FCC

Musicians and Arts Organizations Call for Real Net Neutrality

Today (July 15, 2014), an array of prominent musicians and songwriters filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the regulatory agency to keep the Internet open to creativity and entrepreneurship. In a separate filing, more than two dozen influential arts and cultural organizations representing all 50 states told the FCC to adopt the strongest rules possible to prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs)—like Comcast and Verizon—from picking winners and losers online.

Arts & Culture Organizations, Musicians, and Advocates Call For Real Net Neutrality

July 15, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, prominent musicians and songwriters urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish rules to keep the Internet open for creativity and entrepreneurship. In a separate filing, more than two dozen of the America’s most influential arts and culture organizations called for the strongest rules possible to prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from picking winners and losers online. read more

Arts & Culture Organizations' Joint Comments to FCC on "Promoting & Protecting The Open Internet"

On July 15, 2014, a consortium of national arts and culture organizations submitted the following comments in the Federal Communications Commission’s public docket on Net Neutrality. You can submit your own comments at http://www.fcc.gov/comments ; reply comments will be due September 10. Participating organizations included:

Alternate ROOTS
Americans for the Arts
American Community Television
American Composers Forum
Association of American Arts Presenters
Chamber Music America
Chorus America
Dance/USA
Fractured Atlas
Future of Music Coalition
League of American Orchestras
Independent Film & Television Alliance
National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
National Alliance for Musical Theatre
National Performance Network
Network of Ensemble Theaters
New Music USA
OPERA America
Performing Arts Alliance
Sundance Institute
Theater Communications Group
Writers Guild of America West

I. Introduction

In a relatively short period of time, broadband Internet service has inspired tremendous innovation, which has in turn enabled individual artists and arts organizations to reach new audiences, cultivate patrons and supporters, collaborate with peers, stimulate local economies and enrich cultural and civic discourse. read more

T-Mobile: "UnCarrier" or Plain Unhelpful?

Post by Policy Intern Juan Carlos Melendez-Torres and Casey Rae

T-Mobile markets itself as a great liberator within the mobile phone industry through its “UnCarrier” initiatives. But is the company really all that different from other powerful carriers and Internet Service Providers?

On June 18, T-Mobile announced UnCarrier 6.0, which includes new “partnerships” with streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, iTunes Radio, iHeartRadio, Slacker, Rhapsody and Milk Music. Under the UnCarrier 6.0 provisions, T-Mobile will not count music streamed on the aforementioned services against their subscribers’ data caps. Using any other online music service—say, Bandcamp or Noisetrade—will result in slowed speeds and potentially, overages.

This move is worrisome for a number of reasons.

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Rep. Doris Matsui and Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced a bill called the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act, which calls upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take any action required to prevent Internet Service Providers like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T from picking winners and losers in an online free market. read more

Musicians Welcome Bill to Prevent Internet Slow Lanes

June 17, 2014

The FCC is currently accepting public comments in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on “net neutrality.” The current proposal has received tremendous criticism for what many see as the enactment of a “two-tiered” Internet, in which companies with deep pockets receive priority access to subscribers, while creators and other entrepreneurs are relegated to the slow lane. read more

House Subcommittee Grills FCC Chairman on Net Neutrality

by Griffin Davis, Communications Intern & Kevin Erickson, Communications Associate

In the wake of the FCC’s vote last Thursday to bring forward a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology convened yesterday to question FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on recent FCC activities, with an emphasis on the ongoing debate over net neutrality. read more

FCC Moves Forward With Internet Plan Opposed By Pro-Net Neutrality Music Groups

By Alex Shively

mxdwn

May 17, 2014

[…]

The FCC by stepped bipartisan opposition as well as the music community. Last month, Eddie Vedder, Michael Stipe, and Tom Morello joined many other artists in signing an open letter to the commission protesting the change. But protests by musical advocacy groups such as the Future of Music Coalition and Free Press have been applied in vain.

The statement, “The next 120 days are going to be big,” tweeted by the Future of Music Coalition portends an ongoing fight against e-stratification.

The FCC won't let net neutrality be, proposal to overhaul the internet moves forward

By Tarynn Law

thefourohfive

May 15, 2014

The Federal Communications Commission met earlier today to discuss a plan that could change the Internet experience as we all know and love it. Commissioners voted by a three-two margin to move the proposal forward and their decision has been hotly anticipated, as critics say it could challenge the open Internet experience and belittle net neutrality. Net neutrality is the concept that says Internet providers shouldn’t be able to restrict how everyone uses the service.

[…] read more

FMC Statement on Net Neutrality Rulemaking Process

May 15, 2014

Today, the Federal Communications Commissionread more

I. Introduction

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