Topic: Communications and Information Policy

FCC chairman: Time to let public TV raise money for charities

We at the FCC have proposed relaxing the ban that keeps public noncommercial TV stations from doing third-party fundraising for charities. The change won't hinder the educational mission of these stations, but help them fulfill it by raising awareness and meeting community needs.

Rupert Murdoch deemed 'not fit' to lead media in Britain. What about US?

A British parliamentary panel found that Rupert Murdoch is 'not fit' to run media giant News Corp. But the question for Congress is: What laws – if any – were broken in the US?

Google gets $25K fine for 'impeding' FCC probe into Street View

The FCC has fined Google $25K for stonewalling government investigators. 

Sixth Summit of the Americas: 8 things to watch

Yes, the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena will debate drug policy and Cuba. Here are eight other topics to be discussed at the Summit.

Rush Limbaugh: Jane Fonda wants him kicked off air. Should FCC listen?

Feminist activists Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem are calling for the FCC to take action against Rush Limbaugh. Doing so, however, could create complications. 

Lightsquared: what happened, what's next, and why it matters

Upstart company Lightsquared planned to use ground towers and satellites to build a wholesale 4G network that would expand mobile access to rural parts of the US. But the FCC spiked the proposal over technical concerns. Now what?

Tyler Clementi and cyberbullying: how courts ruled in five other cases

The trial for the roommate of former Rutgers University Tyler Clementi will be watched by legal experts nationwide to see how the court addresses the growing issue of cyberbullying. Here is a list of court proceedings where cyberbullying or Internet privacy invasion was a key issue. 

LightSquared unable to use wireless spectrum due to interference with existing GPS devices

Wireless Internet connections from LightSquared can confuse GPS devices. Now, the FCC says it may revoke LightSquared's permit to eliminate the risk of such interference.

Madonna half time show: What's a network to do when performers behave badly?

Lots of finger-pointing has ensued after a rapper during the Madonna half time show at the Super Bowl made an obscene gesture – before millions of TV viewers. Indecency during prime time is an issue already before the US Supreme Court.

FCC: Chicago station can drop graphic antiabortion ad during Super Bowl

Antiabortion activist Randall Terry, a write-in candidate for president, demanded that a Chicago station run an ad showing aborted fetuses during the Super Bowl. The FCC ruled against him.

Antiabortion activist plans graphic ad for Super Bowl. Can station refuse?

The FCC is expected to rule on whether an NBC affiliate in Chicago must run a graphic ad during the Super Bowl by antiabortion activist Randall Terry, who has declared himself a candidate for president.

How five websites are protesting SOPA

Five major websites will go dark on Wednesday protesting two Congressional bills, which critics argue could curtail Internet and free speech.    

If passed, The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act or PIPA, would allow the US government to seek a court order and even shut down websites that contain content or links to unauthorized copyrighted content.  Moreover, advertisers and Internet service providers would be banned from doing business with transgressors.

Proponents of the legislation include companies that are trying to protect their copyrights, such as the Motion Picture Association of America, The NBA, Pfizer, Nike, L'Oreal, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the US Conference of Mayors.

However,  voices of opposition include Internet giants Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Mozilla, and Wikipedia – who say that the proposed laws constitute a First Amendment violation, promote censorship, and harm the democratic flow of information.  Check out how five major websites plan to protest SOPA and PIPA:

Does First Amendment protect students' online speech off-campus?

The Supreme Court declined to take up Tuesday three potentially important test cases of the First Amendment of students engaged in controversial speech on the Internet.

Lawyer makes startling argument in Supreme Court hearing on FCC

A lawyer arguing that the FCC has gone overboard in its regulation of broadcast nudity and language directed the justices' attention to the bare buttocks of statues in the Supreme Court. The justices are considering whether FCC rules are inconsistent. 

Are tough FCC indecency laws obsolete? Supreme Court hears free-speech case.

Fox and ABC say tougher FCC regulations of broadcasters regarding expletives and partial nudity are discriminatory in an age when cable and Internet programs are not similarly regulated.

Brazil takes on an centuries-old foe: corruption

Brazil is making strides in purging government corruption – a 500-year-old problem that persists today in Latin America because of cultural acceptance, inequality, and prevalent drug money.

Faced with evictions, occupy movement protesters look to new tactics

Disrupted by police, Occupy movements in several major cities now mobilize largely during daytime hours or through marches designed around specific issues. Some are aligning with local community groups, churches, and unions.

Romney staff spent nearly $100,000 to hide records

The effort to purge the records was made a few months before Romney launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He is again competing for the party's nomination, this time to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.

Supreme Court to weigh: Can man sue Secret Service agents in Dick Cheney case?

Two Secret Service agents arrested a Colorado man who criticized US policy in Iraq during a public appearance by Dick Cheney in 2006. The Supreme Court agreed Monday to take the case.

Occupy tents removed: The hijacking of the First Amendment

Occupy tents have been banned in New York City. The removal of the Occupy tents represents a betrayal of First Amendment rights.

'Bill shock': Are voluntary warnings against extra wireless fees enough?

The wireless industry is being told by the FCC to curb 'bill shock' notifying consumers when they are about to be charged extra for going over monthly limits for voice, data, texting, and roaming.

Bringing broadband to 18 million more Americans

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski unveils a plan to bring broadband access to 18 million more Americans, mostly in rural areas. But it involves dismantling and rebuilding a 15-year-old national service fund.

US Supreme Court opens, likely to wade into health care debate

It seems inevitable that the US Supreme Court will agree to hear the legal challenge to President Obama’s health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act. As the court opens Monday, gun laws, immigration, racial preferences, and separation of church and state loom as major issues as well.

Net neutrality rules are coming. Here's why they matter.

A new set of FCC rules would make net neutrality an enforceable reality, rather than just a set of principles. But Verizon and other providers think the FCC has overstepped its bounds.

Brazil fights corruption at home as it signs Open Government Partnership with the US

Today, Brazil formally unveils its plans for the multi-country initiative, a timely move as ministers are sacked and people take to the streets to demand more transparency.