(cc photo: Backbone Campaign)
This week on CounterSpin: FCC chair Ajit Pai has announced his plans to gut net neutrality; the former Verizon lawyer and Jeff Sessions staffer declared his intentions at a private event in DC. So the victory activists fought for—having broadband recognized as a public utility like the telephone, and not some sort of corporate gift—is in jeopardy. What does this mean for all of us who rely on an open internet, and in particular for communities of color, for whom the web’s relatively even playing field is crucial for communication and organizing? We’ve addressed this issue many times on the show. We’ll do a backgrounder on how we got here and what’s at stake with two of the leaders of the fight, Craig Aaron president of Free Press and Malkia Cyril, executive director of the Center for Media Justice.
Transcript: ‘The Internet Should Be Treated as a Public Utility’
Also on the show: Why can’t farmers repair their own John Deere tractors? It sounds like a joke, but it’s actually a story about how copyright laws, already problematic, are being used by some corporations to push for a re-definition of what it means to own something. Kyle Wiens runs iFixit, an online repair community that demystifies technology. We’ll talk to him about what’s going on.
Transcript: ‘It Comes Down to Monopoly Control of the Aftermarket’
And we take a quick look back at recent press, namely hyping the North Korean threat.
MP3 Link
Source Link:
- Petition to the FCC: Open and Affordable Internet (mag-NET)
Splendid reporting even by Janine’s standards. Thank you FAIR.
Thank you!