tonight
I want to tell you that I believe Net Neutrality is the First Amendment issue
of our time," Franken said during a closing keynote address to
conference-goers. He went on to warn of the looming merger between
cable giant Comcast and NBC-Universal, saying: If no
one stops them, how long do you think it will take before 4 or 5
mega-corporations effectively control the flow of information in America not
only on television but online? If we don't protect Net Neutrality now ... how
long do you think it will take before [they] start favoring its content over
everyone else's? With the
Supreme Court's Citizens United decision
giving unprecedented rights to corporations over individuals, Franken said
these merged, powerful media conglomerates will have untold influence over our
democracy: And if
Citizens United is allowed to stand, how long do you think it will take for
these monoliths to buy enough elections so that they effectively have veto
power over anything Congress tries to do to regulate them? Franken
pointed to a grim, but realistic picture of the future, where media companies
decide what we watch and read on every media platform, and control the
information we're able to create and disseminate. If
corporations takeover the Internet, the incredible Web-based political
mobilization of the last 10 years would no longer exist. "And it's not
just about politics," Franken added. "After all, the Internet is more
than just a foundation of the community we progressives have built. It is an
incredible source of innovation, a hot bed of creativity and unbelievable
producer of jobs and wealth." This
value comes from the fact that Net Neutrality has
created an equal playing field on the Internet, where anyone can connect,
create and innovate. Without Net Neutrality, Franken said, "It would
become just a 'series of tubes'
through which money could flow into the pockets of private corporations." And if
the Comcast-NBC merger is approved, it will be the first "domino" in
a series of other moves that will wrestle further control of the media from the
people's hands. "If it falls, the rest will soon follow. It's almost too
late to stop this from happening but not quite," he said. The
government now has a role to play. Congress can mitigate the influence of
corporate money on our elections. The FCC
can enact rules that would protect Net Neutrality and free speech online.
And the FCC and Congress can block the NBC-Comcast merger,
or in the very least, put strict conditions on the company to protect local and
diverse journalism and information. But
Franken also said that the real action needs to come from the public. "I
can tell you first hand that the government, the White House and the FCC have
been hearing plenty from corporations
on the other side of these issues and not nearly enough from you," Franken
said in closing. "If you want to protect the free flow of information in
this country and all that depends on it, you have to help me fight this!" = = = = =
|