FCC Approves Comcast NBC Merger

Federal regulators on Tuesday approved Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal, allowing for a joint venture that puts a vast library of television shows and movies under the control of the nation’s biggest cable and broadband Internet service provider.
The Justice Department also announced its approval of the deal with conditions aimed at keeping Comcast-NBCU from quashing competition from other networks and Internet providers.
-Read more about the decision at The Washington Post.

This is not good news. I do not believe the conditions set by regulators are sufficient, and I don’t believe such mergers ought to be allowed in any case. Here we have one of the largest media conglomerates in the United States and abroad teaming up with the largest internet and cable providers in the US. It is a bad precedent.
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National Broadband Strategy Hearings

This is a clever little widget. It’s created to convey how major telecommunications corporations are using fake grassroots organizations as fronts to advance their agenda and block telecommunications reform.

It comes from FreePress.net. Free Press has criticized the FCC for its handling of its hearings regarding National Broadband Policy, saying the meetings have not been announced far enough ahead or through appropriate publicity vehicles so that the public knows they are happening and can show up.
The criticisms are valid, but it is also true that most people aren’t at all aware that there is a policy debate or that anything is at stake. It’s a complicated and confusing issue and the big media companies have all the resources to make their case. They control the airwaves, pipelines and broadcast networks the would be needed to carry an opposing viewpoint, an increasingly, the same media companies own print media outlets as well. There is an outstanding and enlightening tool for finding out which companies own which media on the website of the Columbia Journalism Review.
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Average Advertised Download Speed

Average Advertised Download Speed

Take a look at the International Broadband Charts. You may be surprised to learn that the US is far from being the leader in Broadband technologies. Indeed, in general we pay more for slower network connections than quite a few other countries, ones that might surprise you. We are also lagging behind in terms of the rate of broadband penetration. These are facts. No politics are involved in producing these statistics, just empirical evidence. No wonder the administration of President Obama is concerned about our National Broadband Strategy.
They just need to do a better job of getting the public involved.

AT&T's About Face

While AT&T had previously stated that it has no role in designing or approving applications for Apple’s App Store, the company has now acknowledged in its reply to a Federal Communications Commission’s inquiry that it does, at least in regard to VoIP apps.

“AT&T and Apple agreed that Apple would not take affirmative steps to enable an iPhone to use AT&T’s wireless service (including 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi) to make VoIP calls without first obtaining AT&T’s consent.”
Apple confirmed this in their response, stating: “There is a provision in Apple’s agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T’s cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP session without obtaining AT&T’s permission.”
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via AT&T’s About Face | Free Press.
No big surprise there.