NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Sen. Franken to the Netroots: Only You Can Stop the Corporate Takeover of Free Speech
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I get my “briefs in a bind” whenever Free Press
starts talking about taking
away free speech on the Internet in the name of decency. From:
nnsquad-bounces+george_ou=lanarchitect.net@nnsquad.org
[mailto:nnsquad-bounces+george_ou=lanarchitect.net@nnsquad.org] On Behalf Of
Tim Karr 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!" = = = = =
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