Topic: Media and Broadcasting Policy
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Thomas Jefferson: 16 quotes on his birthday
Here are 16 quotes to mark the birthday of American founding father Thomas Jefferson.
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Opinion 4 ways to get phone service the next time a hurricane Sandy calls
In the aftermath of a disaster such as superstorm Sandy, two-way communication is essential. Here are four ways to better prepare our phones and other devices for the next disaster:
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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.
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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:
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Can AT&T buy T-Mobile? Five key factors.
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Chapter & Verse Should prison inmates be allowed to read whatever they choose?
"Werewolf erotica"? A history of race relations? The Bible? What should prisoners be reading – and does society have the right to decide for them?
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Are Calif. labor-protest laws constitutional? Supreme Court turns away case
Members of a labor union picketed a non-union grocery store in Sacramento, Calif. The US Supreme Court declined an appeal challenging the constitutionality of two state laws that allow such picketing.
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Obama wants faster Internet in US schools. Would you pay $5 a year for it?
'We expect free wifi with our coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools?' Obama said in pressing for an initiative to urgently upgrade Internet connections at US schools.
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Feds rooting out 'unwelcome speech' on campus: But what is that?
The failure of the University of Montana to respond adequately to sexual assault allegations has led to a broadening of how the federal government defines verbal harassment. Free speech advocates worry that the new policy will chill the right to speak freely on campus.
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Chapter & Verse Is the unabridged 'Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl' too much of a good thing?
The unabridged version of 'Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl' includes passages in which Frank writes about her own anatomy – leading to a call for the book's removal from a 7th-grade classroom.
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USA Update David Ortiz forgiven by FCC for expletive Boston will never forget (+video)
David Ortiz used an expletive in his defiant (and televised) speech Saturday before the first Red Sox home game since the Boston Marathon bombing. The FCC has already weighed in.
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Thomas Jefferson: 16 quotes on his birthday
Here are 16 quotes to mark the birthday of American founding father Thomas Jefferson.
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Fight over cellphone unlocking pulls in FCC: report
The cell phone unlocking ban, which went into effect last month, has drawn the ire of activists.
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Why 'zombie' cyberattack is a real concern for Emergency Alert System (+video)
The Emergency Alert System was hacked this week by someone who inserted a warning that zombies were attacking the US. Funny, yes, but the vulnerabilities to cyberattack are real.
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Horizons FCC paves the way for better in-flight broadband
The FCC approved new rules on Friday that will make it easier for companies to offer broadband Internet on airplanes. The FCC has authorized in-flight Internet on an ad hoc basis since 2001, but the new rules will provide a framework for licensing companies to provide it.
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How to 'tether' your PC to your phone
A lawsuit now makes 'tethering' PCs and phones cheaper.
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Opinion 4 ways to get phone service the next time a hurricane Sandy calls
In the aftermath of a disaster such as superstorm Sandy, two-way communication is essential. Here are four ways to better prepare our phones and other devices for the next disaster:
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AT&T offers refunds to subscribers that overpaid. Are you eligible?
After FCC investigation, AT&T agreed to refund customers who had been overcharged on smart phone plans.
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Indian artist jailed for anticorruption cartoons
Aseem Trivedi was arrested on charges of sedition and insulting national honor, raising concerns in India that the government is increasingly intolerant of dissent.
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Progress Watch Got broadband? Access now extends to 94 percent of Americans.
Every year, Internet access via broadband becomes available to millions more Americans, up from 92 percent last year to 94 percent, a recent report shows. Rural and tribal areas are the outliers.
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Could ‘liking’ something on Facebook get you fired?
That’s what six sheriff’s deputies say happened to them after they ‘liked’ the political opponent of their boss. A district judge ruled that Facebook likes aren't protected speech, but the case is being appealed.
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Free speech: Can school fire ‘redneck’ over Confederate flag on his truck?
An Oregon school bus driver who refers to himself as a 'backyard redneck' was fired for refusing to remove the Confederate flag from his truck. A federal magistrate upheld his free speech lawsuit.
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Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction saga ends: Supreme Court refuses appeal
The FCC had fined CBS $550,000 for the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction in 2004, but an appeals court had sided with CBS. On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to take the case.
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US Supreme Court throws out FCC indecency fines
The ruling was very narrow, however, and left similar future fines in an uncertain place.
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The Monitor's View After Supreme Court ruling, FCC must give clear indecency standards
A Supreme Court ruling on FCC indecency rules for broadcast TV calls for less vague standards but seems to back the public interest in safeguarding children from vulgarities and nudity on public airwaves. Now the FCC must provide clarity for such rules.
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Supreme Court says broadcast decency standards too vague
The Supreme Court ruled that the FCC didn’t give broadcasters enough notice before enforcing new standards on language and nudity. But because the court didn't address the underlying constitutional issue of free speech, a variety of interest groups all claimed a measure of victory.
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Opinion Supreme Court indecency ruling in FCC vs. Fox TV – does it really matter?
The Supreme Court case pits the FCC against nudity and profanity on broadcast TV. But the truth is, we’ve been looking at the bottom for so long, looking at a naked bottom won’t make a difference. Only one ruling matters, and that’s the ruling every parent makes at home.
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Town swears off swearing, passes $20 profanity fine
Town swears off swearing: Middleborough Mass. residents have voted to make the foul-mouthed among them pay a $20 fine for swearing in public. Locals say the decision for the town to swear off swearing was the result of public profanity hurting local businesses.
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Opinion 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.
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Vox News 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?
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