[Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: You say you want a revolution...]

Tue May 29 12:41:43 PDT 2007

Anyone hear anything about this from some other source?

Gerry

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: You say you want a revolution...
Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 11:04:54 -0700
From: "Adam Green, MoveOn.org Civic Action" <moveon-help at list.moveon.org>
To: "Gerald S. Gras" <gerrygras at earthlink.net>

Clicking here will add your name:

"The public airwaves should be used for the public good. The government
must protect our airwaves from corporate gatekeepers who would stifle
innovation and competition in the wireless Internet market."
<http://civic.moveon.org/airwaves/one_click_sign.pl?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=1>
[click here]
<http://civic.moveon.org/airwaves/o.pl?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=2>

Dear MoveOn member,

The federal government is on the verge of turning over a huge portion of
our public airwaves to companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast?who
will use them for private gain instead of the public good.

These newly available airwaves are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
revolutionize Internet access?beaming high-speed Internet signals to
every park bench, coffee shop, workplace, and home in America at more
affordable prices than current Internet service. Phone and cable
companies don't want this competition to their Internet service?they'd
rather purchase the airwaves at auction and sit on them.1

In June, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will make a major
decision: Use the public airwaves for the public good, or turn them over
to big companies who will stifle competition, innovation, and the
wireless Internet revolution.

The FCC is only accepting public comments for a few more days. Can you
sign this petition to them today, and send it to your friends?

"The public airwaves should be used for the public good. The government
must protect our airwaves from corporate gatekeepers who would stifle
innovation and competition in the wireless Internet market."

Sign here:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/airwaves/?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=3
<http://www.civic.moveon.org/airwaves/?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=3>

We'll deliver your petition signature and any accompanying note directly
to the FCC's public comment record, which FCC Commissioners use to guide
their decisions.

There are many innovative companies jumping at the opportunity to forge
ahead with the wireless Internet revolution?bringing us high-speed
wireless networks from coast to coast and all sorts of innovative
wireless devices. But the old phone and cable companies are aggressively
trying to block this progress. They've spent billions laying wires, and
they enjoy having their customers locked in with few alternatives.

Without access to the public airwaves, wireless innovators can't enter
the marketplace. So the strategy of companies like AT&T, Verizon, and
Comcast is to buy the administrative rights of our airwaves at
auction?and then use those rights to block competition. They also stifle
the development of new wireless devices by only letting their own
endorsed products work on their networks.

We're urging the FCC to protect the public good by setting auction rules
that prohibit this anti-competitive behavior. If the government
auctioned off the right to maintain a public highway to Ford, we would
certainly not let Ford block Toyotas from the roads.  Likewise, big
phone and cable should not be able to keep innovative companies off our
airwaves.

They also shouldn't be able to tell their wireless Internet customers
which websites they can access?as they do now. And just as phone
companies can't tell customers what phones can be plugged into a wall
jack, cell and wireless companies should not be able to dictate which
phones or wireless devices people use on their networks.

The opportunity to revolutionize the Internet and wireless world is at
our fingertips. The only question is whether our government will embrace
it, and whether regular people will fight for it.

The FCC is only accepting public comments for a few more days. Can you
sign the petition to them today, and send it to your friends?

Sign here:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/airwaves/?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=4
<http://www.civic.moveon.org/airwaves/?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=4>

Thanks for all you do.
-Adam Green, MoveOn.org Civic Action
   Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

PS?Most people haven't heard about this critical issue yet?so it's
really important that we spread the word and get others involved. As you
consider who else to tell about this issue, here's what innovation and
competition in the wireless world means for regular people:

     * Families would no longer be forced to choose solely between
       high-priced phone and cable Internet. A new wireless
       market?including lots of competition within that market?would mean
       more affordable Internet access for families.
     * Poor and rural communities which phone and cable companies never
       bothered to wire with high-speed Internet access could now have
       high-speed Internet signals beamed directly into their homes.
     * Blackberry and other handheld wireless users are currently blocked
       by phone companies from accessing Internet-based phone service and
       other innovative services.2 The FCC could stop these
       anti-competitive, anti-consumer practices by mandating wireless
       Net Neutrality.
     * Socially responsible buyers could someday go to a store, scan the
       bar codes of products with an Internet-equipped cell phone, and
       find out which items are socially responsible. Phone companies can
       currently block such innovations from working with their devices
       (they often try to shake down innovators into giving them a
       massive cut of their profits)?but the FCC can prohibit such
       practices on these newly available airwaves.
     * Technology consumers in America are currently denied all sorts of
       cutting-edge technology that people in other countries have?like
       using Internet-equipped cell phones to buy products, transfer
       money, or give to charity. By opening the doors to competition and
       innovation, the FCC can change that.

P.P.S. Can you support this people-powered campaign today? As
corporations like AT&T and Verizon spend millions to get public policy
skewed in their favor, we will win these fights because of the power of
regular people. A donation of $10, $20, or more would go a long way. You
can donate here:
https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=5 

<https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html?id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=5>

Sources:

1. Paper describing "warehousing" of airwaves by dominant companies to
keep competition out of the market?by Simon Wilkie, Director of Center
for Communication Law and Policy at the University of Southern
California, March 26, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2594&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=6
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2594&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=6>

2. "Wireless Net Neutrality: Cellular Carterfone and Consumer Choice in
Mobile Broadband," Working Paper by Prof. Tim Wu, February 15, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2592&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=7
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2592&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=7>

Hooking Up," Prof. Tim Wu commentary in Forbes, May 18, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2627&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=8
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2627&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=8>

3. "Use spare spectrum for the Net; High-speed internet should be one of
the FCC's priorities as it auctions valuable airwave rights," Los
Angeles Times editorial, April 13, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2593&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=9
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2593&id=10433-824573-CN9rVu&t=9>

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