A study authored by the Future of Music Coalition and the National Alliance for Media Arts suggests that universal high-speed Internet access is critical to the success of the arts and creative industry over the next decade. The report notes that technological advancements will offer both unique challenges and opportunities for the arts. Read More »
Senate Antitrust chair Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) wrote a letter to NBC to express concern that some of its Internet coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympic games was available only to paid subscribers. Visitors to the NBC site who sought coverage of the Olympics - NBC and its sister stations were the exclusive domestic carriers of the games - had to first confirm they had a subscription to cable, satellite, or IPTV. Read More »
On March 4, The Communications Workers of America and three of its partner organizations released a report called Networking the Green Economy. The report found that new communication technologies are actually a critical part of making our energy-hungry economy more sustainable and energy-efficient. Read More »
Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen testified before the House Judiciary Committee on February 25 about the impact of a proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal. Cohen, who represents employees of both companies, made the case that the merger would adversely affect the public interest by shedding quality jobs, reducing competition, and devaluing online content and broadband services. Read More »
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new report on America's progress in achieving universal broadband access. Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the report found that household access to broadband jumped from 51% in 2007 to 64% in 2009. Read More »
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report detailing census-tract data on high speed Internet service speed and availability. While the FCC has been collecting information on broadband providers since 2000, this is the first report that provides comprehensive data at a county level. The new data shows that the broadband gap even more apparent. Read More »
FCC Chairman Genachowski previewed features of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan in an announcement on January 16. Genachowski outlined a major component of the plan, a goal to have 100 million households at 100 megabits per second within 10 years. Read More »
The Federal Government announced nearly $1 billion in Recovery Act awards to train over 10,000 new health IT workers and promote meaningful adoption of emerging technology in the health care industry. Read More »
A planned deal between NBC Universal and Comcast raises serious concerns for consumers, media competition and workers. Recently, the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights brought the merger further into the spotlight by holing a hearing on the plan. Many people, including Sen. Al Franken spoke sharply against the deal. Read More »
Employment growth correlates with broadband availability according to a report released by the Public Policy Institute of California. Especially in sparsely populated areas, and in areas with tech-heavy industries, adoption and deployment of broadband increases the number of jobs available. Read More »
