Net Neutrality

Stop the Stop Online Piracy Act

Congress is once again considering passing new laws regulating piracy on the Internet. The House of Representatives is currently considering passing the Stop Online Piracy Act. But many oppose the Act—and you should too. If it becomes law, as one Congresswoman exclaimed, it “would mean the end of the internet as we know it.” Similarly, Internet companies like Google and Facebook also openly oppose it. The Act even prompted online protests by Tumblr, Reddit and Firefox. Why do so many oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act, and why should you be concerned? Read our coverage to find out.

Submitted by Dan Terzian last modified Wed, 11/23/2011 - 10:47am

Net Neutrality Rules: Illogical logic governs what ISPs can block

Net Neutrality Illogical logic thumbnail

As we recently discussed, the FCC’s new Net Neutrality rules forbid Internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking access to certain materials. These rules make clear that “fixed broadband” ISPs (AKA cable and DSL Internet providers) cannot block access to lawful materials. But, illogically, whether they can block access to unlawful materials is not at all clear.

Submitted by Dan Terzian last modified Sat, 10/22/2011 - 10:23am

Is the gatekeeper model of information access the new normal?

On the surface, gatekeepers can look like new services enabling communication with the world around us. However, gatekeepers like Apple or Youtube, whether acting deliberately, recklessly, arbitrarily, or incompetently, can pose significant hurdles to independent creators. 

Submitted by Hannah Lowe last modified Tue, 10/04/2011 - 9:12am

The FCC's Net Neutrality Rules: A tale of two internets

Support Net Neutrality - shared under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0 license

The FCC's rules regulating Network Neutrality split the Internet. No more is it the Internet, singular; it’s the Internets, plural. Or more precisely, it’s the two Internets: The wired and the wireless. And the new rules leave the latter virtually unprotected. With the rules soon to come into affect this fall, and public interest and industry groups aligning for lawsuits, here's what the fight is all about.

Submitted by Dan Terzian last modified Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:44pm

September Newsletter: Success stories, challenging AT&T, and Blogworld 2011

Our September newsletter brings news of success stories fighting DMCA abuse, a grant awarded by the California Consumer Protection Foundation, and our continuing efforts to stop the AT&T-Tmobile merger. 

You can also catch us in person at Media Law in the Digital Age in October, a conference coproduced by Harvard Berkman Center's Digital Media Law Project and the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University, as well as Blogworld 2011 in LA in November.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 09/08/2011 - 10:41am

New Media Rights files Reply Comments in the AT&T - T-mobile merger review at the California Public Utiltities Commission

AT&T T-mobile merger

New Media Rights and its affiliates Utility Consumers' Action Network and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse filed Reply Comments to the California Public Utilities Commission investigation into the AT&T - T-mobile merger.  After attending the innovation and consumer workshops, and reading a mountain of additional paperwork, we're more convinced than ever that the CPUC should recommend denial of the merger.

We talk about specific reasons why in our comments, and also suggest that in the event the Commission does choose to recommend to the FCC to approve with the merger, some significant conditions should be placed in California.

Submitted by Art Neill last modified Tue, 11/29/2011 - 11:49am

New Media Rights files Petition to Deny the AT&T - T-mobile Merger at the FCC

New Media Rights, its parent organization Utility Consumers' Action Network, and its affiliated project Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, have filed a petition to deny with the Federal Communications Commission. 

Our petition makes clear the FCC must investigate AT&T's assumptions and claims carefully, and that on balance, the merger is not in the public interest of America's wireless consumers.  The merger's negative affect on innovation, access to the internet, customer service quality, prices, service availability, and consumer privacy are all discussed.

Read the full filing by clicking here.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Fri, 06/03/2011 - 11:51am

New Media Rights at the National Conference for Media Reform

Art and Mera are attending the National Media Reform Conference this weekend in Boston, MA. We look forward to sharing the work we have done offering free legal resources and fighting to improve and modernize media policy. Art will be on the panel Copyright, Copyleft, CopyCenter: Can Copyright and Remix Culture Co-exist? and Mera will be an online panelist for two of the main plenaries. Read more to see how you can be involved!

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:23pm

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