---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Yolanda Hippensteele, FreePress.net <l...@freepress.net>
Date: Nov 7, 2007 12:06 PM
Subject: Media Reform Update
To: Christian Melendez <md.mediacollect...@gmail.com>

Dear Christian,

Hello from Free Press. On behalf of our outreach and campaign staff, I
want to update you on some major happenings in media reform. The past
few weeks have seen some of the most crucial media policy developments
in recent memory.

It's not always easy to keep up with the ins-and-outs of media policy
issues alongside your other important work. But If you're getting this
message, you know that these debates will determine what information
will -- and will not -- reach the American public. As advocates and
community leaders, our ability to communicate our messages is at
stake.

Click on a link below or scroll down to read the updates:
FCC Plans Vote on Media Ownership Rules
Telecoms Caught Censoring Cell Phones and Internet
Congress Advances Bills for Community Radio & Community Internet
Update: 2008 National Conference for Media Reform
Join the Conversation -- The Free Press Action Network

People from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum
understand that media reform is crucial not just in creating better
media, but advancing every issue we care about. Let's keep working
together to expand this movement. Please don't hesitate to call me if
you'd like to hear more about any of these issues and how you can get
involved.

Onward,

Yolanda Hippensteele
 Outreach Director
 Free Press
 www.freepress.net

P.S. Another great way to stay up to date on media policy issues is
Media Minutes, our weekly five- minute podcast covering developments
in media reform. Check out the new and improved Media Minutes show
every Friday.

FCC Plans Vote on Media Ownership Rules
 Now is a crucial moment in the fight against media consolidation. A
front page story in the New York Times revealed FCC Chairman Kevin
Martin's plan to fast track a vote on media ownership rules -- one
that would let the biggest media companies control even more local
outlets. Despite a massive public outcry at the FCC's public hearings
and authoritative research on the potential impact of weakened
ownership limits, Martin is pushing changes that would accelerate
corporate consolidation, destroy local newsrooms, and further
aggravate our nation's crisis in media ownership by women and people
of color. With a vote planned as early as December, the time to turn
up the heat on the FCC is now. We are directly challenging Martin's
secret plan with thousands of citizen comments and plenty of public
pressure. We're working with allies in Congress to introduce
legislation that would safeguard public input and participation in the
FCC's rulemaking process. And we all need to work together to shed a
bright enough spotlight on media consolidation to make the Chairman
think twice before ramming through such a controversial vote. You can
do your part by encouraging your members and colleagues to contact
Congress on this issue and help spread the word about the FCC's plan
for media ownership rule changes through newsletter articles, e-mail
blasts, blog posts, op-eds, letters to the editor, etc. We have lots
of great resources on our StopBigMedia.com Web site, including a fun
Web game called "Whack-a-Murdoch" -- your chance to drop the hammer on
Big Media moguls and consolidation.

Telecoms Caught Censoring on Cell Phones and Internet
 The verdict is in. Leave the telephone and cable companies to their
own devices and they will discriminate, block and play gatekeeper
whenever it suits them. The past few months have provided plenty of
examples. In the wired world, Comcast was caught red-handed blocking
the legal file-sharing service BitTorrent.

This came just weeks after Verizon blocked text messages from NARAL
Pro-Choice America to its own members. And late August found AT&T
blocking statements critical of President Bush from a webcast of a
Pearl Jam concert.

These are examples of exactly the type of censorship that Americans
have warned would occur without Net Neutrality protections. Tired of
the constant apologies, the SavetheInternet.com Coalition is urging
people to contact the FCC and their members of Congress to demand laws
that would protect the free flow of information on any platform.

Congress Advances Bills for Community Radio & Community Internet On
Capitol Hill and across the country, support continues to grow for Low
Power FM (LPFM) radio. A bill now pending in Congress would create
thousands more community stations offering uniquely local news, views
and music programming. The Local Community Radio Act (S.1675) passed
last week through the Senate Commerce Committee. A similar bill is
pending in the House.

The Senate Commerce Committee also recently passed the bipartisan
Community Broadband Act (S.1853). This legislation promotes universal,
affordable Internet access by empowering local communities to deliver
essential high-speed Internet access to all their citizens. It would
overturn statewide bans on cities building their own municipal
Internet networks.

The next step for each of these bills would be a floor vote by the
full Senate. Organizations and individuals interested in these issues
should make calls to their senators, asking them to co-sponsor the
bills and help ensure that they advance.

Update: 2008 National Conference for Media Reform The 2008 National
Conference for Media Reform will be held in Minneapolis on June 6-8,
2008. We are excited to bring together activists, media makers,
educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens to call
for real and lasting changes to our nation's media system.
Registration for the conference will open in January. In a couple of
weeks, we will open a call for program suggestions and session
proposals through our Web site. Check out the NCMR Web site to sign up
for e-mail updates.

Join the Conversation at the Free Press Action Network The Free Press
Action Network is a new community exploring the latest topics in media
reform. Hundreds of users are signing up, creating their own blogs,
and participating in online discussions with guests like FCC
Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, Sen. John Kerry,
Rep. Hilda Solis, and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Start your own blog today
and join the conversation.

  ________________________________

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Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform
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diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and
universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net

--
Maryland Media Collective
College Park, MD
www.umcp.org
www.ThatFreshRadioPiece.com
md.mediacollect...@gmail.com