Posts from Sen. Kerry up on DKos and SaveTheInternet

[TayTay]

Senator Kerry has two posts up about Net Neutrality and a hearing that will happen tomorrow morning in the Senate Commerce Committee on The Future of the Internet.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/21/13026/2437/276/500090">DailyKos post

Save The Internet Post


Hearing tomorrow:

The Future of the Internet

Full Committee

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
10:00 AM

The hearing will focus on developing applications, consumer expectations, and network operation.

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=4c66f979-3001-490a-a985-5be63951adb7

Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1
Ms. Justine Bateman
Actress / Writer / Producer

Ms. Michele Combs
Vice President of Communications
Christian Coalition of America

Professor Lawrence Lessig
Stanford Law School

Mr. Kyle McSlarrow
President and CEO
National Cable & Telecommunications Association

Mr. Patric Verrone
President
Writers Guild of America, West

Dr. Robert Hahn
Executive Director, Center for Regulatory and Market Studies
American Enterprise Institute

[beachmom]

1. A legitimate issue unfortunately brought up by an obnoxious poster has come up:

Is Sen. Kerry opposed to the two satellite radio companies merging? Because the obnoxious poster has provided no link. Here is my concern: although I don't have satellite radio, I may get it one day. In the mean time I have access to no liberal talk radio either in my city nor in the previous city I lived. And even NPR is more limited here, only broadcasting morning and afternoon with classical music throughout the day (in VA, we had separate stations -- one classical, the other NPR plus local programming).

We can't afford to have satellite radio die. I understand the monopoly argument, but in this case, I just don't see it that way since AM/FM exist. The real monopoly is right wing garbage on AM radio.

Anyone know Kerry's position?

[TayTay]

2. More info on the XM/Sirius Merger and opposition to it.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6547737.html?rssid=193

Kerry added that the FCC should consider applying conditions to the merger, saying that "left unchecked, the entity that would emerge from this partnership would be capable of exercising monopolistic powers that could potentially result in diminished service at increased rates to consumers.


http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=141650&pt=todaysnews

Kerry urges Martin "to resist rubber stamping the Justice Department's determination that sufficient competition exists." He continues, "Should the FCC determine that this merger does indeed serve the public interest, I urge you to consider appropriate conditions that will effectively protect the American consumer from what could prove to be an entity with strong monopoly power within the digital audio radio market.


http://www2.freepress.net/actionnetwork/node/495

This is opposition to the merger from some of the same people as the ones involved in Save The Internet

I have a long record standing against mass consolidation of media outlets because I believe that the traffic of information must not be held hostage to executives in one or two corporate boardrooms. If that were to happen, we can say goodbye to decisions about content that are based on fairness, balance, localism, diversity, or democratic principle. Instead, we will simply see decisions based solely on a single company’s bottom line.

More links to info: http://www.kcpw.org/article/5671

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070228/160543.shtml

[beachmom]

3. WOW! Sen. Kerry has received 1,077 recs for his diary.

Damn, traffic must be up at Kos.

[MH1]

4. I hope that hearing will be available online at a later date.

Some of us will be rather preoccupied tomorrow. :P

Good to see that Lessig will be there. He's a great voice for open technology.