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This week word came that the Grand Rapids Media Center (GRMC) is being forced to reduce operating hours, a casualty of the Michigan State Video Franchise passed last year.

from: Technology Daily

NEW YORK BILL WOULD IMPOSE NET NEUTRALITY RULES

May 16, 2007 Wednesday
PM EDITION

A comprehensive telecommunications bill making its way through the New York legislature also includes language to mandate the equal treatment of high-speed content on the Internet. The so-called network neutrality provision is part of a proposal, A.B. 3980, to overhaul the state’s video-franchising rules by allowing service providers to seek statewide deals. The legislation also would establish a state broadband development authority.

Note: Astroturf Alert!

from: NY Sun

Don't Neutralize Franchise Reform

BY PHILIP KERPEN
May 17, 2007

New York is doing the right thing for consumers by deregulating video services, increasing competition and consumer choice. So why in the world would Albany consider doing the exact opposite when it comes to Internet service — imposing new Internet regulations that could dry up investment dollars and stifle competition?

from: The Albany Project

All Together Now: Pass and Sign the Telecom Reform Act

by: Pete Sikora
Tue May 15, 2007 at 07:36:11 AM EDT

Or is it altogether now? Whatever. The point is that today at 11:30am the groups supporting the bill are standing together to call on the State Legislature and the Governor to move the Brodsky/Leibell Telecommunications Reform Act (A.3980B/S.5124).

Note: See source site for comments and article links

from: MyDD

Closing the Gap with CWA on Net Neutrality

There's a tussle going on that Matt has been illuminating involving the Communications Workers of America's stance on net neutrality. The CWA is an AFL-CIO-affiliated union representing more than 700,000 workers, some at AT&T, NBC, the New York Times, and elsewhere. In a few cases now, CWA has objected to net neutrality provisions. What's frustrating is that in so much that involves telecom and media policy, the goal of some seems to be to obfuscate and fuzzy the picture until most normal people throw up their hands and move on to something else. We hear flatly untrue arguments, like the one about how Google doesn't pay for the enormous bandwidth it uses. We hear said that this is Goliath vs. Goliath, a fight between one giant corporation and another: Verizon's multimillionare CEO Ivan Seidenberg vs. Google's very rich executives "with their own agenda." It's almost as if some involved want us to just worry instead about who's going to win American Idol.

from: The Albany Project

The Brodsky Bill: Completely Clueless in Rochester

by: lipris
Fri May 11, 2007

I'm working on a long piece about Assemblyman Brodsky's Tellecommunications Reform Act that I hope to have up later today, but I just ran across this utterly clueless op-ed in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that I just can't let slide. Though I will give the D&C credit for writing about the issue at all given the serious dearth of coverage statewide, the piece they published Wednesday is a train wreck. They start strong with a perfect title, Hold telecom hearings, Public knows too little about major reform legislation, it ends as a muddled, clueless mess.

from: Civil Defense Blog

Weighing the New York Omnibus Telecom Reform Act of 2007

May 11, 2007
By Joshua Breitbart

I’m heading up to Troy, NY, this morning for a “New York State Strategy Session for the Future of Community Media & Media Justice.”

Today’s get-together at the Sanctuary for Independent Media is a precursor to a larger event tomorrow called interAct Troy!, a community driven skill share and party. It’s a great chance to check out the Sanctuary, visit friends up there, and promote the Allied Media Conference.

from: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Hold telecom hearings
Public knows too little about major reform legislation.

(May 9, 2007) — A telecommunications reform bill now in the Legislature would fundamentally alter the way cable television and Internet services are provided throughout the state. It involves big-money players in Albany wrestling over a multibillion-dollar industry.

Note: follow the discussion thread at the source link

from: The Albany Project

The NYS Telecommunications Reform Act is the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread...

Thu May 03, 2007 at 13:32:15 PM EDT

(I'll be the first to admit that I'm not terribly literate in telecom issues, but I've been talking lately to folks who certainly are. Topic #1 these days is Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications bill. It has been described to me by more than one person as the "gold standard" in state telecom legislation. Oddly, very few people seem to be paying much attention to it, including the Governor. I asked Pete to post about the bill so we can all learn about it and to start a conversation about what exactly makes it worthy of our support. Thanks to Pete for posting this. - promoted by lipris)