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from: Willamette Week Online

Clash Of The Titans

Can Qwest really be the good guy when it comes to lower cable TV rates?

BY DON MCINTOSH

Cable giant Comcast is about to find out what real competition looks like in the Portland metro area. And that may mean customers are about to experience a new phenomenon—lower bills.

from: CNET

Appeals court may let NSA lawsuits proceed
By Declan McCullagh
Aug 15 20:06:53 PDT 2007

SAN FRANCISCO--A federal appeals court on Wednesday appeared unwilling to end a pair of lawsuits that claim the Bush administration engaged in widespread illegal surveillance of Americans.

from: Wired

Nation’s Soul Is at Stake in NSA Surveillance Case

By Jennifer Granick
August 15, 2007

Today the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is hearing arguments on two of the most important cases in decades dealing with the rule of law and personal privacy.

from: BuzzFlash

Why Haven’t the Mainstream Corporate Media Covered the AT&T-NSA Domestic Spying Program?

August 13, 2007

By Elliot D. Cohen

The recently passed “Protect America Act of 2007” (S. 1927), which expands presidential powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to spy on our overseas phone and e-mail communications without a court warrant, appears to be just the tip of the iceberg of government eavesdropping on American citizens. Yet, mainstream media (MSM) have given scant coverage to the NSA/AT&T domestic spying program, and a landmark case now pending before the 9th circuit federal appeals court, the outcome of which may mark the final blow to Fourth Amendment privacy rights in America.

Note: Providing "naked DSL" or DSL service without the requirement of phone service, was a condition of the AT&T - Bell South merger. A low cost version of the service was another condition ($10). That AT&T drags their feet in meeting these conditions, then buries the service in their plan offerings, is a disgrace - and grounds for a suit.

from: read more

from: Boston Globe

The Push Is On to Bring Broadband to Whole State

From Boston Globe, August 12, 2007
By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Before Sharon E. Gillett took charge of the state’s newly formed Department of Telecommunications and Cable in May, she wrote reports about broadband access and policy. Now, she is shaping the state’s telecom landscape, starting with the Patrick administration’s $25 million initiative to bring high-speed Internet to 32 unserved communities, which she discussed with Globe reporter Carolyn Y. Johnson.

from: The Day

AT&T Asks Court To Reconsider 'U-verse' Decision

By Patricia Daddona
Published on 8/14/2007

AT&T has asked the U.S. District Court in New Haven to reject a recent federal opinion that finds the same rules for cable programming apply to a new video product offered by the phone company.

from: Citizen Times

Cable TV PEG channels deserve lawmakers’ aid
published August 14, 2007 12:15 am

Competition usually results in lower prices and better service and products. Who can argue with that? The question is, better service and lower prices for whom?

In the case of cable television franchises, a 2006 North Carolina law passed in an effort to encourage competition could eventually mean better service and lower prices for densely populated affluent areas. It could mean poor or no service for poor or rural areas.

Note: The wonderful fallout of 'more competition' and 'consumer friendly' bills.

from: Multichannel News

Comcast Cuts Free Drops

(Multichannel News) _ Local Michigan governments are publicly criticizing cable operators there for taking advantage of a state law, for instance, cutting most of its free cable services to firehouses and police stations.

from: MultiChannel News

AT&T: Conn. AG Is 'Anti-Consumer'

(Multichannel News) _ An action taken by Connecticut's attorney general to stop AT&T from deploying its U-verse TV video product in the state is "anti-consumer through and through," according to the telephone company.