Public Policy

The advocacy organization Public Knowledge is running a petition campaign requesting that the FCC prevent Verizon from replacing reliable land lines with only "VoiceLink" wireless service in areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

To quote PK: "Disaster victims should not be guinea pigs for experiments in new phone service. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy last October, Verizon decided that instead of rebuilding its traditional phone lines, the company is replacing them with something called a "fixed wireless service."

You may recall that in September 2012 and despite widespread opposition, the CA State legislature passed SB 1161, a bill written by AT&T which deregulated VOIP phone service and creates potential negative impacts on IP internet services and regular phone service in CA - including the eventual loss of land lines.

For more info and to sign the petition, see: http://www.publicknowledge.org/voicelink

Channel 99 is the public-access ghetto

While the Communications Act is in definite need for a radical re-thinking with an eye on equitable access, affordability and expanded public interests protections, the thought of this reform effort launching under current House leadership should be cause for alarm.

Leading the charge is House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) who last attempted this in 2006 when he championed the troubled national video franchise legislation written by AT&T. His effort then was to get the bill into conference where the real decisions are made (behind closed doors and away from public scrutiny). AT&T failed in that effort, but succeeded in passing their legislation in 20 states accomplishing the same goal. In CA, AT&T gave us DIVCA and succeeded in exiling local PEG channels to a CH99 ghetto menu and altering funding streams to create fiscal instability for media centers around the state.