Save Access

Also worth mentioning: Many of the reports issued by the Heartland Institute are written by FreedomWorks researchers.

from: Digital Destiny

Heart [less] Institute: Part of the Telecom/Cable Lobby Support System

The Heartland Institute is one of the never-ending series of groups that attempt to place the interests of big phone and cable monopolies before those of the average American. Ideology shapes the findings of this group. If it had a MySpace page, its “friends” would include the Progress and Freedom Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Cato, and the Pacific Research Foundation. They are a well-connected and networked web of organizations used to advance the narrow, monopoly-building agendas of Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and a few others.

from: WNY Media.net

Podcast: We've Been Heard on Net Neutrality... Now Show the Nation We Stand United in Buffalo!

Written by BuffaloWatchdog
Monday, 28 August 2006

Buffalo, NY - GREAT NEWS! Sen. Chuck Schumer has moved from “Undecided” to “Yes” on Net Neutrality. This is the Statement our fine senator will release later today!

from: SFGate.com

Big business lobbies hard for video licensing bill
Creating statewide franchises would shake up telecom world

Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Monday, August 28, 2006

Sacramento -- When Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez held a news conference in April to introduce legislation to give telephone companies unprecedented access to the home video market, he did so with props that evoked a bygone era.

from: Multichannel News

Ex-Stevens Aide Reports Cable Money
By Ted Hearn 8/23/2006

Mitch Rose, a former aide to Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), earned $270,000 from the cable industry in the first half of 2006, largely to influence a major telecommunications bill drafted by Stevens, according to congressional records.

from: Technology Daily

Telecom, Cable Interests Channel
Donations To Republican Incumbents

By David Hatch
Monday, August 14

Officials of dominant telephone and cable TV companies vying for an upper hand in pending telecommunications legislation are contributing heavily this election season to Republican incumbents who share those firms' deregulatory outlook.

from: New York Business

City says new cable TV entrants face same rules

by Amanda Fung
August 14, 2006

City Council officials said new cable TV entrants would have to follow the same guidelines as existing franchise-owners.

High-ranking City Council officials said on Monday that new cable TV entrants would have to follow the same guidelines as existing franchise-owners, including financial contributions to public access channels.

from: Chicago Tribune

Naperville's AT&T video deal collapses
Communications firm rejects plan city OKd

By Andrew L. Wang and Jennifer Taylor, Chicago Tribune. Andrew L. Wang is a Tribune staff reporter. Jennifer Taylor is a freelance reporter

August 18, 2006

Naperville officials say AT&T may have deliberately soured a video services deal with the city as part of a strategy to show federal lawmakers that it's not feasible to sign agreements with each locality, as cable companies must do.

from: Pinnacle News

The fight for local TV
Sunday, August 13, 2006
By Kate Woods

CMAP's director becomes "David" pitted against Goliath telephone companies

Don't look now, but if you live in Gilroy, Hollister or San Juan Bautista, you're on the verge of losing the few stations on your cable menu that give you what you want.

from: CNET

No price cuts for Verizon, BellSouth DSL customers

By Marguerite Reardon
Tue Aug 22

Verizon Communications' and BellSouth's DSL customers won't see a reduction in their broadband bills, even though a special fee that had been tacked on to bills to pay for a federal program has been eliminated.

from: Telecom Web

We've been seeing much of this Verizon Fios paraphernalia in NYC too, even balloons.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006
TPR's Frank Barbetta: Change of Venue

We hear almost half (nearly 47 percent) of all American food dollars are spent away from home; apparently the marketeers at Verizon Communications have heard this too. A recent promotion campaign for its emerging FiOS network television services in Virginia’s Arlington County - sometimes drifting into Maryland or the District of Columbia - seems to include some unconventional advertising atop the company’s traditional mass media outlets. Leveraging our culinary favorites, Verizon’s ads and promos for FiOS TV are appearing on beverage coasters, coffee containers, pizza boxes and Chinese food take-out bags. And if you make a mess eating or drinking, you can check out some dry cleaning bags with the Verizon messages also.