Successful Blog

Net Neutrality 11-12-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Shift Happened: How Might a Democrat-Controlled Congress Affect Media, Internet, Communications and Entertainment?

The shifting of the balance of power from Republicans to Democrats on Capitol Hill will likely have dramatic consequences on US foreign military/diplomatic policy and on domestic social policy. . . .

My first relatively obvious observation is that the shift in power tips the balance to the Net Neutrality forces and puts the Bells on the defensive for the first time since passage of the “96 Telecom Act” as they continue their efforts to obtain video franchising relief. Perhaps this means there is a potential compromise in the works – video franchising relief for a more meaningful iteration of Net Neutrality?

But is it all good news for the Internet voice/video/media/entertainment disruptors? I know, given the vast resources devoted on all sides of the debate to Net Neutrality, one might conclude that Net Neutrality is the only issue that matters, but it is not. While the Internet application providers and users might win on the Net Neutrality front, I harbor no great expectations that the Democrats will be any less paternalistic than their Republican corollaries on the social issues affecting the Internet and communications, particularly the inertia pushing traditional emergency response, lawful intercept, and now indecency statutes and regulations on Internet applications, without any serious regard for the deleterious effects on innovation and progress.

Bottom line, however, is that I no longer expect Congress to pass any significant, Internet-affecting, legislation this year. I, however, do expect that the FCC might try to fill the breach and try, itself, to move on video franchising reform, universal service contribution methodology and access charge reform, and continuing down the path of imposing traditional telecom- and broadcast-like regulation on Internet applications, while further deregulating the transmission media. I also expect that many of the battles might move back to the states as Congress becomes less fertile turf for the traditional carriers.

Want to know what you can do?
MA Bell Monopoly Versus the Free Internet — Tell the FCC Net Neutrality Is Not Negotiable

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Thanks to Week 55 SOBs

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muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

Blogs et IE

Creative Think

Great Big Small Business Show

Lumpy's Corner

McLellan Marketing Group

principled innovation

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this badge’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 11-11-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

The top censored news stories of 2005-2006 [via Center for Creative Voices]

FOR 30 years, Sonoma State University’s Project Censored has released an annual list of the most important news stories not covered by the corporate media in the United States. Here again are the Top 10 news stories that didn’t make much news.

1. Net Neutrality

Throughout 2005 and this year, a largely underground debate has raged regarding the future of the Internet. More recently referred to as net neutrality, the issue has become a tug of war with cable companies on the one hand and consumers and Internet service providers (ISPs) on the other. Yet despite important legislative proposals and Supreme Court decisions throughout 2005, the issue was almost completely ignored in the headlines until 2006. And except for occasional coverage on CNBC’s Kudlow & Kramer, mainstream television remains hands-off to this day. . . .

Want to know what you can do?
MA Bell Monopoly Versus the Free Internet — Tell the FCC Net Neutrality Is Not Negotiable

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 11-10-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Cable and Telco’s Lying about Net Neutrality


. . . My point is that if the Cable and Telco’s are spending Advertising Dollars Lying about Net Neutrality, we need to amp up our efforts to Protect our Rights to a Free Internet.

And in case our friends in Canada think they are safe from Cable and Telco interference with the Internet in the Great White North, Read The Newspapers… They’re trying the same thing up there.

Want to know what you can do?
MA Bell Monopoly Versus the Free Internet — Tell the FCC Net Neutrality Is Not Negotiable

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 11-09-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

On Network Convergence ( Susan Crawford )

It would be a great day for me, if I as a subscriber, had the power to download the movies I like, edit these movies for my home viewing ( for example when my kids are up, edit out violent and sex scenes and when they are asleep, edit back these scenes) and generally have the power to select what comes into my tv.

Today, broadcasters decide what comes into my home and typically say, if you don’t like it…change the channel.

NO, I DON’T WANT TO CHANGE THE CHANNEL. ITS MY HOME, I LIKE TV AND I SHOULD HAVE A SAY ON TO HOW THE CONTENT IS PRESENTED IN MY HOUSE.

Afterall, we all agree that most of the evolution is happening at the edge of the network which is directly interfacing with me and my family.

So there are various arguments to what convergence means, there are economic implications that trigger off political, corporate and technological events, but please don’t loose focus that all this is done to serve me, since I and another 4B people are paying for these past present and future services and of course salaries.

Want to know what you can do?
MA Bell Monopoly Versus the Free Internet — Tell the FCC Net Neutrality Is Not Negotiable

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Introducing the Blogs of Trevor Hampel

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SOB Hall of Famer: Trevor Hampel

Trevor Hampel is a retired elementary school teacher who lives in South Australia. He has always written stories and poems to use in his classroom and many have been published in Australian magazines. In the 1990s he had six books published, two curriculum guides for teachers with four accompanying student work books. He is now concentrating on writing this blog about writing and blogging which he hopes will help and inspire other writers. Some of his poetry and short fiction also appears on this blog. He is also working on several novels and picture book texts for traditional print publication.

Trevor’s Birding is a blog about the wild birds that live in his garden and in the district where he lives in South Australia. Watching birds in the wild has been his hobby now for over thirty years and he passionately shares this interest with his readers. More recently this passion has developed into a desire to photograph the birds he observes and to share the beauty of these birds by posting the photos on his blog.

Trevor’s Travels is a travel blog written by author Trevor Hampel. He has travelled extensively throughout Australia and more recently Thailand and Nepal (including a trek towards Mt Everest) and he writes about his adventures in his blog. These adventures are well illustrated by some beautiful photos of places he has visited over the years.

Notes from Liz: Trevor is a blogger’s blogger. He documents the details of his doings, a variety of experiences recorded through his writing. Trevor’s blogs bring his thoughts and images through the screen to make them ours. We get to share his world view with him. It’s his curiosity about how we choose one word over another, which bird comes to sit for his camera, or the diversity of what he finds when he travels that makes the reading unique and Trevor.

Thanks, Trevor, for the time it takes to document the details of your thoughts and your travels.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Has your SOB Blog Been Introduced to US?
Blog Promotion: May I Introduce You?