FCC Chairman plans to recommend censure against Comcast
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin plans to recommend that the FCC issue a warning against the ISP for imposing "arbitrarily limits" on its subscribers. The recommendation, now circulating internally, would require various disclosure and procedural shifts without applying penalties. Margaret Kane, News.comread more
The New Economics of Music
Economist Umair Haque explains why the music industry is so vulnerable to piracy and how to fix it. He argues that consumers download music because buying an album comes with a great element of risk because the record label provides no guarantee of quality. In most industries the cost of a product is an indication of quality, but the music industry has near-uniform costs. Umair suggests new pricing models to reduce this element of risk. Bubble Generation, February 15, 2008read more
Two of today’s Supreme Court rulings cover separate but interconnected issues that will impact the future of the music economy. NCTA v Brand X impacts the basic architecture of the internet, while MGM v Grokster affects the applications that are offered to consumers using the internet. read more
In the words of Phil Collins: "I can feel it coming in the air tonight…Hold On!"
Or better stated, in the words of Patti Smith: "The
people have the power."
A good friend of FMC — John Nichols — once said, “The
civil rights movement didn’t start in the 60s.” In other words,
there were good people in America fighting segregation and racism for
years and years and years before they finally reached the historic moment
when a national movement came together and change was possible. This change
didn’t happen by accident. It was the cumulative result of years of preparation,
education and organizing which finally came to full flower as a bus boycott
that captured the imagination of a country.
It’s fall again and you can be sure that the leaves ain’t
the only things changing these days. No… it’s the times. Finally, it’s
the times. With no further ado let’s get into the heart of what’s been
up at FMC in the past six weeks.
