Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Bill Moyers Tonight on PBS


An update on the Bill Moyers program on Net Neutrality which is tonight at 9PM. Please watch and email others to bring attention to this critically important special report. "The Net at Risk" Tune in to PBS tonight to see the SavetheInternet.com Coalition featured in "The Net at Risk," a documentary produced by award-winning journalist Bill Moyers. Then join Save The Internet members in an online Web discussion at PBS.org. Watch the preview of "The Net At Risk" here.

Bill Moyers' show airs at 9 p.m. in most cities (check local listings). Immediately following the East Coast broadcast, PBS.org will host a live Internet debate between Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott and phone industry flack and former clinton spokesman, Mike McCurry.

You can be a part of this online debate. Here's how to join in:


When: Oct. 18, 10:30 pm Eastern / 7:30 pm Pacific
Where: http://www.pbs.org/moyers

You'll be asked to log in to participate in the online discussion. With your help, we hope to light up the PBS Web site with our campaign to save Net Neutrality. It's important to have you there. In the six months since the SavetheInternet.com Coalition was launched, millions of Americans have joined the campaign, spoken out for Internet freedom, and put Congress and the phone companies on notice.

Tonight's program could make millions more aware of this issue.

They need to hear the real voices of people like us instead of industry mouthpieces. Help us use the Internet to save it from corporate efforts to stifle online innovation, free speech and competition. Please join us tonight!

For the latest information on the campaign visit Save The Internet Don't miss Bill Moyers' new essay on Net Neutrality: "Against an Imperial Internet" available for reading at the Bill Moyer's website
Remember the 1996 Telecommunications Bill? Remember how they told us, "This bill will make cable tv more accessible, cheaper, and more reliable..." What's your cable like now? Cheaper? No. Cable tv rates have tripled in the past 10 years. The service is tiered and options are limited unless you pay much higher rates. This is what is instore for the internet if the corporate interests win. Please tune in, turn on and join the Net Neutrality fight.

Update: I recieved an interesting comment after this post went up, check my comments section to see the coalition that wants you to know "the other side" of the net neutrality debate. When I checked their website, I found a few of the 'members' of the coalition: AT&T, Bell South and Cingular. I could be wrong but it appears to me from the content of the comment and the 'sponsors' of the website that they are pushing an pro-government intervention agenda written purposely to decieve.

Ever seen a state intiative written in "positive" language but read further into the 'fine print' and the true intention of the proposed legislation is negative? A forest intiative in California several years ago comes to mind. Its sponsors were several large timber companies. The intiative was for "Tree Planting in California". Sounds good right? Read further and after they tell you how many trees they'll plant, find out their actual goal was to clear-cut large swaths of forestland, and then plant 1/10th of the trees they had cleared. I think the coalition Hands Off is trying to pull the same trick.

Below is text from the Save The Internet website, the pioneers that truly are fighting government intervention. Take a look here and tell me what you think about my analysis of "the other side". Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

"Right now Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the First Amendment of the Internet -- a principle called "network neutrality" that preserves the free and open Internet. Congress needs to hear from you today or they will hand over control of what you do online to companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

Politicians are trading favors for campaign donations from these companies. They're being wooed by people like AT&T's CEO, who says "the Internet can't be free." Sign this petition to tell your elected representatives to protect Internet freedom now."
-from SaveTheInternet.com

Save the Net Now

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

PBS has always been known for its objective reporting, but this Broadcasting and Cable article leads me to believe that Moyers has a rather subjective agenda. I have no doubt that the special will be well done, but we at the Hands Off coalition encourage viewers to visit our website in order to fully appreciate both sides of this important issue.

HopeSpringsATurtle said...

Dear "Hands Off",

I don't think the issue of "Net Neutrality" is particularly 'partisan' but the progressive left seems more engaged in the fight for non-governmental interference of the internet. I read the story you linked and its conclusion is Moyers' stance is one of 'hands off' the internet. The follwing is from the B&C article:


The show's take on network neutrality would appear to align with that general philosophy, given this excerpt from WNET's description of it:

"Big corporations are lobbying Washington to turn the gateway to the Web into a toll road. Yet the public knows little about what's happening behind closed doors where the future of democracy's newest forum is being decided.If a few mega media giants own the content and control the delivery of radio, television, telephone services and the Internet, they'll make a killing and citizens will pay for it."
..................

The link you left for your organization does not work, I have taken the liberty of reposting it here: HandsOff.org

And I've provided a link to the organizations that are part of your coalition. Interesting group including: AT&T, Bell South, Cingular, and the American Conservative Union.

Anonymous said...

SourceWatch has a bit more on handsoff, which it describes as a classic "astroturf" organization.

http://tinyurl.com/yepblo

Anonymous said...

Well, "handsoff," it is obvious that you are pulling the classic Republican oligarchic doubletalk presto change-o - call something the opposite of what it really is, and trust the American public not to look past your slick public relations campaign. "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" come to mind - more accurate descriptions would be "Dirty Skies" and "Slashed Forests." Perhaps "Handsoff" would be more accurately styled "Ripoff."

Anonymous said...

I did an analysis of Senate
candidates'
advertised positions regarding Net Neutrality. My discoveries are
posted at http://pagenotes.com/blogs/NetNeutrality.htm.   

Then I went looking for a good way to donate to candidates in
tight campaigns who actively support Net Neutrality. Since all but one
of the candidates were Democrats, I settled for an Act Blue
page:
http://www.actblue.com/page/savetheinternet
  
I encourage folks to use these pages as tools for active
support. I also invite constructive feedback in helping me maintain
the accuracy and utililty of these pages.

HopeSpringsATurtle said...

Jim Williams:
Thank you for your hard work and the link. If everyone were half as involed in this debate we would be just fine. Keep up the good work.