What's New

January 7 2010: The Media and Democracy Coalition joined two-dozen other groups in a letter to President Obama and Members of Congress to express concern over the merger proposed by Comcast and NBC Universal.  

In a statement, MDC Executive Director Beth McConnell said “A combined Comcast and NBCU poses significant harms to consumers.  They could pay higher prices for cable and Internet, see fewer choices of content available on television or over the web, and face unfair, discriminatory practices by the merged media behemoth.  Internet subscribers, community media providers and creative producers should be protected if the merger is permitted.”      

You can also read a statement from Free Press here. 

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November 20, 2009: Hannah Miller of the Media and Democracy Coalition (MDC) testified today before New York City Council's Technology in Government Committee today in favor of open access policies, voicing support for the six principles put forward by the FCC and discussing the findings of Harvard's Berkman Center on how best to universalize next generation broadband for America.

MDC's testimony, on Councilwoman Gail Brewer's Resolution 712A in support of net neutrality, encouraged Council to pass it as a signal to policymakers in Washington that the issue is of pressing importance. Miller also discussed the findings of the FCC-commissioned Berkman Center for the Internet and Society report on what regulatory framework would best result in ubiquitous, affordable broadband.

The Berkman report, Next-Generation Connectivity: A Review of Broadband Internet Transitions and Policy from Around the World, delved indepth into 14 different regulatory frameworks, and found that open-access policies - opening carriers' networks up to different providers that then competed to sell service on those networks - resulted in lower costs and higher quality for the consumer, and lessened the digital divide.   

"These 14 nations had a choice: between the interests of a handful of telco companies, or the economic wellbeing of society as a whole," Miller said. "And in all 14, it turned out to be no contest." 

The full hearing is available online; MDC shares a panel with Common Cause NY and Future of Music Coalition at 56:12. MDC members People's Production House, Public Knowledge, and Free Press also testified. Testimony is available here.

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Future of Music Coalition
The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between members of the music, technology, public policy and intellectual property law communities. The FMC seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music / technology issues, while also bringing together diverse voices in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in this space.

Upcoming Events

Feb 9: ARRA Broadband Grant and Loan Application Workshop, Blacksburg, VA

Feb 9: Making Media Work: Collaboration, Community Building and the Future of Journalism, Washington, DC

Feb 11: ARRA Broadband Grant and Loan Application Workshop, Fayetteville NC

Feb 11 - Feb 12: Making Your Media Matter, Washington, DC

Feb 12: ARRA Broadband Grant and Loan Application Workshop, Atlanta, GA

Feb 13 - Feb 14: Free Culture 2010 Conference, Washington, DC

Feb 16: The Future of News, Washington, DC

Feb 17: The Crisis in Journalism: What Should the Government Do?, Washington, DC

Feb 20: Free Speech Media Conference in Fresno, Fresno, CA

Feb 23: FCC Media Ownership Workshop, Columbia, SC

Feb 25: Wireside Chat with Lawrence Lessig: Fair Use, Politics, and Online Video, Cambridge, MA

Mar 4: News and Inclusion: Journalism and the Politics of Diversity, Stanford, CA

Mar 9 - Mar 11: We Media 2010, Miami, FL

Apr 8 - Apr 9: Art, Access & Action: A Columbia College Chicago Arts & Media Summit, Chicago, IL

Apr 30: The Future of Journalism: Unpacking the Rhetoric, Stanford, CA

May 5 - May 7: Making Media Public Conference, Toronto, Ontario

May 11: Free Press Summit: Ideas to Action, Washington, DC

Jun 9 - Jun 12: The 35th Annual Community Radio Conference, St. Paul, MN

Jun 15: Computers, Freedom, and Privacy, San Jose, CA

Jun 17 - Jun 20: Allied Media Conference 2010, Detroit, MI

Jun 22 - Jun 26: US Social Forum 2010: Another World is Possible!, Detroit, MI

Jul 22 - Jul 25: Netroots Nation 2010, Las Vegas, NV

Jul 23 - Jul 24: DemocracyFest 2010, Las Vegas, NV